Piquillo Peppers Stuffed With Brandade Recipes

PIQUILLO PEPPERS STUFFED WITH BRANDADE

Steps:

• Soak salt cod in cold water to cover for about 12 hours, changing the water twice during this period. Divide peppercorns, bay leaf and thyme into two batches, and wrap each in cheesecloth to make sachets. Reserve one clove of garlic, then slice the head in half crosswise.
• Pour cream into a small saucepan, and add half a head of garlic. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to a minimum and infuse for 45 minutes. At the same time, pour 1/4 cup of olive oil into a small saucepan and add the other half head of garlic. Heat until garlic starts to sizzle, reduce heat to very low and infuse for 45 minutes. Strain cream and oil separately, and keep them warm.
• When the garlic and the cream have infused for 30 minutes, combine 2 cups of the milk, a herb sachet and the cod in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cook until cod flakes easily, about 15 minutes. While cod simmers, cook potatoes with remaining milk and herb sachet. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
• Drain cod and potatoes, discard sachets, and transfer to a food processor. With machine running, slowly add the infused oil, followed by the cream. Pulse until smooth, then season with white pepper to taste. Use a small spoon or piping bag to stuff 8 of the peppers with this mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve. (You can prepare the dish several hours in advance up to this point.)
• Cut remaining piquillos into thin strips; crush and peel the reserved garlic clove. Warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over moderate heat. Add the sliced piquillos, red pepper, shallot and garlic to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and saute for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring. Add 2 tablespoons water, cover pan and lower heat. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are completely tender. Discard garlic, transfer the mixture to a blender, and puree, then strain through a sieve and keep warm.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add stuffed peppers, and transfer to the oven for 20 minutes. Ladle pepper puree onto 4 plates, and top with 2 peppers each; then serve.

PIQUILLO PEPPERS STUFFED WITH BRANDADE

Steps:

• Place salt cod and potatoes in pan and cover with water. Simmer until cod flakes easily, 20 minutes. Drain.
• Whisk together yolk, half the garlic, lemon juice, mustard and a pinch of salt. Whisk in peanut oil gradually.
• Heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté remaining garlic and onion until softened on edges. Add tomatoes and cook 10 minutes. Add 4 peppers and heat through; salt to taste. Put contents of pan into food processor. Pulse to purée, adding enough broth to give sauce consistency of melted ice cream. Adjust seasoning; return to pan.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mash warm cod and potatoes until smooth. Fold in a third of the garlic mixture, reserving rest. Mixture should be creamy. If it is heavy, fold in cream. Add salt or lemon juice to taste.
• Stuff remaining peppers with salt-cod mixture. Place in ceramic dish. Bake 25 minutes. Reheat sauce. Arrange peppers on a platter and spoon sauce on top. Serve.

BRANDADE-STUFFED PIQUILLO PEPPERS

Steps:

• Rinse cod under cold water. Place in a large bowl, and cover with cold water. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 24 hours, changing water every 8 hours.
• Drain cod. Transfer to a medium saucepan, and cover with water. Add onion and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Add potato, and cook until cod is easily flaked with a fork and potato is tender, about 20 minutes more. Drain well; discard onion and bay leaves.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put cod, potato, 6 tablespoons oil, and the cream into a medium bowl. Mash together with a fork until mixture forms a chunky puree; season with salt and pepper. Cod mixture can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 days.
• Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a coupler, and fill each pepper. Transfer to a baking dish large enough to hold peppers in a single layer. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and sprinkle with garlic slices. Cover with foil, and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately, drizzled with oil if desired.