Riberalves Codfish Loaf
Ingredients
600 g flour
Salt to taste
100 g butter
20 g yeast
200 ml tepid milk
3 eggs
1 dl olive oil
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
Parsley to taste
Pepper to taste
Preparation
Thaw the codfish steaks and cook them in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, remove the skin and bones, and flake. Reserve.
Mix the flour with a pinch of salt and the softened butter. Dissolve the yeast in the tepid milk, add to the flour and mix. Knead well, add 2 eggs (one at a time) and knead very well until you obtain a smooth and slightly stretchy dough. If your dough is too wet and sticky, dust it lightly with flour, but take care not to use too much. Shape the dough into a ball, put it into a bowl dusted with flour, cover with a cloth and leave to rise for about 1 hour in a place that is neither cold nor draughty.
Meanwhile, cut the onions into half-moons and chop the garlic cloves, then soften them in olive oil. Next, add the flaked codfish and chopped parsley, season with salt and black pepper and stir to mix. Reserve.
Divide the leavened dough into two pieces: one larger (two-thirds of the dough) and one smaller (one-third of the dough). Put the larger piece onto a floured countertop, shape it into a sort of bowl (without working the dough too much) and fill the hollow with the fish mix. Now divide the smaller part of the dough in half. Flatten one of them and make two strips with the other that you’ll use to decorate the loaf at the end. Brush the edges of the filled “bowl” with tepid water and place the flattened dough on top. Join the two parts together tightly to make a ball. Brush the underside of the two strips with warm water and place on top of the ball, crosswise. Beat the last egg and brush the loaf with it. Then bake the loaf in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 30 minutes.