Cod in Saor

I have this habit of putting off watching newly released movies until they've been out for a while. 

A long while. 

Like sometimes years down the road kind of while. What can I say, I'm a procrastinator. 

Take this past Saturday as an example. I'm off from work, blog writing on the couch after finishing my recipes for the weekend, and being one that likes background noise, I rent Julie & Julia on Prime. 

This movie came out what, 5 years ago and I'm just getting around to watching it now? It seemed kind of an appropriate movie to watch when you're writing a blog about cooking your way through a cookbook. 

When I first started this blog, the Julie/Julia questions came up.  Are you hoping to meet Mario after finishing this project? Do you think it'll make you famous?

My answer was and will always remain, no. 

You have to do a project like this out of love. Maybe a little bit of craziness too. But mostly love. Love for the craft of cooking. Love for the feeling of completion. For the love of learning. But never for a free meal ticket to 15 minutes of fame. 

I think that's what upset me about the movie. The part about Julia's life was fascinating. She led an amazing life. Julie, however, did not. 

Julie's blog is now ancient history, so there is nothing left to dissect. But I find it hard to believe that she cooked 524 of Julia Child's recipes from Mastering The Art of French Cooking in 365 days. She worked a full time job, had to take the subway home, grocery shop for the recipes, prep all of the ingredients in a tiny apartment kitchen that sat over a pizzeria, cook the recipes, clean up afterwards, then write the damn blog post, EVERYDAY, That's roughly 2 recipes a day and writing for a solid year. No days off or now you'll need to make 4 recipes just to catch up. Or to put it into another perspective, that's nearly 43 recipes a month! I smell bullshit in the air. 

Turns out Julia could smell the bullshit too. Julia didn't take her as a serious cook. Her editor was quoted as saying, 'She (Julie) would never really describe the end results, how delicious it was, and what she learned. Julia didn't like what she called 'the flimsies.' It was clear through watching the movie that it was all just a publicity stunt. 

Most months if I'm able to knock out four or five recipes in this cookbook I'm a happy man. I have a full-time job with a beautiful wife, a sassy pet rabbit, a mortgage, and many other responsibilities. The little bit of extra free time that I have to pursue an endeavor such as this involves research, planning, shopping, cleaning, writing, and the like. To be able to cook and write your way through 43 recipes a month would literally be a full-time job. 

There have been people who have actually cooked their way through hard cookbooks and blogged about it, with pictures to prove it ( see http://carolcookskeller.blogspot.com, or http://www.allenhemberger.com). And they've taken several years to complete it. Not 12 months. With the exception of August, I think I am keeping pace quite well and should finish this book in a few years. And I'm ready for that. 

I'm also ready to dive into the next recipe. This one was a surprise at how good it was. At least that what my wife's opinion was. I got a only a small bite. She devoured it. A shock after the look on her face when I told her what it was. 

In saor means 'sour' in Italian and is a Venetian way of making something sweet and sour. Mario notes that this dish is traditionally made with sole, but he prefers the taste of deep-fried cod at room temperature. Oh ya forgot to mention, this dish is served at room temperature which I thought was a little weird at first, but I put my trust in Mario. 

First I heat some olive oil to about 375°. The cod gets seasoned with salt and pepper and dredged in flour. I pan fry it on both sides until golden brown. 

In another pan, I heat olive oil and cook a diced red onion until just brown. 

Then I added black currants, sugar, pine nuts, and vinegar and boil it. Once the currants are softened, I removed them from the heat and let it cool in the pan. 

When this mixture has cooled, I pour it over the cod, wrap the pan in plastic wrap, and let it marinate overnight in the fridge. About an hour before I'm going to serve it, I take it out of the fridge and add fresh chopped chives. 

This fish comes with a simple side salad. I peeled 6-inch strips of celery and tossed them with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. 

I'm ready to try this thing. The fish gets plated with a little of the marinade and the celery salad. 

This dish was just terrific! Wow what a surprise. I don't know if I would put it in the antipasto category because I think it would be perfect for lunch. But my wife devoured it, so it had to be good. We put this on my make again list. 

I find my motivation for this project renewed. I don't know if Mario will ever read the words of this blog. And I don't care. Well I do. I'd love to know that he's cool with what I'm doing. I'd certainly love the chance to meet him. But does it really matter either way? No. And I'm fine with that. Not even a third of the way through and already I've learned so much and have pushed myself to new levels of creation. When I open this book, I train with Mario as if he's there, helping to take my craft to a new level. Until next time...