Veranda is on the second floor of the ModernHaus Soho hotel, and décor is dramatic yet breezy, thanks to soft lights, banquettes and greenery galore. A fantastic "veranda" with a retractable roof is ideal when the weather is right. Keeping company with this convivial setting is a range of accessible fare from chef George Mendes and team, like 'nduja with béchamel, burrata and honey. Coupled with fresh-baked flatbreads, it makes a heady affair. Read on for chef Mendes' recipe on a Portuguese favorite, salt cod casserole.
Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa (Salt Cod Casserole)
Serves 4Ingredients
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 small white onions, quartered and thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 2 oz. salt cod, flaked
- 2 large Yukon gold potatoes (about 1 lb.), peeled and sliced into 1⁄16-inch-thick rounds
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives, thinly sliced, plus more to garnish
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced crosswise
- ¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
Heat the oven to 325°. In a 4-qt. Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium. Add the garlic, onions, bay leaves, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, scrape the onions into a bowl and discard the bay leaves. Set the pot aside until cooled.
Coat the bottom of the Dutch oven with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and lightly season with salt and pepper. Arrange a layer of potatoes in the bottom of the pot, overlapping the slices slightly, lightly season with salt, and then top with a one-third of the onions and one-quarter of the olives. Arrange another layer of potatoes over the olives, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Top the potatoes with another one-third of the onions, one-quarter of the olives, and half the cod. Using a metal spatula, press down on the ingredients to compress them.
Top the olives with half the egg slices, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Arrange another layer of potatoes over the eggs, press down again with a spatula, and season with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining onions, olives, salt cod, egg slices, and 1 tablespoon olive oil and then cover with a final layer of potatoes and press down again using a spatula. Drizzle the potatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 40 minutes. Heat the broiler, uncover the pot, and cook the casserole until golden brown on top, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the top with more olives and parsley and let cool slightly before cutting into pieces.
Chef George Mendes
© Evan Sung/Veranda
Hero image: Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa by chef George Mendes
© C3/Veranda
