Recipe by Celine Milis landlady of café “De Scheepvaart” at the lock of Aarschot. The grandmother of Marie-Josée and François Renier. The recipe was passed on to Celine’s daughter, Angèle Renier (1912-2006).
Wash the eel and put it in a cooking pot with a little water and a teaspoon of butter, bay leaf, pepper and salt, and freshly grated nutmeg. Leave to stew until cooked (= simmer gently, not vigorously. Cooked: when the flesh is still firm, but comes away well from the bone). Take the eel out of the stewing pot and set it aside. Put the chopped herbs in a small pot of water with potato starch. Use this to thicken the cooking liquid. Season with pepper, salt and lemon juice. Never use onion.
