Bolinho de Bacalhau

A few nights ago I was craving this delicious treat, but I am cutting down on the calories and the original recipe is fried.  Fortunately, thanks to the recommendation of our friend, Alfredo Pong, we purchased a Nuwave oven and cooked this delicious little balls in it.

Bolinho de Bacalhau is nothing more than codfish balls. Delicious codfish balls.  They are Portuguese in origin but Brazilians have made them famous.

I am always researching for ways to perfect the dishes I cook and this time I was very happy to find that one of my favorite chefs, Julia Child, also liked to make Bolinho de Bacalhau, she called them "Aunt Priscilla's Codfish Balls" and this time and every time from now on, I will repeat her trick.

Without further ado I present you Bolinho de Bacalhau.

Photo by Laura

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound fresh cod
• 1 1/4 cups of mashed potatoes
• 2 Tbsp of finely chopped flat leave parsley
• 1 large egg

Directions:

1. Simmer a small onion, thinly sliced, with a bay leave and two pepper corns in two cups of water.  After 5 minutes, add the cod and an additional cup of water.  When it simmers, cover the pan and remove from heat, that way the cod stays soft.  You can keep the cod in this liquid in the refrigerator until ready to use.  And this is Julia Child's trick, let me tell you it made all the difference, she was a genius and I love her.  Thank you Julia!
2. Drain the fish, place in a bowl and flake it thoroughly.  Add the mashed potatoes, beat the egg with a pinch of kosher sea salt and add them to the fish and potatoes.  Add parsley and taste, if you think is necessary add kosher sea salt and pepper.  
3. Wait a good half hour to form the balls. 
4. Place the balls on the lower rack of the Nuwave oven and cook for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden.
5. This recipe gave me about 25 codfish balls.

These were delicious.  Please make them at home and share your thoughts. 

Buon Appetito!