EEL PIE.
Ingredients.—1 lb. of eels, a little chopped parsley, 1 shalot, grated nutmeg, pepper and salt to taste, the juice of ½ a lemon, small quantity of forcemeat, ¼ pint of Béchamel; puff paste. Mode.—Skin and wash the eels, cut them in pieces 2 inches long, and line the bottom of the pie-dish with forcemeat. Put in the eels, and sprinkle them with the parsley, shalots, nutmeg, seasoning, and lemon-juice, and cover with puff paste. Bake for 1 hour, or rather more; make the Béchamel hot, and pour it into the pie. Time.—Rather more than 1 hour. Seasonable from August to March.
EEL SOUP.
Ingredients.—3 lbs. of eels, 1 onion, 2 oz. of butter, 3 blades of mace, 1 bunch of sweet herbs, ¼ oz. of peppercorns, salt to taste, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, ¼ pint of cream, 2 quarts of water. Mode.—Wash the eels, cut them into thin slices, and put them into the stewpan with the butter; let them simmer for a few minutes, then pour the water to them, and add the onion, cut in thin slices, the herbs, mace, and seasoning. Simmer till the eels are tender, but do not break the fish. Take them out carefully, mix the flour smoothly to a batter with the cream, bring it to a boil, pour over the eels, and serve. Time.—1 hour or rather more. Average cost, 10d. per quart. Seasonable from June to March. Sufficient for 8 persons.
Note.—This soup may be flavoured differently by omitting the cream, and adding a little ketchup or Harvey’s sauce.
EELS, Boiled.
Ingredients.—4 small eels, sufficient water to cover them; a large bunch of parsley. Mode.—Choose small eels for boiling; put them into a stewpan with the parsley, and just sufficient water to cover them; simmer till tender. Take them out, pour a little parsley and butter over them, and serve some in a tureen. Time.—½ hour. Average cost, 6d. per lb. Seasonable from June to March. Sufficient for 4 persons.
EEL, Collared.
Ingredients.—1 large eel; pepper and salt to taste; 2 blades of mace, 2 cloves, a little allspice very finely pounded, 6 leaves of sage, and a small bunch of herbs minced very small. Mode.—Bone the eel and skin it; split it, and sprinkle it over with the ingredients, taking care that the spices are very finely pounded, and the herbs chopped very small. Roll it up and bind with a broad piece of tape, and boil it in water, mixed with a little salt and vinegar, till tender. It may either be served whole or cut in slices; and when cold, the eel should be kept in the liquor it was boiled in, but with a little more vinegar put to it. Time.—2 hours. Average cost, 6d. per lb. Seasonable from August to March.