New Year's Eve Dinner: Bacalao

I often think that my love for cooking is in my DNA. See, I come from a family of excellent cooks, if I may say so. My great-grandmother, on my dad’s side, worked as the head cook (this is before women could be considered chefs) at a restaurant in one of the best hotels in Mexico City. Her daughter, my grandmother, followed her lead and worked at several restaurants as a cook. There was not a dish she did not know how to make – in fact she made the best Chinese fried rice – and everything she made, was ridiculously good.

Although she is no longer with us, I remember with fondness when we visited her and the smell of whatever she was cooking inundated her house. Growing up, we usually spent New Year’s Eve at her house. It was a night full of fun: all of the cousins lined in her yard to hit a piñata full of candy; we were allowed to drink a small glass of rompope (Mexican eggnog); and we would stay up until midnight to eat 12 grapes for good luck in the new year. Another highlight of the night was the food, of course. My grandmother would always make Bacalao, a dish made with dried salted codfish that the Spaniards introduced to Mexico and which is traditionally eaten on Christmas and New Year’s Eve. When we moved out of Mexico City, my grandmother gave my mother the recipe to make Bacalao and since then, she makes it every year on Christmas Eve. Every time she makes it, the smell of the Bacalo takes me back to my grandmother’s house...

So, if you still don’t know what to make on New Year’s Eve (and if you like fish), try making Bacalao. It is very easy to make and it pairs beautifully with champagne. There is nothing else I would rather eat for New Year’s Eve than Bacalo.

Ingredients
2 pounds salted cod fish
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 pounds tomatoes (diced)
2 pounds onion (diced)
1 bunch parsley (chopped)
6 garlic cloves
1 pound potatoes (peeled and diced)
1/3 cup green olives
5 or more whole banana peppers pickled

Directions
1. Soak the salted cod in hot water changing the water two times over the course of eight hours. Drain and shred the fish.
2. In a large pan, toast the garlic cloves in hot olive oil. Once they turn brown remove.
3. Sautee the onions, tomatoes, and parsley. Once cooked, add the shredded salted cod and potatoes. Keep in medium heat and covered until potatoes are cooked.
4. Add the olives and banana peppers and cooked for five more minutes.  Do not add salt.
5. Serve with baguette. It pairs very well with champagne.