Eel borghigiana is staged in the manner of the inhabitants of Borgo Ticino, district of Pavia. The eel is browned in butter and onion, enriched with parsley, bay leaf, salt, pepper and nutmeg, then covered with red wine diluted with water.
Eel borghigiana

Ingredients – 4 portions

  • 600 gr eel
  • 1 little onion of Voghera
  • 1 medium carrot scraped
  • 1 celery gamb
  • 2 glasses of wine Barbacarlo
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons of flour
  • chopped parsley (e.)
  • 40 gr. butter
  • 1 clove
  • grated rind of half a lemon (yellow part only)
  • 3 leaves of sage
  • salt e peper e.
Serve with soft polenta.

Traditional procedure

  • Strip the eel, divide it into two fillets, remove the bones and cut the fillets in pieces 5 cm long. Wash them well under running water, dry them and dredge in flour.
  • Peel, wash and chop the vegetables. Put the butter in a pan with vegetables, garlic and sauté and cook over low heat.
  • Meanwhile, in a pan, fry the pieces of eel over low heat, so that they lose their fat. Turn carefully and, when they are completely golden, keep them to a dish and dry grease in excess with paper towels.
  • Add the eel to vegetables, also joining the grated rind of lemon and sage.
  • Increase the heat, add the wine and wait for it to evaporate, it will takes few minutes. Reduce the heat, add salt, pepper, bay leaf and cloves, cover and cook on low heat for 30 minutes, adding, if the sauce is too dry, a little boiling water.
  • Remove from the heat, than put the pieces of eel on a serving platter and keep it warm. Switch to mill the sauce and sprinkle on top of the eel.