Pimientos "Del Piquillos" Stuffed with Cod

Soak the cod in cold water for 48 hours to de-salt it. Change the water frequently. Poach the cod. Start in cold water. To do this fill up a pot with cold water, add a lemon cut un two, one glass of milk and a bouquet garni. The lemon and milk are there to keep the meat white throughout the cooking process. When boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and poach for 10 to 15 minutes.

Drain and peel the cod meat, removing the bones. Prepare the ingredients for the stuffing: peppers, butter, flour, crushed garlic, cayenne pepper, boiling milk. Sort the chili peppers and keep the nicest ones to stuff them. Mince the others.

Sweat the minced chili peppers in olive oil and butter, and add the crushed garlic.

Add the flour and mix with a spatula...

...until you obtain something similar to a white roux, with the difference that here you have garlic and chili peppers. Let it cool a bit.

Pour the boiling milk on the roux and whisk to obtain a thicker sauce.

The sauce is now ready and turned slightly orange. Add the peeled cod. Season with cayenne pepper. The sauce must be fairly spicy. Empty in a metal bowl. DO NOT SALT!!!

The sauce and cod are now cold.

Mix to make a stuffing. Season if needed.

stuff the peppers. Hold it open with one hand and stuff it with the other hand, filling down to the very bottom of it.

Here's what stuffed peppers look like.

Final result.

Serve with a bell pepper coulis and a small green salad with vinaigrette dressing, pinions and walnuts. You can warm up the peppers in a micro-wave oven, in a pan (low heat), or in the oven at medium it to prevent the peppers from drying.