List of Ingredients
- 1 LB. of baccalà (salt cod), rinsed well
- 2 CUPS of milk
- 1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp. of unsalted butter, plus extra
- 1/2 CUP of all-purpose flour
- 1 OZ. of oil-packed anchovies
- baguette or similar bread
- bread crumbs
- bay leaf
- cloves
- shallot
- nutmeg
- cinnamon
- salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Thinly slice a baguette and brush the slices with a little bit of oil. Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes until crispy.
Peel half a shallot and insert three cloves in it. Place it in a saucepan with the milk, 1 bay leaf and a pinch of nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-6 minutes, then remove from heat and add the salt cod. Cover and let cook off the heat for 10 minutes, then drain the fish and strain the milk.
Melt 1/4 cup butter in another saucepan and stir in the flour. Add the filtered milk and stir for 7-8 minutes, until you have a smooth and velvety béchamel sauce.
Flake the salt cod with a fork. Set aside about 1/4 of the bechamel sauce and mix the rest with the fish.
Arrange the mixture into greased ring molds (or in a baking dish) and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Finish with the remaining béchamel, sprinkle with some bread crumbs and some flakes of butter. Bake in the oven at 400°F for 20 minutes.
Chop the anchovies and mix them with 1/4 cup butter; let harden in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Top the toasted baguette with anchovy butter and lemon to taste and serve with the salt cod.