Description
A comforting dish of bacalhau smothered in mashed potatoes that is typical of a Brazilian holiday meal, served at Christmas, New Year’s and on Good Friday.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.8 to 2kg of good quality bacalhau or salted cod
- 10 cloves of garlic cut into slices
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) of good quality olive oil
- 100g (1/2 cup) black olives, pits removed
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) of dry white wine
- 150g (2/3 cup) mozzarella cheese cut into small cubes
- 3.5kg (7 lbs) of potatoes
- 125g (1/2 cup) of butter
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) of mayonnaise
Instructions
- Let soak the pieces of bacalhau skin side up, changing the water three times during a period of 24 hours.
- Rinse the bacalhau and let in soak in milk for another 24 hours.
- Rinse the bacalhau again. Place it in a pan with water and just bring it to a boil. Shut it off. Do not let it boil. Drain off this water and reserve it. It can be use d to make the accompanying rice.
- Remove the skin from the bacalhau and any visible bones breaking it into smaller pieces, but not shredding it completely. Place the pieces in a large casserole dish.
- Meanwhile, make mashed potatoes by peeling and cooking the potatoes, then pureeing them with the milk and butter.
- Brown the garlic in olive oil. Layer the cooked garlic and all the olive oil over the bacalhau pieces.
- Remove the pits from the olives and layer them over the bacalhau.
- Pour the wine over the bacalhau.
- Mix the pieces of cheese into the mashed potatoes and spread them over the bacalhau.
- At this point the dish may be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days before serving.
- Spread a fine layer of mayonnaise over the mashed potatoes.
- Bake in an oven at medium heat until heated through and the top is golden.
- Serve with rice made from the reserved bacalhau water.
- Prep Time: 48 hours
- Cook Time: 40 mins