Piquillo Peppers Filled with Salt Cod

1h 35 mins

4 people

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

1h 20 mins

Total Time

1h 35 mins

This is a classic Basque recipe of whole piquillo peppers filled with a delicious salt cod béchamel and served with a red pepper sauce. Piquillo peppers are often stuffed with meat, fish or seafood, and served as tapas. They are a variety of chilli with a sweet taste and no heat, traditionally grown in Northern Spain near the town of Lodosa in Navarra. Its name is derived from the Spanish for little beak. Typically, the peppers are handpicked between September and December. They are roasted over embers, which gives them a distinct sweet flavour. They are then peeled and de-seeded by hand, before being packed into jars or tins for sale.

Ingredients
Method

16 piquillo peppers
300g of salt cod trimmings, desalted
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 spring onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp of chopped flat leaf parsley
Salt
For the Béchamel Sauce:
60g butter
60g plain flour
500ml whole milk
1 bay leaf
3 peppercorns
½ onion, studded with 3 cloves
For the Red Pepper Sauce:
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Half a green pepper, finely chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
100ml white wine
500g plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
6 piquillo peppers, roughly chopped
A pinch of caster sugar
Salt

To make the béchamel sauce, place the milk in a small saucepan with the bay leaf, peppercorns and studded onion. On a low heat, bring the milk up to a simmering point for approximately 5 minutes. Then remove the saucepan from the heat and strain the milk into a jug, discarding the flavourings. To make the sauce, use the sauce pan and place it over a gentle heat. Begin by melting the butter gently, as soon as the butter melts, add the flour and, over a low heat and using a wooden spoon, stir quite vigorously to make a smooth, glossy paste. Cook the paste for about 2 minutes on a low heat making sure you keep on stirring it. Now begin to add the infused milk a little at a time, stirring vigorously with a balloon whisk. Then, when this milk is incorporated, add the next amount and continue incorporating each bit of liquid before you add the next. Your reward will be a smooth, glossy, creamy béchamel sauce. Now turn the heat down to its lowest setting and let the sauce cook for 5 minutes, whisking from time to time. While that's happening, taste the sauce and season with salt and a touch of white pepper. Set aside and allow the sauce to cool down.
To make the piquillo pepper sauce, heat the olive oil in a medium size pan. Add the chopped onion, garlic and pepper and cook on a gentle heat for 10 minutes until soft. Add the white wine, increase the heat and reduce the liquid by half. Add the fresh chopped tomatoes and piquillo peppers and cook on a low heat for 30 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and a pinch of sugar. Place the sauce into a blender or food processor and blend until you have a smooth pepper sauce. Set aside.
To prepare and stuff the peppers, heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan and gently cook the chopped garlic and spring onions for about three minutes, add the salt cod trimmings and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the béchamel sauce and chopped parsley and mix well. Allow the mix to cool down.
Fill each piquillo pepper with the salt cod mix and gently place on a large casserole dish. Pour in the red pepper sauce and gently heat the stuffed peppers for about 5 minutes before serving them.

Ingredients

16 piquillo peppers
300g of salt cod trimmings, desalted
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 spring onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp of chopped flat leaf parsley
Salt
For the Béchamel Sauce:
60g butter
60g plain flour
500ml whole milk
1 bay leaf
3 peppercorns
½ onion, studded with 3 cloves
For the Red Pepper Sauce:
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Half a green pepper, finely chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
100ml white wine
500g plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
6 piquillo peppers, roughly chopped
A pinch of caster sugar
Salt

Method

To make the béchamel sauce, place the milk in a small saucepan with the bay leaf, peppercorns and studded onion. On a low heat, bring the milk up to a simmering point for approximately 5 minutes. Then remove the saucepan from the heat and strain the milk into a jug, discarding the flavourings. To make the sauce, use the sauce pan and place it over a gentle heat. Begin by melting the butter gently, as soon as the butter melts, add the flour and, over a low heat and using a wooden spoon, stir quite vigorously to make a smooth, glossy paste. Cook the paste for about 2 minutes on a low heat making sure you keep on stirring it. Now begin to add the infused milk a little at a time, stirring vigorously with a balloon whisk. Then, when this milk is incorporated, add the next amount and continue incorporating each bit of liquid before you add the next. Your reward will be a smooth, glossy, creamy béchamel sauce. Now turn the heat down to its lowest setting and let the sauce cook for 5 minutes, whisking from time to time. While that's happening, taste the sauce and season with salt and a touch of white pepper. Set aside and allow the sauce to cool down.
To make the piquillo pepper sauce, heat the olive oil in a medium size pan. Add the chopped onion, garlic and pepper and cook on a gentle heat for 10 minutes until soft. Add the white wine, increase the heat and reduce the liquid by half. Add the fresh chopped tomatoes and piquillo peppers and cook on a low heat for 30 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and a pinch of sugar. Place the sauce into a blender or food processor and blend until you have a smooth pepper sauce. Set aside.
To prepare and stuff the peppers, heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan and gently cook the chopped garlic and spring onions for about three minutes, add the salt cod trimmings and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the béchamel sauce and chopped parsley and mix well. Allow the mix to cool down.
Fill each piquillo pepper with the salt cod mix and gently place on a large casserole dish. Pour in the red pepper sauce and gently heat the stuffed peppers for about 5 minutes before serving them.

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On Offer

Senorio de la Mesa

£30.00
£27.00
Salt Cod Trimmings Small

£6.90
Celorrio Piquillo Peppers Small Tin

£2.00

Chef's Profile

Javier De La Hormaza

Javier is a Basque born, trained chef and hospitality professional, owner of Basco Fine Foods, a Spanish food and drink importer based in Yorkshire. He regularly runs client food and drink events around the country and he is a course tutor at Hartingtons of Bakewell cookery school. Javier's passion lies on bringing quality Spanish ingredients and recipes to as many people as possible.

Twitter: @bascofinefoods
Instagram: @mrbasco