This recipe is one of my mother’s specialties and I have fond memories of eating it back in Chicago when I was a little girl. This is basically salted cod cooked in tomato, onions and raisins and accompanied by potatoes. Yes, I know- I know, it is another strange disgh for a kid to like, but it is also a healthy dish. The dish is known as being a Pelponisian dish (from the area of Pelopoinissos in Greece) where my mom and father are from. It is of the few Greek dishes that use fruit in a savory dish. The story goes that the cod was first imported by the English and in exchange they were given Greek raisins. Korinthos another area in Pelopoinssos, was known for their raisins and according to George Mazos a Corinthian black raisin producer and owner of Golden Black, Greeks were in fact supplying the English with raisins so it seems that the two ingredients were combined to create this wonderful dish.

Now, although fish was available on the coastal areas of Greece, for the mountainous regionseven on some islands fish was not so accesible, so salted fish was common as was was salted cod which also lasted for a long time.

Now salted cod is associated with the Greek fast. During the Greek Easter fast, there were 2 days that fish is allowed, one of these days is the 25th of March which is the Feast of the Annuncation which also happens to be Greek Independence day. So on this offocial holiday it is common to eat salted cod. It can either be consumed fried with skordalia (garlic dip) or roasted with onions and tomatoes (bakaliaroplaki).

This is a pretty easy dish, but you do neede to desalt the cod a day earlier. Basically you cut the cod in smaller pieces (abput 3 inches) soak the cod in cold water for 24 hours, keeping it covered and in the refrigerator and changing the water 3-4 times. In Greece this cod is found everrywere, outside of Greece you can find in Greek or Italian delis and supermarkets.

Greek Style Roasted Salted cod with onions, tomatoes and raisins-BakaliaroPlaki

INGREDIENTS

Salted Cod about 2 pounds (1 kg)

½-3/4 cup olive oil

3-4 onions sliced in thin rings

3 tomtoes chopped or a 15 ounce can of chopped tomates

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf

1 bunch of parsley

½ cup wine

½ cup black raisins

Juice of ½ a lemon

4-5 medium potatoes

salt/pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl or your mixer bowl blend the flours.

2. Mix the yeast in the warm water until dissolved

3. Add the yeast water to the flour. Than add the salt.

4. Knead the dough until it is somewhat elastic and can be rolled into a ball, it should unstick from the sides of the bowl. I used my regular mixer with the dough hook un low.

5. Cover the dough ball with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place until it doubles in size (this should take about 45 minutes-1 hour). I heated my oven at 80 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) and put the dough there.

6. In the meantime take a big pan, cover it with wax paper and brush some olive oil.

7. Once it is ready, remove take the dough separate in two balls and flatten out on the pan in an oval shape. Wet your fingers and poke the dough so there are indentations. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

8. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius) for about 40 minutes.

89 Remove, let it cool. Slice in 1 inch pieces or just pull pieces with your hand.