Potato purée with cod and a Genovese onion sauce

The main ingredient of this dish is cod which, together with the other ingredients, gives it a refined note. We suggest you use salted Skrei cod from the Lofoten Islands off the northwestern Norwegian coast. The meat of this variety is exceptionally firm, white and soft.

The preparation is easy but special attention must be paid when cooking the onions to ensure they do not burn but only brown slightly where they are the thinnest.

Attention must also be paid to the use of salt given the amount necessary will depend on how long the cod has been allowed to rinse in fresh water.

Ingredients: 

500g Montoro ramata (coppery) onions, 800g of rinsed cod fillet cut into pieces, 800g white potatoes, 1 laurel leaf, marjoram, salt as needed, pepper (optional), 50ml extra-virgin olive oil, ½ glass of white wine and tomato powder.

Directions: 

Steam-cook the potatoes that have been cut into pieces and then blend them with a mixer together with several tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil to create a thick purée. In the meantime, slice and sauté the onions first with just oil and then adding the wine and salt. Sauté at a low heat for around 20 minutes, until the onions are soft.

De-bone the cod and place it in a pan with two fingers of water and the laurel leaf and cook for three minutes.

When the fish is cooked, prepare the dish by re-heating the potato purée, adding a few tablespoons of water if it has becomes too dense. Spoon out a ladle of purée on each plate and spread some onions on top before adding the cod pieces. Complete by seasoning with pepper, marjoram and tomato powder.

Wine to pair: 

Schulthauser Alto Adige Pinot Bianco San Michele Appiano/ St. Michael-Eppan 

Schulthauser, having been vinified and bottled for the first time in 1986, is the consummate South Tyrolean Pinot blanc. This wine isn’t ostentatious, but is the consummate fresh-and-fruity Pinot blanc, with white peaches and fresh almonds notes, citrusy hints underlying. Supple and lively in the mouth; subtle but long finish.

Production area: vineyards at Schulthaus, above Moos Castle, in Eppan/Berg (540 to 620m). Exposure: Southeast. Soil: Limestone gravel with clay.

Grape variety: Pinot blanc. Training System: Pergola and Guyot

Production system: harvest and selection of grapes by hand. The majority (75%) is fermented in stainless-steel tanks and the remainder in oak barrels, followed by malolactic fermentation. The two wines are combined in February.

Alcoholic content: 14%

Serving temperature: 8-10°C.

Food pairing: A premium aperitif and summer wine, it is also quite versatile when it comes to food pairing: it goes well not only with seafood and fish but also with delicate dishes made with wild fowl. It is especially recommended as an accompaniment to South Tyrolean Schlutzkrapfen.

Ageing potential: 4 to 5 years

THIS RECIPE IS OFFERED BY SAN MICHELE APPIANO