An Air of Provence: Madame Thermomix’s Brandade de Morue Parmentier

Provence is that part of southern France where the lavender grows in abundance, the sun shines in your eyes, garlic and tomatoes adorn the market stalls and the green-blue waves of the Mediterranean lap against the shore.

Provençal food sings the song of sunshine and contentment. Of fresh produce from the fields and of seafood from the sea. Of herbs bursting with flavour and of wines whose taste reflects earthiness and sunshine.

It’s warm along the Mediterranean seaboard and, as in other warm climes, the need to preserve food was a concern that gave rise to varying methods of preservation and to many traditional dishes. In some regions, fish was smoked for storage and preserving. Because warm weather and fish don’t make happy bedfellows and refrigeration had not yet been invented, fish – and especially the erstwhile abundant cod – was salted and dried to keep it for long periods.

When the time comes to eat salt cod, the large amounts of salt used in the preservation process must  be removed. Soaking in fresh water for 24 to 48 hours does the trick, with frequent changes of water. The fish that remains is fragrant and not as salty as one might think, and while it makes some brilliant dishes it requires solid flavours to stand up to its taste.

I therefore give you salt cod, garlic, cream, parsley, and potatoes: simple ingredients that make a simple yet stunning dish. Brandade de morue is a fragrant dish redolent of all the flavours of Provence. The name itself tells a story of old-fashioned food prep methods because the old French verb “brander” from which the noun “brandade” is derived, means “to pound,” so a brandade is a dish made from pounded cod. Literally translated as “pounded cod with potatoes,” brandade de morue parmentier is often eaten hot after browning the top under the grill or broiler. Brandade de morue has many variations and can be eaten in several ways. Brandade de morue à la nimoise, or pounded cod from the city of Nîmes, has no potato or parsley and is a white, emulsified spread. It is generally eaten as an accompaniment to cocktails or apéritifs and is served on toast or fried bread.

For our Wine Relief event to raise funds for Comic Relief on Red Nose Day 2011, I used my trusty Thermomix to make a brandade de morue parmentier with loads of garlic and parsley, which I served in little shot glasses or verrines, accompanied by a lovely white Muscadet wine from the Loire Valley near Nantes.

Madame Thermomix’s Brandade de Morue Parmentier
Requires preparation 24 hours ahead. Recipe adapted from several recipes using Thermomix methods found in “Fast and Easy Cooking,” the 300-recipe cookbook by Janie Turner which is included with the purchase of every Thermomix TM31 in the UK.

Ingredients
500 g salt cod, cut into pieces (can be found in ethnic markets and shops around Britain and the US)
500 g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
½ t salt
Water, 300 g and 500 g
50 g flat-leaf parsley
100 g good olive oil
50 g single or whipping cream
2 cloves of garlic (or more to taste)
salt and pepper

Method

1. At least 24 hours prior to serving, pull the skin off the salt cod and cut it into smallish pieces. Soak the salt cod in cold fresh water to remove the excess salt and rehydrate the fish. It sounds like a lot of work, but you really need to change the water three or four times during the soaking process or you’ll end up with an inedible salty mess!
2. Now drain the soaked cod and remove all the bones. To ensure even cooking, cut the fish into pieces that are all about 1 cm thick. Put them into the internal steamer basket. Weigh 300 g water into the Thermomix bowl, insert the basket and steam 100 ° C/15 minutes/Speed 3.
3. Remove the steamer basket. Tip the cooked cod onto a dish and set aside to cool. Discard the water from the Thermomix bowl.
4. Make Thermomix fast and easy mashed potatoes! Place the potato cubes into the steamer basket. Weigh 500 g water into the Thermomix bowl, add the salt and insert the steamer basket. Cook 15 minutes/Varoma Setting/Speed Spoon.
5. Check the potatoes with the tip of a knife to make sure they are cooked through. Undercooked potatoes will turn into glue if you try to mash them 😉  Remove the steamer basket and reserve the potato steaming water for another use such as scones or bread.
6. With the blades running at Speed 6, drop the garlic and parsley through the hole in the lid to chop them, and immediately turn off. (I chopped my parsley at Speed 8 and it went too fine so my brandade has taken on a greener tint than usual.)
7. Insert the butterfly whisk into the Thermomix bowl and add the potatoes and cream. Mix 2 seconds (yes, just 2 seconds!)/Speed 4 to gently mash.
8. Remove the butterfly whisk and scrape the sides of the bowl with the spatula. Add the cooked cod and several good turns of the pepper mill. Put the lid on the Thermomix bowl and place a jug on top. Press the built-in weighing scales button to set the scales to zero. Weigh 100 g of oil into your jug. While mixing at Speed 5, add the oil by pouring it onto the Thermomix lid and watch it trickle in around the measuring cup.
9. Scrape the sides of the bowl with the spatula and have a little taste. Even though you started with salt cod, the soaking removes most of the salty taste and you may actually need to add some salt at this stage!

To serve as a traditional main course, spread the brandade de morue parmentier in an oven proof dish and mark ridges into the top with a fork. Sprinkle with some more olive oil and bake 20 minutes in a 200° C/400° F oven or until the top is delightfully browned. Serve with toast points and a squeeze of lemon.

To serve as an amuse bouche or small starter, pipe warm brandade into shot glasses and top with bread sticks or toast points. It’s great as a party food, too.

For a light lunch, spread cold brandade on toasted country bread and serve with a salad.

Bon appétit !

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