Bacalhau

Hotel de Ville de Bruxelles, Viande, Luxembourg, March 8, 2012—

WE HAD PLANNED to fast today — we've been eating so much! — but then we remembered having seen bacalhau on the menu at our hotel, and having discovered yesterday that Maria our hotelkeep is Portuguese, so we asked if it were possible…

And perhaps a bottle of Vinho Verde…

And before you knew it, it was all arranged. Well, as I believe, salt cod is a fish, and so permitted on fast days.

All I can say is, clearly one of the Hundred Plates. It all depends on the cod, and the potatoes and onions, and of course the olive oil; a little garlic and parsley doesn't hurt; and the black olives of course; and I could swear I tasted thyme, and L. thought she found a trace of red pepper…

This was truly delicious, totally authentic, rich and beautifully integrated. Nothing more wanted, not even bread or salad. Well, a bit of apricot tart doesn't hurt, it's good for you, fruit…

Vinho verde, Muralhas de Monção, nv

• Hotel de Ville de Bruxelles, Grande-Rue, 8; +352 62118 6547