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Home Snacks and sides

Paski’s pappalá

If you've exhausted your usual dip-and-spread options, why not try this spread from Sydney's Paski? Made from blended milk-soaked cod, bread, and tomato, this unusual dish is a must-try.
Grey ceramic plate of Pappalá with a spoon. Crusty bread to the side of the image.

Photo: Alicia Taylor

Alicia Taylor
6 - 8
1H
1H 45M
2H 45M

“Pappalá is pappa al pomodoro combined with baccalà mantecato. Mattia tried a version of baccalà mantecato with confit tomato near Vicenza – this is where the idea came from,” says Giorgio De Maria, co-owner of Sydney’s Paski Vineria Popolare. Begin this recipe a day ahead.

Ingredients

Tomato oil
Pappalá

Method

1.For tomato oil, preheat oven to 90˚C (fan-forced). Place tomatoes and garlic on an oven tray and season to taste. Slow-roast until tomato edges start to turn golden (1½-1¾ hours). Transfer to a blender with olive oil and blend until smooth (add more oil if mixture is too thick). Strain through a fine sieve lined with paper towel into a jar, refrigerate until required. Discard solids.
2.Meanwhile, for pappalà heat oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft (8-10 minutes). Add tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened (40 minutes). Stir in basil and season to taste.
3.Meanwhile, place cod in a large saucepan with milk, peppercorns and bay over high heat. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until cod flakes easily (8 minutes). Remove from heat, cover with a lid, and stand for 10 minutes. Drain and reserve milk; coarsely flake cod (discard skin and bones) and set aside.
4.Place bread in a bowl with 750ml reserved milk. Stir until bread absorbs milk and softens (5 minutes), then squeeze bread to remove excess milk. Place soaked bread, cod and tomato mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low-medium speed. With the motor running, gradually add extra oil and mix until until pappalà has a creamy consistency with small visible chunks of cod (3-5 minutes). (If mixture is too thick, thin with a little extra milk).
5.Place pappalá in a bowl, drizzle with tomato oil and serve with sourdough.

Note Salt cod is available at specialty fish shops. Soak cod in water overnight, changing water regularly.

Wine suggestion 2020 Podere Sotto Il Noce Cattabrega, Emilia-Romagna.

Notes

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