Codfish with Brocoletti di Rape

From Italian Family Dining: Recipes, Menus, and Memories of Meals with a Great American Food Family (Rodale Books, 2005)

This is one of our favorite dishes, and we eat it frequently during the winter. You can substitute any large, whitefish, like striped bass, for the cod. You can also substitute chunks of fish, like monkfish.

Serves 4

2 bunches brocoletti di rape, washed, with tough stems removed
5 tablespoons olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 dried hot pepper or hot pepper flakes
1 cup black olives cured in oil
4 codfish steaks, about 2 inches thick (about 1-1/2pounds)
Salt to taste
Extra virgin olive oil, for garnish

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Dunk in the rape. When the water comes back to a boil, drain the rape and set aside.
  2. In a small skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and hot pepper and cook until the garlic takes on color, about 3 minutes.
  3. In a large baking pan, dribble the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the drained rape, the olives, and the cooked garlic and oil. Place the rape in the oven and bake it for 10 minutes, until the rape is tender when pierced with a fork. (If the rape overcooks, it’s okay. The leaves will get a little crispy, but the taste will just get sweeter.)
  4. Remove the rape from the oven and push aside the vegetable to make room for the codfish steaks. Nestle them into the pan, season to taste with the salt, and return the pan to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the fish is cooked.
  5. Garnish the fish with extra virgin olive oil and serve.