Mother’s Day is approaching fast!  We knew it would feel different this year with the loss of parents, but with the virus, it will be almost spooky.  We always celebrated this day together with the all the mothers in the family.  It was always a special meal where everyone (it was supposed to be just the kids and the men) contributed to the menu – from appetizers to dessert.  This year though, the celebration will be different – technology will be used to bring us together.  Thank heavens for the kids!!  There will still be food but much scaled down as the majority of households have just two people in them.  But as always, food will still be top of mind and stomach.  One of my favorite dishes my mother-in-law used to make was Salt Cod Pie (or as the Portuguese call it – bacalhau). My mother-in-law knew I loved this dish so it became a staple addition to my menu at almost every party.  In addition to salted cod, it has potatoes, pasta, onions – lots of onions, and for garnish, hard boiled eggs, olives, cilantro and crispy fried onion. Every time I ate this dish it conjured up memories of parties, leftovers and of course, in some cases – hangovers. This recipe is fantastic as presented.  I tried making it several times from recollection, but it never came the same.   Fortunately we found the original hand written, annotated recipe from my mother-in-law and I want to tell you – spot on!  I wanted to remember her this Mother’s Day, by recreating this classic dish of hers.   

She was a wonderful cook and baker, and an accomplished seamstress.  Oh so fashionable making sure her lipstick and hair were always perfect even into her last days.  She was a loving mum, wife and grandmother, determined and fun loving.  She loved to present food – eat with your eyes, and this dish was no exception.  It is a simple recipe (with hand written annotations of when she made it, variations she made, hits and misses – in the margins) with delightful tastes and textures.   Although it didn’t have a pastry crust, we called it pie and devoured it every time she brought it out.  I always say recipes are just guides, but I truly believe annotated recipes work “as is”, there will always be room for additions/subtractions, but then it becomes yours. I’m using salted cod that comes in a package (see picture below). Two reasons, first I don’t have to soak it overnight – heavens that would require planning, and second it’s convenient to use. When you walk by the fish section in the store, you will find this product. If you can’t find it, you will sometimes see it wrapped in cellophane in those foam trays – stiff and dry. If you go to specialty shops and European style grocers or fish markets, they sell it in bigger pieces, dried, hard as a rock and well salted. All these versions work, it just wasn’t available in easy to use packages 50 years ago. 

I’m removing the excess salt by boiling the pieces.  Actually 2 – 3 boils for about 20 minutes each with a change of water in between boils to keep the right amount of salt. The key is to taste a bit of the fish at the end of each boil, if it is too salty, boil it once more, if not – you are done. Please don’t take out too much salt – it will be just a fish pie. My changes to the recipe are indicated by an “*” below.  Specifically I added – 1 habanero chili sliced in half and about 5 full garlic cloves to the water the fish boiled in.  I flaked them with the fish before combining with the cooked onions.  On a side note, I did try boiling the potatoes with the fish but they removed so much salt, I had to cook up a small batch of fish on its own to add to the dish.  It did make the potatoes tasty, but salted boiling water will give you the same result.  So next time you make something too salty, add a potato to it and continue to cook.  Of course the recipe belowis a keeper on it’s own and does not need my additions.  

So for those of you who still have Nana’s and/or Papa’s, Mum’s and/or Dad’s, Uncles and/or Aunts or family and friends that make your favorite dishes, ask them to show you how they make it. Don’t be afraid to ask for recipes – the hand written ones if they have them, but most of all, watch their technique – it’s what gave the dish it’s unique taste. When to do what, the order things are added in, the stirring, the leaving it alone to cook, the tasting in between – etc., that’s you want to see. When we have returned to some sense of normalcy, go spend some time with them – take a bottle of wine or cake for them. I think if they are true food lovers, they will welcome the opportunity to share this experience. If they don’t – google the recipe, it will give you a good starting point or maybe the end result you want. Then adjust the ingredients to your taste – just write down any changes you make! To those of you who keep recipes as family secrets – ugh!, don’t be serving it to me, just make it for you to enjoy (in my opinion, the only exception is if you are making a living – monetarily, from the dish)!  Make this bacalhau recipe. Lira (mum), I hope I did justice to it. Happy Mother’s Day – for the mum’s that are no longer with us, to those we are separated from and can’t be with, those that are, and those that play the role of mum.  An irreplaceable role and unforgettable souls!  As always – enjoy!

1 lb salted cod fish
*10 cloves garlic – divided
*1 habanero/scotch bonnet pepper, cut in half
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1“ squares or into eighths, boiled until almost cooked
2 cups elbow macaroni pasta
2 hot Thai chilies – or to taste, I put 8, they weren’t hot, really
3 large onions, sliced
2 large tomatoes, quartered
*1 red pepper, thinly sliced
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp turmeric
½ tsp sugar – optional
1 tsp lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
*these are my additions to her original recipe and optional

Rinse the salted cod in cold water then place it in a pot, add a split habanero/scotch bonnet chili and about 5 cloves of garlic – fill the pot with water ensuring at least 1″ above the surface of the cod, and bring to a boil
After 20 minutes of boiling, drain the water – for your own information, just try a bit of the fish and note the salt level in the taste
Fill the container with fresh water and repeat if needed – again taste the fish after the second boil and determine if it needs a third boil or not – repeat if necessary – drain, flake and set aside
While the fish is boiling, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until almost cooked – they will finish cooking in the pan with the other ingredients – drain and set aside
In a large non-stick pan/pot, add the olive oil, and when hot add the onions – sauté for about 10 minutes until slightly translucent
Add the potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, chilies and garlic – stir gently to mix, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 5 – 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
In the meantime, boil the pasta – I’m using elbow macaroni (that’s what she used) – scoop the pasta into the frying pan when ready – stir to mix through
Next, add the salt fish to the onion/pasta/potato mixture gently stir to incorporate
Cover and cook for 5 minutes just to bring everything together
Turn off the heat – taste – season with salt, pepper, sugar, and lemon juice
Finish with sliced hard boiled eggs, olives (pictured are the cracked olives I make every August – thanks Maria, the recipe is on this site), cilantro, crispy fried onion
Serve on its own with a nice Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling!