Bolinhos de Bacalhau

Oh, wow. Loooong time no post.
Life gets busy with an infant around! I've still been cooking and trying new recipes once in a while, I just haven't been getting around to blogging about it.
This week I saw some salted cod at the local market. Salted cod (Bacalhau) is a Portuguese staple and it's not so easy to find in grocery stores so I was very excited when I found it. My Portuguese hubby really seems to appreciate it when I make Portuguese dishes for him.When I bought the fish, I didn't really realize what a hassle it would be to make it! I had to soak the cod fish for 24+ hours and change the water every 3 hours (or whenever I remembered).
It was definitely a time consuming dish but it turned out quite nice! Very similar to the bolinhos de Bacalhau that I've had in Brazil and Portugal.
Bolinhos de Bacalhau Recipe

Ingredients:

- 18 oz. Bacalhau (Dried, salted Cod)

- 4 peppercorns

- 1 bay leaf

- 1 small onion, quartered

- 2 cups cooled mashed potatoes

- 2 beaten eggs
- 2 tbsp. chopped green onions

- 2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

- oil for frying

Recipe:

1. Place salted cod in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Place in refrigerator and soak for 24 or more hours, changing water every 3 hours or so.
2. Drain and cut the cod into small pieces.
3. In a pot, combine 2 cups water, peppercorns, bay leaf and onion quarters. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add cod and 2 cups cold water. Return to a simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
   
4. Drain cod, discarding spices and onion. In large bowl and using a fork, flake the cod. Stir in mashed potato, eggs, green onion and parsley. Let mixture stand for a half hour before forming fritters.
5. Form cod mixture into balls. In batches, fry for 4 minutes or until golden. Drain on paper towels.