Soup built for a vacation

Tomorrow is the day that I have been waiting for, the BIG off to vacation day. I have been counting down the weeks, days, hours and minutes, anticipating the moment when I board the plane to Italy...destination point: Sperlonga. Sperlonga is a small town on the western coast of Italy, situated between Rome and Naples. Among the whitewashed house (resembling the those of Greece) lie the ruins of the Grotto of Tiberius, an ancient Roman villa, along with the stunning Archaeological Museum, a hidden cave and last but not least, one of the most beautiful beaches in Italy. Ah yes, there may be nothing better than three full days enjoying sun, sand, scenery and of course real Italian food.

I have been to Italy twice before and each time I fall in love with it all over again. I promise to come back with plenty of photos and a stack of recipes based on the local cuisine. I bid you farewell with yet another Jamie Oliver Italian-inspired recipe, Zuppa di baccalà (sald cod soup). I made it last night...the robust flavor and fresh, simplicity caused me to have dreams about a three day vacation filled with plates and bowls of traditional Italian food.

Zuppa di baccalà (sald cod soup)

Recipe adapted from Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver

Serves 6

11oz salt cod fish or 11lb fresh cod, haddock or monkfish fillets

1 white onion, peeled and chopped

2 small carrots, peeled and chopped into medium sized pieces

2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped, pale green inner leaves reserved

2 cloves of garlic, minced

A small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, stalks and leaves separated

Extra virgin olive oil

1 small dried red chili, crumbled

2 x 400g tins of good-quality plum tomatoes

3/4 pint light chicken stock

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

1. If your using fresh fish, pack it in sea salt over night and rinse before using. If your using the salt cod, soak the fillets in cold water for 48-72 hours, changing the water at least once a day, removing the salty flavor.

2. Heat the olive oil in a pot and add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, parsley stalks and dried chili. Cook on low heat with the lid on for 15-2o mins until soft, but not brown.

3. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 mins.

4. Add the stock and bring to a boil.

5. Break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon and add the fish fillets. Simmer for 15-25 mins with the lid on until the fish flakes apart when touched with a fork.

6. Pick out any fish skins and stir the soup.

7. Taste and add salt, pepper and lemon juice (be careful with the salt as you may not need any due to the saltiness of the fish).

8. Turn off the heat and top with chopped parsley and celery leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.

9. Serve with bread or by itself.