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1
To prepare, place the bacala in a large bowl.
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2
Fill the bowl with water and soak the bacala for 1 hour, changing the water two or three times during that period.
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3
Remove the bacala from the water and cut it into three segments.
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4
Heat the olive oil and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat, season with salt, and cook, stirring constantly, to flavor the oil with the garlic and sweat the garlic without browning it, about 2 minutes.
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5
Add the potatoes and cook for 1 minute to coat them with seasonings.
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6
Add the milk, increase the heat to high, and cook until the milk begins to bubble.
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7
Reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes in the milk until theyre tender, about 20 minutes.
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8
Add the bacala and simmer until the fish is cooked through and the potatoes have begun to break down, thickening the milk to a saucelike consistency, about 6 minutes.
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9
Pass the contents of the saucepan through a food mill into a mixing bowl and stir to combine the ingredients.
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10
Transfer half of the puree to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade or the jar of a blender and puree until smooth.
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11
Return the pureed bacala to the bowl with the unpureed cod and stir to combine.
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12
Add more milk if necessary to obtain a spoonable consistency.
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13
Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if desired.
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14
Serve the mantecato or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to three days.
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15
Before serving, warm the mantecato in a small saucepan over low heat, adding enough milk to obtain the desired consistency.
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16
To assemble, lay the crostini oiled side up on a work surface and spoon a heaping tablespoon of the bacala mantecato into an uneven layer onto each crostino, leaving the edges of the bread visible.
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17
Create a small crater in the center of each mound of bacala and spoon 1/4 teaspoon of the tapenade into each crater.
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18
(If you are using olives instead of tapenade, nestle one olive in each crater and drizzle with 1/8 teaspoon of the finishing-quality olive oil.)
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19
Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.
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20
Soave Classico (Veneto)
