Salt Cod in Red Wine Sauce

To prepare the sauce, warm the olive oil in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add the onions and cook until softened but not colored, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle evenly with the flour, stir with a wooden spoon, raise the heat and add the wine, slowly at first, stirring all the while. Add the water, tomatoes, fennel seeds and bouquet garni. Salt lightly and bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by approximately two thirds, a couple hours or more.

Discard the bouquet garni. Pass the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing it with a wooden pestle to extract all the liquid. Return it to the saucepan , add the olives and capers and taste for salt. Simmer gently while preparing the fish.

Coat the pieces of cod with flour, shaking off any excess flour. Heat the olive oil in a prying pan over medium-high heat. Add the fish and fry, turning once, until lightly colored, a couple of minutes on each side. Remove the fish pieces to paper towels to drain.

Ladle some of the sauce into a flameproof earthenware casserole or other heavy pot and place the fried fish pieces on top. Pour over the remaining sauce. Warm to a simmer over medium heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.