I have been wanting to eat this for a long time, but salt cod is not always easy to find and not all the stores carry it. Fortunately Berkeley Bowl does…unfortunately it’s not of a great quality. I am used of thick and very dry salt cod pieces sold in markets in France or Italy. The one I have found here, is more like fresh fish in which salt has been added and is found in the refrigerated section of some supermarkets. I have to figure out why they store in the refrigerator, since salt is a natural preservative.

Anyway, Brandade de morue, is a fish specialty from the city of Nîmes, in the Gard region, in the South of France…some other versions are seen in Pays Basque and Charente regions as well. It seems like the most authentic brandade does not have potatoes in it, just salt cod, olive oil, milk and garlic. Then the ingredients should be crushed using a mortar. Nowadays, you see a lot of recipes with potatoes in it, and most people do use potatoes, or cream or parsley. Morue parmentière is another derivative and does contain potatoes and is gratinée in the oven (but NEVER EVER with cheese on top, that would be a sacrilège!).

This version has potatoes and was not gratinée in the oven. I wanted to display it on top of zucchini ribbons and putting it in the oven would have been a problem for this presentation. You could place it in some clay ramequins and brown it in the oven and serve it in the dish. I don’t like to serve it with toasted bread since there are potatoes in it, so that would be too much starch.

For the milk quantity, I am afraid I did not measure it. I decided to use my “bon jugement” (good judgment) and went with what I thought would be enough, so you need to obtain a nice smooth texture, but not too thick. Usually, since cod is salted, you might not need to add any, but taste first.

Ingredients for 4

For the brandade

• 2 lbs (or 900 g) salt cod
• 0.9 lb (or 400 g) potatoes
• 1 laurel leaf
• 1 thyme leaf
• milk (approximately 1/2 cup)
• 5 tbs olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• pepper

For the zucchini ribbons

• 4 zucchini
• 1 tbs Meyer lemon oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Fleur de sel
• Pepper

Preparation

For the brandade

Soak cod in cold water for about 24 hours, changing water approximately 3 to 4 times. Simmer cod in water with laurel and thyme for about 10 minutes or until the fish is cooked. Drain, let cool and using your finger start taking the fish apart in small pieces. In the meantime, peel potatoes and boil in water for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Drain and crush using a potato masher.

Mix cod and potatoes in a pot and using a wooden spoon or whip stir vigorously, add garlic, milk and olive oil gradually, still stirring, the mixture needs to be smooth.

For the zucchini

Using a potato peeler, make ribbons. Combine all other ingredients together except for the fleur de sel and marinate for about 20 minutes or more. When ready to serve, add fleur de sel.

Place a good amount of zucchini in the middle of a plate and using a ring, mount the brandade on top. Decorate with red pepper corn and basil.

After a trip to Samiramis this weekend, one of my favorite Middle Eastern stores in the city, and after going through all the aisles, and through every product on the shelves (I have to refrain myself or I will buy all the store), I found this amazing wheat: Freekeh. What is freekeh? Well, it’s a green wheat, basically it’s young wheat that has been harvested at a green (not mature) stage. It’s then roasted and smoked, so you can definitely taste a subtle smokey taste. You can still see the greenish color of the grain when uncooked. The greatness of freekeh doesn’t only come from its delicious flavor but also from its nutritious value. Low glycemic index, high in fiber and anti oxidant, vitamins and minerals.

You can prepare it like you would prepare rice or any other grain. Of course, you can use other vegetables, but I though the sweetness of the squash would go perfectly well with the nutty flavor of freekeh. What really added a great flavor to it, was the lemon oil and parmesan, so don’t forget those two or you’ll lose some of the highlights of this recipe. Sometimes, I would say that the final drops of olive oil in a finished dish and parmesan would be optional, but not in this one, it really adds a beautiful touch to the finished dish.

I need to insist on using the best quality of the lemon oil, you need top olive oil with infused meyer lemons. These oils tends to be expensive but a lower quality would not work here. It’s easy to make this dish vegan, just don’t add parmesan et voilà le tour est joué!

Ingredients for 2

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3.5 oz (or 100 g) freekeh
• 1/4 tsp four spices
• vegetable stock
• 1 tbs parsley, chopped
• 1 butternut squash, cut in 1 inch cubes
• shaved parmesan

Preparation

Soak freekeh in cold water for about 5 minutes. Heat olive oil in a pot, sweat onions until soft. Add four spices and stir well, then add freekeh, peas, salt and pepper and cover with broth. Cook at medium heat with lid for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, pre-heat oven at 400F. Toss squash with a little olive oil and vinegar, salt and pepper and bake in the oven until tender but not mushy (about 15 minutes).

When squash is cooked and freekeh tender, mix both ingredients well. Serve hot in individual plates with shaved parmesan and drizzle with lemon oil and fresh black pepper.

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