{"id":354,"date":"2017-01-04T09:00:50","date_gmt":"2017-01-04T16:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?post_type=recipe&p=354"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:59:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T17:59:22","slug":"merluzzo-in-umido-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2017\/01\/04\/merluzzo-in-umido-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Merluzzo in Umido (Cod in Light Tomato Sauce)"},"content":{"rendered":"

January 4, 2017<\/span><\/p>\n

The first time I had Merluzzo in Umido was November 1992.\u00a0 My husband and I took my mother, his mother, and his fraternal grandmother to Santa Fe for a week over Thanksgiving.\u00a0 At the time, we were living in Chicago.\u00a0 We rented an ancient adobe house off Garcia Street.\u00a0 The house didn\u2019t have any central heat though it did have a frightening\u00a0array of heating devices that included a kiva fireplace, a direct-vent gas heater in the living room, a portable electric heater in one of the bedrooms, wall-mounted electric radiant heaters in the bathrooms, and nothing in the kitchen.\u00a0 If the oven wasn\u2019t on, the kitchen was the coldest room in the house as it had three outside walls and a door that didn\u2019t seal very well.<\/p>\n

Of course, it was reported to be the coldest winter that Santa Fe had experienced in 100 years! In addition to cold, there was lots of snow. And there we were, in a drafty old adobe house with no central heat enjoying a week with the likes of The Golden Girls!<\/p>\n

We had a blast.<\/p>\n

We had been house hunting in Santa Fe since April of that year. \u00a0On that November trip we saw several houses we liked.\u00a0 We spent a few evenings rating each of the houses on an array of factors using a spreadsheet.\u00a0 (In my professional life, we would have called this a prioritization matrix or selection grid. It\u2019s a technique I\u2019ve taught to hundreds of health care professionals over several decades.) \u00a0One afternoon we all piled into the car to look at the two finalists in the property hunt.\u00a0 We were uncertain which one to buy.\u00a0 Not so the women.\u00a0 A little house on Griffin Street was the undisputed, hands-down favorite.\u00a0 Deal done!<\/p>\n

We put in an offer and closed in January.\u00a0 For most of December my mother kept saying that she wanted to go back to Santa Fe and stay in the house in the spring.\u00a0 We did a bit of remodeling and moved into the house in March.\u00a0 Unfortunately, my mother died in January, shortly before we closed on the house.\u00a0 She never got to experience her dream of returning to Santa Fe.\u00a0 We had that house for more than nine years before we moved into a much larger Santa Fe property in Ricardo-Legorreta-designed Zocalo.\u00a0 After Zocalo, we built and moved into Villa Sentieri overlooking the city.<\/p>\n

I frequently think of that trip.\u00a0 It was memorable in so many ways.\u00a0 We found our first house in Santa Fe.\u00a0 I got to spend quality time with my mother in the last weeks of her life.\u00a0 My husband and I had interviews to get our medical licenses in New Mexico.\u00a0 (It\u2019s the only time either of us has been personally interviewed for a medical license!). \u00a0 And, I learned how to make Merluzzo in Umido, one of many recipes that my husband\u2019s grandmother brought with her from Italy.

<\/div>
\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
\n \n <\/div>\n

Merluzzo in Umido (Cod in Light Tomato Sauce)<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n \n
<\/div>\n
If possible, by large filets of cod and portion them at home. Three pounds is enough for eight people. The advantage of portioning the fish at home is that you can make some smaller pieces for individuals with smaller appetites. Cod is a perfect fish for this dish because it is forgiving in terms of being overcooked. However, any firm, white, non-oily fish will taste great. I used a 15-inch rondeau to cook the cod. It held the fish in a single layer. If you don\u2019t have a pan large enough to hold the fish in one layer, make the sauce in a single saut\u00e9 pan then divide it among two different pans to cook the fish.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n Print Recipe<\/a>\n Pin Recipe<\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
Prep Time <\/span>20 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Cook Time <\/span>1 hour<\/span><\/span> hr<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time <\/span>1 hour<\/span><\/span> hr<\/span> 20 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Servings: <\/span>8<\/span> people<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span> Ingredients<\/a>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span> Method<\/a>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span> Notes<\/a><\/div>\n
\n
\n

Ingredients
<\/div>