Risotto with L'eel

Gently sauté In a pan with a little oil, sauté the chopped onion and carrot. Add the celery stalks, parsley, thebay leaf and fresh fennel, then let the vegetables wilt over medium heat. The stock is ready when the vegetables are softened and release an aromatic scent, without darkening.

Add a litre of water and the ladle of meat broth, or half a stock cube. Bring to a boil and cook for about twenty minutes, maintaining a regular boil: the liquid must be perfumed with the aromas and take on a more intense flavour before welcoming theeel.

Immerse theeel Add the rice to the boiling aromatic broth and cook for ten minutes. Remove the rice when the pulp is cooked and firm enough to handle; reserve the cooking liquid, which will be used later to cook the rice.

Peel it offeel While still warm, carefully remove the bones and cut into small, even pieces. Set the pieces aside so they can spread throughout the risotto during cooking without falling apart too much.

Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve, removing the vegetables, herbs, and spices. Collect the aromatic broth and keep it available for the risotto: it should be added gradually, so as not to interrupt the rice's boil.

Let the cloves of garlic in a shallow pan with two teaspoons of olive oil and (0.88 oz) 25 grams of butter. Let them cook until they become golden and fragrant, without burning them; then remove both, leaving in the shallow pan the aromatic condiment.

Pour the rice into the shallow pan and toast it for a few minutes, stirring, until the beans become shiny and slightly translucent. Deglaze with dry white wine and let the alcoholic component evaporate: the aroma should be drier, without any evident liquid residues.

Cook the rice, gradually adding the strained broth. Add new liquid only when the previous one has been absorbed, maintaining a gentle simmer and stirring regularly. The risotto is ready when the grains are cooked but still firm and the mixture is soft.

Halfway through cooking add the small pieces of eel and mix them gently. Continue cooking with the necessary broth, allowing the fish to warm through and release its flavor into the rice without completely breaking apart.

Turn off the heat And vigorously stir the risotto with the remaining 25 grams of butter (0.88 oz) and the finely chopped parsley. Mix until you get a creamy, uniform consistency, then season with salt to taste and season with freshly ground pepper. Serve the risotto when it retains a smooth, creamy consistency.