Pimientos del Piquillo Rellenos de Bacalao (Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Salt Cod)

• 350 g Salted cod, boneless if possible
• 500 ml Whole milk
• 50 g Unsalted butter
• 1 medium Yellow onion
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 40 g Plain flour
• 1 pinch Ground nutmeg
• 15 g Fresh parsley
• 3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 500 g Tomato, ripe
• 300 g Canned roasted red peppers, piquillo-style if available

1. Rinse the salted cod under cold running water, then soak it in a bowl of cold water for 8 to 12 hours in the fridge, changing the water 2 to 3 times. Drain well in a colander. Taste a small flake; it should be pleasantly seasoned, not aggressively salty.
2. Put the cod in a saucepan and cover with the whole milk. Bring just to a gentle simmer over low heat, then cook for 8 to 10 minutes until the fish flakes easily. Lift the cod out and reserve the milk in the pan.
3. When cool enough to handle, flake the cod and carefully pick out any bones or bits of skin. Finely chop the onion and garlic, and finely chop the parsley. Keep the cod flakes fairly small so the filling pipes neatly into the peppers.
4. Melt the unsalted butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and sweet, then stir in the garlic for 1 minute. Sprinkle over the plain flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to make a roux.
5. Gradually whisk in 350 ml of the reserved warm milk until smooth, then cook for 3 to 5 minutes until thick and glossy. Stir in the ground nutmeg, then fold in the cod and parsley. Cook for 2 minutes, then take off the heat and leave to cool until just warm and spoonable.
6. Finely grate the tomatoes, discarding the skins, to make a loose pulp. Warm the extra virgin olive oil in a clean frying pan over medium heat, add the tomato pulp, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until slightly reduced and no longer watery. If it thickens too much, loosen with a splash of the remaining reserved milk.
7. Drain the canned roasted red peppers and gently open them out on a plate. Spoon the cod filling into each pepper, taking care not to tear them, then close them back up. Nestle the stuffed peppers into the tomato sauce in a single layer.
8. Cover and warm the peppers over low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, spooning a little sauce over the top halfway through, until everything is piping hot. Serve hot on plates with plenty of the tomato sauce. If you have any extra filling, stir it into the sauce and warm through before serving.

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