Many Italian- American families include baccala in their Christmas Eve dinners. baccala is a traditional component of the Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes. The feast is believed to have evolved from one of many Biblical references to the number seven (The Seven Sacraments, the seven sins of the world, the seven days it took Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem, the seven days of creation, or even the perfection symbolized by the number seven in the Bible) and the taboo against eating meat for Catholics on the Vigilia di Natali (Christmas Eve). http://www.tomatocasual.com/2008/12/23/recipe-baccala-with-tomatoes/ Families will get together and serve many different types of seafood and fish during the feast. Dried cod, or baccala, is one of the most popular used when observing the tradition. http://www.post-gazette.com/food/199912207fishes9.asp This guide on how to cook baccala will give you step by step instructions for carrying on the legacy.

Before committing to making this dish, be sure that you will have 2-3 days beforehand to devote large amount of times to the preparation. The fish must soak for this amount of time in order to rehydrate properly. When picking out your baccala, the fish should be white with light colored skin. Avoid any fillets that have developed a yellow tint or chemical smell. http://www.delallo.com/how-to-prepare-christmas-eve-baccala

When you get it home, it is best to immediately cut it into large pieces for soaking. Then you will wash each piece to remove all the salt from the surface of the fish. Once you have done this, place each piece into a container of fresh water in which it can be fully submerged. They will need to soak for 2-3 days, changing the water every 8 hours or so. To test it for doneness, break off a small piece and taste the saltiness. If it is still extremely salty, let it continue soaking as long as possible. The water should end up mostly clear and the fish almost sweet. Once it's ready to cook, peel off the skin and remove the bones.

• 4 pounds dried salt cod Baccala
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 bunch celery
• 1 large onion
• 2 cups olives
• 4 (28-ounce) cans whole plum tomatoes
• 12 cups chicken broth http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melting-pot/uncle-vincents-christmas-eve-baccala-recipe/index.html
• 2 tablespoons drained capers
• 1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 4 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Salt-Cod-with-Tomatoes-and-Capers-em-Baccala-alla-Vesuviana-em-3507004

Pasta of your choice http://www.tomatocasual.com/2008/12/23/recipe-baccala-with-tomatoes/

1. Wash and trim the celery then cut it into 2-3 inch pieces.
2. Chop up the onion very fine.
3. Using a pitter or thin bladed knife, remove the pits from the olives.
4. In a large saute pan, heat the Olive Oil over medium heat, then add the celery.
5. Saute it for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the onion.
6. Saute for another 5 minutes and check that the vegetables are beginning to soften.
7. Add the olives and continue sauteing for another minute or two.
8. If the tomatoes are peeled, skip steps 8 - 11. Prepare a pot of boiling water large enough to submerge all tomatoes.
9. Take the tomatoes out of the can and set aside the juice.
10. In the bottom of each tomato, cut a small “x" and plunge into the boiling water for a minute.
11. After a minute, remove the tomatoes and place in a bowl of cold water. After letting them sit for a minute, remove the skins and chop into small pieces.
12. Pour the cans of tomatoes and juice into the pan, add the capers and red pepper, and bring the entire mix to a boil.
13. Lower the heat and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

1. Stir in the chicken broth a little at a time and allow the mix to heat back up to a simmer.
2. Slowly add the soaked baccala, stirring frequently. Once it begins to simmer again, allow it to cook for 10 minutes. The pieces of baccala should flake when touched with a fork or knife when they're finished cooking.
3. Add a serving of baccala over each serving of pasta, making sure to pour extra sauce on top.