Bacalhau Espiritual

Ingredients:

For cooking the cod:
1 L milk
700 g desalted salt cod
Thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
Rosemary (to taste)
A drizzle of olive oil
4 garlic cloves

For the cream:
2 dessertspoons butter
2 dessertspoons wheat flour
2 cups of the milk used to cook the cod
Nutmeg (to taste)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

To finish:
3 bread rolls (crumb only)
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 garlic clove, chopped
300 g fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Breadcrumbs (for topping)
Olive oil (for sautéing and finishing)

Directions:

Cook the cod:
In a saucepan, add the milk, desalted salt cod, thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, a drizzle of olive oil, and 3 whole garlic cloves. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Reserve the cooking milk.

Prepare the cream:
In another saucepan, melt the butter, add the wheat flour, and cook well until it no longer tastes like raw flour. Add 2 cups of the milk used to cook the cod, season with nutmeg, and add the Dijon mustard. Stir until smooth. Set aside.

Moisten the bread:
Remove the crumb from the bread rolls and moisten it with a little of the milk used to cook the cod. Set aside.

Flake the cod:
Remove the cod from the milk, clean it well by removing the skin and bones, and flake it into pieces.

Sauté the ingredients:
In a skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil and sauté the onion, the chopped garlic clove, and the grated carrot. Add the flaked cod, drizzle with a bit more olive oil, and mix well. Add the moistened bread and mix until a cohesive mixture forms.

In a baking dish, spread the sautéed cod mixture. Cover with the white sauce. Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan and, on top, a little breadcrumbs. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Bake:
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for 30 minutes, or until golden.

Now it’s ready to serve.