Brandade Cakes With Caramelized Peppers And Tomatoes Recipes

CARAMELIZED RED BELL PEPPERS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• In a hot saucepan over a medium heat, combine red peppers, onion, oil and butter; saute for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions and peppers soften.
• If desired, stir red wine into the vegetables and cook until the wine evaporates; approximately 30 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and basil.

BRANDADE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking dish and set dish on a baking sheet.
• Rinse salt cod under cold water, transfer to a sealable container and cover with several inches of cold water. Soak cod in the refrigerator, changing the water every few hours, for 24 to 36 hours. Remove cod from water and cut into evenly-sized pieces.
• Stir cod, milk, thyme, bay leaves, and cayenne pepper together in a pot over medium-high heat. Cook until fish begins to flake; 7 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and strain; reserve cooking liquid and transfer fish to a bowl.
• Place potatoes and garlic in a large pot and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.
• Mash cod, a few splashes reserved cooking liquid, and lemon zest together in a bowl. Pour in remaining reserved cooking liquid and potatoes; mash until desired consistency is reached. Stir in 1/2 of the olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper until smooth. Add remaining olive oil and blend until smooth. Season with salt. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Spread creme fraiche over the top and score the top with a spoon to create a crisscross surface.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned and bubbling, about 20 minutes

BRANDADE FRITTERS WITH OVEN ROASTED TOMATO AND PIQUILLO PEPPER SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large bowl cover the dried cod with cold water and let soak in the refrigerator for 12 to 48 hours (depending on the saltiness of the cod) changing the water frequently. Bring a medium pot of water to a simmer. Remove the salt cod from the soaking water and place in the simmering water. Poach for 8 to10 minutes, let cool in liquid for another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from poaching liquid, remove any bones and coarsely chop. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and shallots to the pan and cook until soft. Remove the garlic and shallots to a plate. Place cream in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Place the poached and chopped cod in a food processor, add shallot-garlic mixture and half of the warm cream and process until smooth. Add the riced potatoes, remaining cream and process until just combined. With motor running add the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Assemble: Ladle some of the tomato sauce (see below) into a medium shallow bowl. Place 3 of the fritters (see below) on top and garnish with chopped parsley.
• Heat oil in a medium saucepan to 360 degrees F. Place a heaping saucespoon of brandade in flour. Coat and place in egg, then in bread crumbs. Fry fritters until the coating is lightly golden brown.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Rub tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of oil, place in a baking dish and roast until soft, about 20 to 25 minutes. Heat the remaining oil in a medium saucepan, add the shallots and cook until soft. Add the wine and cook until reduced. Add the clam broth, tomatoes and their juices and peppers. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Place in a food processor or use a burr mixer and puree until smooth. Add the harissa and season with salt and pepper to taste. Finish with herbs.

SAUTEED PEPPERS AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and then shake the pan to coat them with oil.
• Add the tomatoes and, if using canned tomatoes, about 1/2 cup of the juice. Add the basil, salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring from time to time, for 20 to 30 minutes.

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.

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.