BEIGNETS FILLED WITH SALT COD BRANDADE
These beignets are effectively empanadas stuffed with a perked-up salt cod brandade, then deepfried until puffed up, blistered and lightly crisp. Serve with harissa or a red pepper sauce.
MAKES APPROXIMATELY 15 BEIGNETS
Vegetable oil FOR THE DOUGH
125ml olive oil
125ml dry white wine 2 egg yolks
375g plain flour
Pinch of salt
FOR THE FILLING
½ quantity of salt cod brandade (see recipe, left) Zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange 2tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley or chervil
FOR THE SAUCE
1 red pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled Olive oil
1 dried Spanish chilli 1 thyme sprig, leaves picked
1tbsp red wine vinegar 1tsp sweet paprika
Sea salt 1 To make the dough, whisk the wet ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and then stir in the flour and salt. Knead briefly to form a smooth, oily dough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate for 1hr.
2 Meanwhile, preheat the grill. Rub the pepper and garlic with olive oil. Grill the pepper, turning occasionally, until the skin is blackened and blistered. About halfway through the cooking time, add the garlic and grill until blistered and softened. Put the dried chilli in a bowl and pour over boiling water. Leave to rehydrate.
3 Put the pepper in a bowl and cover tightly with clingfilm. Allow to steam for 15min, then peel off the skin. Don’t worry if some of the skin adheres to the flesh. Scoop out the stalk and discard the seeds. In a blender, blitz the pepper and garlic with the thyme and chilli to make a smooth sauce. Add 2tbsp olive oil, the vinegar, paprika and salt, to taste. The sauce should be smoky and sharp.
4 Mix all of the filling ingredients together. Season.
5 To make the beignets, roll out the dough to 1mm-thick. Using an 8cm cutter, cut the dough into rounds. Put a heaped tsp of the brandade in the middle of one half of each round, then fold over the other half to make a half-moon shape. Rub the edges lightly with water to help the dough to stick. Press and crimp the edges to ensure a tight seal.
6 Pour vegetable oil into a deep pan, until the oil is 5cm deep. Heat the oil to 170°C or until a small piece of bread fizzes and floats. Deep fry the beignets in batches for 3-4min until golden brown.
7 Drain the beignets on paper towels, then serve with the sauce on the side.