Caccavelle stuffed with Vicenza-style salt cod, a dish half Campanian and half Venetian. The fish preserving company that supplies me actually imports it from the Lofoten, the best, the same kind my mother used to prepare when she was young at home in Sicily. No, it isn’t strictly a regional dish but we can comfortably say that Caccavelle stuffed with Vicenza-style salt cod is an international dish! I first saw the caccavelle, a special pasta from Gragnano, some time ago on one of my trips to Naples. I fell in love with them immediately, and tried them in various recipes. I thought to prepare the pasta with baccalà alla vicentina; it seemed the recipe could work well. I wasn’t wrong. You can find other fish recipes on my blog.giallozafferano.itvaipinacucina

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Medium
Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Cooking time: 30 Minutes
Portions: 4
Cooking methods: Oven, Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

1,141.30 Kcal

calories per serving

Info Close

Energy 1,141.30 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 52.77 (g) of which sugars 11.26 (g)
Proteins 95.76 (g)
Fat 62.01 (g) of which saturated 11.22 (g)of which unsaturated 3.34 (g)
Fibers 2.04 (g)
Sodium 9,609.04 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 250 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients to prepare the stuffed caccavelle

1 lb 2 oz desalted salt cod
3/4 cup 00 flour (about 100 g)
9 oz onion
3 fillets anchovy fillets in salt
1.5 cups skim milk
13 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 bunch parsley
1 tsp salt
ground pepper
4 caccavelle (from Gragnano)
1 cup skim milk
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup 00 flour
nutmeg

Tools

Baking tray
Whisk
Pan
Cutting board
Knife
Small pan

Preparation

I remove the salt from the anchovies and take out the bones, cut the baccalà into pieces, peel and slice the onions, chop the parsley and grate the Parmesan; if you prefer you can buy it already grated. I prepare all the ingredients so I’m sure I won’t forget anything.
I put the oil and onions in the pan and let them soften, add the anchovies with the chopped parsley and cook for a few minutes.
I dust the baccalà with flour and lightly brown it together with the anchovies and the onion.
I add the milk, the remaining oil, the grated Parmesan and season with salt and pepper, then simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
These are the Caccavelle, a special pasta from Gragnano; they can be stuffed with any other filling and then baked, but I think fish is an ideal pairing.
I prepare a light béchamel replacing butter with olive oil. Proceed like this: put the olive oil in a small pan and add the flour, the milk with a pinch of nutmeg and a little salt, cook for a few minutes and the béchamel is ready. I boil the 4 caccavelle for a few minutes in salted water, gently without breaking them. I let them drain from the cooking water and wait for them to cool a bit, then fill them with the Vicenza-style baccalà and distribute the béchamel over the 4 caccavelle, reserving 2 tablespoons for the baking dish.
In the baking dish I spread the reserved béchamel and a fresh tomato cut into pieces — it’s not necessary, but just to add some color. Bake for 30 minutes at 374°F.
And here they are ready: the caccavelle stuffed with Vicenza-style salt cod.