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Atlantic populations. Since the time it was brought to Italy, over 400 years ago, despite initially becoming the food of the poor, it has pushed its way to the top of the menus in the best restaurants and to becoming the star of dishes by decorated chefs. With intense taste and rich flesh, salt cod is the result of an ancient process which guarantees long product storage but be careful not to confuse it with “stockfish”. It is the same fish, the Atlantic cod, but two different techniques are used for preparation: salt cod is preserved after salting, while stockfish is dried.

This ancient processing method ensures high levels of food safety and gives the salt cod a unique taste and texture compared to fresh fish, not to mention the exceptional nutrients: it is rich in proteins, very low in fats, Omega 3 and very low in calories.

All these qualities make the Italians the world’s largest consumers of it. This is why we are offering a recipe with salt cod as the star, prepared using the induced maturation© technique designed by waveco®: “Salt cod with tomato gazpacho and organic taggiasca olives”.

To cook this recipe you need 100 gr of salt cod, fresh olives, cherry tomatoes, puntarelle chicory, oranges, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

TAGGIASCA OLIVES

Take some fresh olives, better if picked, put them into a pouch, add the extra-virgin olive oil and start the induced maturation© process. After about 90 minutes the olives are ready to be eaten. They are tender, fleshy, intense in flavour, with all their nutritional and organoleptic properties unchanged. With waveco® you don’t need any treatment to remove bitterness, fermentation (neither natural nor thermal) or preservatives added in order to consume the olives.

TECHNICAL FOCUS: TAGGIASCA OLIVE PRODUCTION

Taggiasca olives are typically grown in the western Liguria region. This premium oil is light, with a fruity taste and smell and almond aftertaste, loved by enthusiasts, gourmets and restaurant managers from all over the world. It is consumed as a fermented fruit because of the special processing method, the seasonal pattern of maturation and its degree of acidity, which is very low.

TOMATO GAZPACHO

Take some cherry tomatoes, cut them in half and put them in a bag with oil and salt and start the induced maturation© process for about 60 minutes. Blend the tomato mash obtained and sieve it using a fine mesh sieve. The result using waveco® is a gazpacho with no signs of oxidation and a vivid red colour, which reflects high quality and proves that all the organoleptic properties are there.

TECHNICAL FOCUS: FOOD OXIDATION

Oxidation is a natural chemical process that causes a decay in the appearance, flavour and nutrients of food. Very frequently and especially in the food industry they use preservatives, which stop the oxidation chemical action of the substances food is made of to preserve the quality of food.

SALT COD

Take a piece of salt cod of about 100 grams, put it in a pouch and start the induced maturation© process for about 30 minutes. Then, confit cook the salt cod for 20 minutes at 50 °C. With waveco® you will get tender, succulent fish which has retained all of its nutrients, ready for the next cooking step.

TECHNICAL FOCUS: CONFIT COOKING AND LOW TEMPERATURE

This technique consists of cooking food covered with oil at low temperatures, creating a barrier on the product’s surface that keeps liquids inside so that all the aromas and nutrients are maintained.

INFUSED OIL

Put some orange rind and extra-virgin olive oil in a pouch and start the induced maturation© process for about 30 minutes. Thanks to waveco® you will obtain an orange essence extraction with no tools or thermal treatment needed.

TECHNICAL FOCUS: EXTRACTING ESSENTIAL OILS

Essential oils are obtained by extraction from an aromatic vegetable material. The techniques used span from steam distillation to pressing the different types of vegetables, through which they retain taste and smell. After extraction they appear as oily, liquid, volatile substances with an aromatic smell.

PUNTARELLE CHICORY IN A VINEGAR BASE

Take the puntarelle chicory and put it in a pouch with water and salt (max 5% of salt by water weight) and vinegar. Start induced maturation© for 30 minutes. At the end of the process, the puntarelle chicory will feel more tender and tasty on the palate because the vinegar base has penetrated more evenly to the inside, while maintaining the bright colour of the vegetables and showing no signs of oxidation, because no heat is used in preparation.

TECHNICAL FOCUS: SOAKING

Soaking is a cooking technique where a liquid ingredient such as an emulsion of water and oil is combined with a solid food, vegetables for example. The liquid penetrates the food by means of heat or long marination to provide a unique taste and texture.

PLATING

Put the gazpacho base in a soup dish and lay the salt cod onto it. Add the puntarelle chicory as you please and complete the dish by adding the chopped Taggiasca olives and a drizzle of orange infused oil.

CHEF TECHNICAL FOCUS

Induced maturation© process enhances the colours and taste in a unique way. Vegetables have vivid colours, bright as the red of gazpacho or shiny as the green of puntarelle chicory which also benefit from perfect soaking without cooking the vinegar base. Only waveco® will bring you these results: blocking food oxidation and allowing better penetration of liquids while enhancing colour and shine, without adding any chemical antioxidants or any thermal treatments.

Finally, it is worth stressing how citrus essential oil extraction comes easily without needing any specific equipment, while thanks to the induced maturation© and later cooking your salt cod will have unparalleled texture.