Anne Willan

Matelote de la Loire

Eel Stew with Mushrooms and Onions

Preparation info
  • Serves

    4–6

    • Difficulty

      Medium

Appears in
top 1000French Regional Cooking
French Regional Cooking

By Anne Willan

Published 1981

  • About

The high flames of the wood fire over which a matelote was traditionally cooked would set alight the wine and cognac and flame the sauce.

Ingredients

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0.75–1 kg eel, skinned

Method

Cut the eel in 5 cm/2 in pieces, wash and dry them. Heat the oil and half the butter in a large, shallow saucepan, add the onions and shallots and cook over a low fire, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in the garlic and add the eel. Pour in the wine and cognac and add the parsley, thyme, bay leaf and a