It’s not wintertime yet, but evenings are starting to cool down with the nice breeze we’ve had in New York. Cooler evenings call for a very simple recipe, a soup. Even though it’s so easy to make, it’s a little time-consuming, and the results will tell you it’s worth making it, because it’s so delicious.
INGREDIENTS:
24 cups (16 pints) water
1/2 lb codfish
2 large, chopped zucchini
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 clove minced garlic for sautéing with the codfish
1 clove chopped garlic for simmering with the soup broth
1 chopped red onion
1/3 cup chopped scallions
1/3 cup green peas
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon fresh or dried, crumbled thyme
HOW TO MAKE IT:
Because I used salt codfish, it was desalted in a big bowl with water, 24 hours prior to cooking, with the water changed 6 times. You can get it less salty by desalting it for 48 hours, changing the water more often than 6 times per 24 hours.
The broth takes about 4 hours to make, and you’ll need a big pot in which you’ll pour the water. Heat it up to the highest, pot covered, and add the chopped zucchini, butter, chopped celery, chopped garlic, and chopped red onion, and the parts of the fish you don’t eat, such as the head, spine, bones, as long as it has some meat – the only purpose on doing this is to get some flavor of the fish in your broth. When it starts boiling, lower the heat immediately so it will simmer for 4 hours, pot uncovered. The idea is to have about 4-6 cups of broth at the end, so water adjustment may be necessary – adding more water, probably; or letting it simmer a little longer, if the broth seems to be more than 6 cups.
Pour the olive oil in a pan and start cooking the codfish, and minced garlic. The fish cooks for 4 minutes each side, on low heat. The minced garlic sautés in one minute, added to the side of the fish while it’s cooking. Flake the cod after it’s cooled down a bit.
Strain the broth, put it back into the hot pot, and add the peas, scallions, black pepper and thyme – if you’re using fresh thyme, chopped it finely. Add the fish to your broth, and there you have it: an excellent codfish soup!
COOKING RECIPES by Lucas Eller
