Brandade Stuffed Piquillo Peppers Recipes

Steps:

• For the stuffed piquillo peppers: Pat the peppers with a paper towel to remove any excess brine. Trim the tops of the peppers.
• In a medium bowl, combine the goat cheese, manchego, chives, honey, lemon zest and juice, paprika, 2 tablespoons of the reserved piquillo brine and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and white pepper. Mix together with a rubber spatula until well combined and smooth.
• Put the mixture in a piping bag or a zip-close bag with a corner snipped off, and pipe it into the peppers, stopping 1/4 inch from the top. Refrigerate until 20 minutes before serving.
• For the herb vinaigrette: Bring the sherry vinegar, honey and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir a few times until the honey and salt have completely dissolved. Remove from the heat, add the golden raisins, and let cool completely, about 15 minutes. Stir in the chives, mint, parsley and 3 tablespoons of the reserved piquillo brine.
• To serve: Spread half of the vinaigrette over a serving plate and arrange the stuffed peppers on top. Spoon the remaining vinaigrette over the peppers. Garnish with the almonds and serve immediately.

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.

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.

Steps:

• Coat a saute pan, over medium heat, with olive oil. Add the onion, season with salt, to taste, and toss in the crushed red pepper. Saute the onions until they are soft and very aromatic, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 2 to 3 more minutes. Stir in the chorizo and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the bread crumbs. Let the mixture cool. When cool, add the Manchego and parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Stuff the peppers with the filling and arrange them on a sheet pan. If there is extra stuffing, press a little on top of each of the peppers. Put the peppers in the oven to warm through, about 8 minutes.
• While the peppers are in the oven, combine the arugula, almonds and scallions in a large bowl. Dress the salad with sherry vinegar, big fat finishing oil and salt, to taste. Check for seasoning and divide the salad between 4 serving plates.
• Remove the peppers from the oven and arrange 2 peppers on each salad. Serve while the peppers are warm.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is well combined. Add the fish and stir, breaking it up into small pieces.
• Add the white wine and cream and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon and continue to cook the sauce until it has thickened and reduced by half. Stir in the brandy and season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, stuff the piquillos with the fish and arrange on a platter. Pour the sauce over the stuffed piquillos, garnish with parsley, and serve hot or warm.
• Substitute 1/2 pound cooked lump crabmeat for the fish.
• Stuff the peppers with about 1/2 recipe prepared Brandade de Morue (page 56).

Steps:

• Drain the tuna and put it in a medium mixing bowl. Use a fork to break tuna into large flakes and push to one side of the bowl.
• Put capers, parsley, mint, celery and onions on the other side of the bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add red-pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil, then stir the mixture to coat tuna well.
• Use a teaspoon to fill each pepper with some of the tuna mixture.
• Arrange stuffed peppers on lettuce leaves on a platter. Garnish with quartered or halved hard-cooked eggs sprinkled with salt. Serve at cool room temperature.