Grandma’s Baccala Soup – The Real Deal!

Our Friends, Michael and Josephine, are kind enough to share a family recipe with us today in a special “Italian Guest Post”.

Dating back to Josephine’s great-grandmother, this one is a keeper! Can’t you just smell it simmering on your stove during this cold snap most of us are experiencing? So, sit back, relax, and savor the soup.

“Every Christmas Eve, my Grandmother would make her Baccala Soup.  It is her Mother’s recipe that originated from their family in Melilli, Sicily.  In December of 1993, when my Grandmother was 84, she wrote down the recipe for me. She continued to make the soup for us into her late eighties. 

 Her recipe doesn’t have set quantities. However, I’ve done my best to narrow down the amounts.”

 Ingredients:

•  2 lbs baccala (salted cod-fish)
• Olive Oil
• 2 bunches of scallions
• 1 tablespoon of capers (rinsed)
• 32 oz container of pitted green olives from the grocery deli (rinsed)
• 2 cans of whole peeled tomatoes, 24 ounce cans (use the tomatoes only in this recipe, and reserve the puree for another day)
• 3 or 4 carrots (chopped)
• 3 russet potatoes (chopped)
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

 Soak baccala for 24 hours in cold water to rehydrate the fish and remove excess salt.

 I use an 8 quart pan.

• Cover the bottom of the pan with Olive Oil
• Saute Scallions for a few minutes
• Add tomatoes while continuing to sauté
• Add capers and olives

• Add water until pan is ¾ full and start to bring to a boil
• Add chopped carrots and potatoes
• Cook until soft, about 25 minutes
• Add baccala and cook about 8 minutes, until it sheds easily
• Add red pepper flakes to taste

Buon Appetito! Thanks so much, Josephine, for sharing such a tasty family heirloom!