210. EEL, BACON, and PRUNE STEW

serves 8


1½-lb piece of smoked streaky bacon, rind removed, rolled, and tied; bacon cut into chunks
a knob of unsalted butter
30 whole shallots, peeled
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 bottle of red wine
5 cups light chicken stock
a bundle of herbs, including 2 stalks of celery, tied together
2 bay leaves
14 ounces prunes (Agen if possible), with their pits in (when they have been pitted they tend to fall apart)
2 reasonable-sized eels (3 if small), cut into 1¼-inch pieces
a small splash of red wine vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper


In a pot large enough to fit all your ingredients, brown the bacon and its rind in butter. When the bacon fat as colored and has given off some of its fat, remove and keep to one side, then gently cook the shallots and garlic in the pot to a sweet golden brown. Return the bacon and rind to the pot, then add the red wine, stock, bundle of herbs, bay leaves, and prunes, and let this simmer for 15 minutes. Add the eel and cook for a further 30 minutes.

Now carefully remove all the ingredients with a slotted spoon to a bowl, discarding the herbs, and keep warm. Add your wee dash of vinegar to the sauce to counteract the sweetness of the prunes and the richness of the eel, and bring it to a boil to reduce, skimming constantly to remove any scum that may arise. This may take 10 to 15 minutes. The sauce should have a rich stickiness thanks to the eel and prunes. When happy with the juice, check for seasoning and reduce the heat to a simmer. Return the other ingredients to the pot and let them warm through gently. The prunes should have swollen to delicious rich clouds. Serve.


courtesy of: The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating, by Fergus Henderson. New York: Harper Collins/Ecco, 2004, p. 144.