Salt Cod, Potato and Chickpea Stew
Source: cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017371
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless salt cod fillets
- 1 pound dried chickpeas
- 1 small onion, halved and stuck with 2 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
- Pinch of crumbled saffron
- 2 teaspoons pimenton (smoked paprika)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 pounds yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, peeled and cut in thick wedges
- 12 littleneck clams, about 1 pound
- 2 cups roughly chopped cilantro
Directions
- Rinse salt cod, then place in a bowl of cold water and soak for 8 hours or overnight.
- Change water every 2 hours if possible.
- (If desired, fully soaked cod may be refrigerated, drained and wrapped in plastic for up to 2 days.)
- Also put chickpeas in a bowl and cover with cold water by 2 inches.
- Leave to soak 8 hours or overnight.
- The next day, drain cod, chop it into 1-inch chunks, put it in a bowl and set aside.
- Put chickpeas and soaking water in a large pot over high heat.
- Add clove-stuck onion and bay leaf and bring to a boil.
- Skim foam, turn down heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, until tender.
- Halfway through cooking, add 2 teaspoons salt.
- Turn off heat and leave chickpeas in their broth until ready to use.
- (Chickpeas may be cooked several hours ahead or even a day in advance if desired.)
- Make the stew: In a heavy soup pot, warm olive oil over high heat.
- Add diced onion and let sizzle, then reduce heat and cook until softened, stirring, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, saffron, pimenton and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
- Season mixture with salt and pepper.
- Add wine and bring to a brisk simmer.
- Drain chickpeas, reserving 6 cups of the broth.
- Add the broth and potatoes to the pot, cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Ladle about 2 cups of the stews liquid over the salt cod pieces and let steep for 10 minutes (the fish will cook while steeping), then pour this mixture into the pot.
- Add the clams and reserved chickpeas to the pot and simmer, covered, until clams open, 5 to 7 minutes.
- To serve, stir in the cilantro and ladle the stew into big bowls.