Wash and skin a pint of eels, cut them in pieces three inches long, pepper and salt them, and put them into a stewpan. Pour in one pint of good soup stock, adding one large onion, shredded, three cloves, a teaspoonful of grated lemon-peel, and a wineglassful of Port wine. Stew slowly for half an hour, and pour into a hot dish. Strain the liquor and add a wineglassful of cream thickened with flour, and boil up once. Pour over the eels and serve.
STEWED EELS—III
Clean, skin, and joint the eels. Cover with boiling water, add a tablespoonful of vinegar, and cook for ten minutes. Drain, cook together one tablespoonful of butter and two of flour. Add two cupfuls of the water in which the eels were cooked. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season with salt, pepper, and grated onion, then add the eels and reheat. Simmer for twenty minutes, add a tablespoonful of minced parsley, and serve.
STEWED EELS—IV
Prepare according to directions given above, using veal or fish stock, instead of water, and adding a bay-leaf to the seasoning.
STEWED EELS À L'ANGLAISE
Cook prepared eels in half a bottle of Port wine, seasoned with carrot, onion, parsley, bay-leaf, thyme, salt, pepper-corns, cloves, mace, and chopped mushrooms. Cover with buttered paper, simmer for half an hour and drain. Melt two tablespoonfuls of butter and cook in it two tablespoonfuls of flour. Add a chopped shallot and enough of the eel liquor to make the required quantity of sauce. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add half a cupful of stock, and two wineglassfuls of Port wine. Bring to the boil, strain, add a few chopped mushrooms, a tablespoonful of butter, and minced parsley, lemon-juice, and anchovy paste to season. Pour the sauce over the eels, and serve.
STEWED EELS À L'AMERICAINE
Use three pounds of cleaned and skinned eel with all the fat removed. Cut in two-inch pieces, season with pepper and salt and chopped onion, and put in a double-boiler with half a cupful of butter. Sprinkle with parsley, cover tightly, and cook for about an hour and a half. Serve in a deep dish.