Bacala Mantecato

Directions

1. 1
   To prepare, place the bacala in a large bowl.
2. 2
   Fill the bowl with water and soak the bacala for 1 hour, changing the water two or three times during that period.
3. 3
   Remove the bacala from the water and cut it into three segments.
4. 4
   Heat the olive oil and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat, season with salt, and cook, stirring constantly, to flavor the oil with the garlic and sweat the garlic without browning it, about 2 minutes.
5. 5
   Add the potatoes and cook for 1 minute to coat them with seasonings.
6. 6
   Add the milk, increase the heat to high, and cook until the milk begins to bubble.
7. 7
   Reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes in the milk until theyre tender, about 20 minutes.
8. 8
   Add the bacala and simmer until the fish is cooked through and the potatoes have begun to break down, thickening the milk to a saucelike consistency, about 6 minutes.
9. 9
   Pass the contents of the saucepan through a food mill into a mixing bowl and stir to combine the ingredients.
10. 10
    Transfer half of the puree to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade or the jar of a blender and puree until smooth.
11. 11
    Return the pureed bacala to the bowl with the unpureed cod and stir to combine.
12. 12
    Add more milk if necessary to obtain a spoonable consistency.
13. 13
    Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if desired.
14. 14
    Serve the mantecato or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to three days.
15. 15
    Before serving, warm the mantecato in a small saucepan over low heat, adding enough milk to obtain the desired consistency.
16. 16
    To assemble, lay the crostini oiled side up on a work surface and spoon a heaping tablespoon of the bacala mantecato into an uneven layer onto each crostino, leaving the edges of the bread visible.
17. 17
    Create a small crater in the center of each mound of bacala and spoon 1/4 teaspoon of the tapenade into each crater.
18. 18
    (If you are using olives instead of tapenade, nestle one olive in each crater and drizzle with 1/8 teaspoon of the finishing-quality olive oil.)
19. 19
    Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.
20. 20
    Soave Classico (Veneto)