Pesce Stocco alla Calabrese

Salted cod Calabria style "Pesce stocco alla calabrese"

Ingredients, amounts for 4 people: basil - onion: 1 large - olive oil - black olives: 3/2 oz - potatoes: 1 Ib 12 oz - pepper - parsley: 1 handful - salt - tomato sauce - soaked air-dried small cod: 1 Ib 12

Preparation:
Chop up the onion finely along with the parsley and put the mixture into a large casserole dish, if possible of terracotta, add the oil and a spoonful of tomato sauce. Put the dish over heat and, when the sauce has thickened well, pour in a ladleful of hot water. Boil the salted cod in plenty of water, drain it, dry it and cut it into pieces; remove the skin and carefully remove the bones. Put the pieces of fish into the casserole dish, add the potatoes cut into round slices about half a centimetre (1/4 inch) thick and a stalk of basil leaves which is to be removed before serving. When the potatoes are nearly cooked, add the stoned olives, a little salt and a pinch of black pepper. Leave to take on flavour for 10 minutes and serve.

Rigatoni alla Pastora

Melanzane fritte con mozzarella e olive

Ingredients, amounts for 4 people: garlic - basil - onion 1/2 - white flour a little - aubergine 4 - "mozzarella" cheese 1 - olive oil - black olives 20 - pepper - tomatoes 1 Ib 2 oz - salt

Preparation:
Sauté a clove of garlic and the finely chopped onion in 50 g (2 oz) of oil, then add the chopped up tomatoes; season with salt and pepper, add a few basil leaves and a drop of water. Once the tomatoes are well cooked, pass them through a sieve. Peel the aubergines, cut into slices, arrange them in a sieve, salt them and leave like this for about one hour to allow them to lose their bitter water, then wash them and dry them. Flour them lightly and fry in plenty of oil; when they are golden brown, drain them and arrange them in layers in an oven dish, covering each layer with the tomato sauce, the sliced mozzarella and the stoned olives. The last layer should be of tomato sauce; sprinkle with oil and put the dish in the oven heated to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Leave for about 15 minutes. Serve hot as side dish; cold as an hors d’oeuvres.