Gerard Monteux, who is a descendant of the Juifs du Pape, told me that this was a very famous dish from Carpentras, eaten at Purim. (It is also a Lenten dish.) In this town, which had an oven in the Jewish quarter, cooks prepared the dish at home, putting it in an earthenware tian. They then brought it to the public oven and baked it, fetching it when it was done. Our modern-day casserole dishes have evolved from this tradition.

　　

Ingredients

6 to 8 servings

　　1 1/4 pounds salt cod, preferably from the front half of the fish

　　1 bay leaf

　　3 cloves garlic, minced

　　A few sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

　　3 peppercorns

　　3 pounds spinach

　　1 tablespoon flour

　　2 hard-boiled eggs

　　4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing pan

　　1 yellow onion, diced

　　1/2 cup bread crumbs

　　Freshly ground pepper to taste

　　

Step 1

Soak the salt cod about 8 hours, or overnight, in cold water to cover, changing the water several times.

　　

Step 2

Then remove the skin and any bones from the fish. Cut into 1-inch cubes, and put in a saucepan with the bay leaf, 2 cloves of the garlic, the thyme, and peppercorns. Add water to cover, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let rest.

　　

Step 3

Clean and blanch the spinach in a large pot of boiling water for a minute. Then drain, roughly chop the leaves, and toss in a bowl with the flour.

　　

Step 4

Peel and dice the hard-boiled eggs, and mix with the spinach.

　　

Step 5

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8-inch tian or equivalent casserole with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.

　　

Step 6

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan, and sauté the onions and the remaining garlic until the onions are golden.

　　

Step 7

Transfer the onions to the tian pan with half the spinach and eggs. Stir in the salt cod, and top with the remaining spinach. Toss the bread crumbs evenly on top, and finish with a good sprinkle of the remaining olive oil and pepper to taste.

　　

Step 8

Bake for 25 minutes, and then put under the broiler for a few minutes, until golden.

　　Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous