The thorough good cook

Lard an eel along the back with small pieces of bacon ; roll, and tie it up ; put it into a pan with a cooked marinade. AVhen it has lain some time in this, cover it with breadcrumbs and bake it. 84. Matelote of Eels. Skin a pound and a half of eels, and cut them into pieces two inches in length. When well washed, put them m a stew-pan with a tablespoonful of batter; fry them for two minutes ; add a glassful of red wine, a third of a pinch of nutmeg, half a pinch of salt, and a third of a pinch of pepper ; also a faggot of herbs, a glassful of fish stock, or white broth, and three tablespoonfuls of mushroom liquor. Add six small glazed onions, and six mushroom buttons. Cook for thirty minutes, then put in a tablespoonful of brown gravy ; stir well while cooking two minutes longer, and serve with six fried pieces of bread garnished with onion sauce (p. 339). I do not know an English synonym for " matelote," but Mrs. Cook can pronounce the word, even as she can pronounce " puree." Still, there is no rule without an exception. "We once had a cook who always called a " puree " a " pleurey." FISH. Ill 85. Entree of Eels. Take two large eels, bone them, and lay them flat ; put light forcemeat, well seasoned, upon each ; roll them up separately ; bind them round with tape ; put them in a stewpan with a gill of sherry, one clove of garlic, half a bay-leaf, four peeled shallots, a little thyme, and a pint of veal broth. Let them stew till done, then strain the liquor, skim it free from fat, season to the palate, thicken with flour and butter, reducing it to half a pint ; put the eels into a deep dish, glaze the tops, and serve them up with the sauce under, and pieces of fried bread round the dish. Once for all, " The Thorough Good Cook " is written for abstainers as well as non-abstainers. In culinary matters I am Catholic. If you object to alcohol in your cookery, leave it Old. Exactly the same observation will apply to garlic. Many English ladies have an absolute abhorrence of garlic (one of the four pillars of cookery — the others being the lemon, the anchovy, and the egg) in consequence of its offensive odour. But garlic, cooked, is wholly inoffensive. 86. Another Entree of Eels. Skin and cleanse your eels, bone them, and cut them into pieces about a finger in length ; pass them over a slow fire in a small quantity of sweet herbs, shallots, pepper, salt, butter, and lemon-juice. When they are three-parts done, put them on a dish ; dip each piece in the liquor ; bread-crumb them, and broil over a clear fire. Serve with anchovy sauce. 87. Broiled Eels. Skin and cleanse your eels, rub them with the yolk of an Qgg; strew bread-crumbs over them, chopped parsley, M sage, pepper, and salt. Baste tliem well "with butter, and put them in a dripping-pan. Roast or broil them, and serve them up with parsley and butter. 88. Broiled Eels a I'ltalienne. If for an entree, choose two moderate-sized eels, take off the skin, wash, bone and dry them thoroughly ; toss them in an egg beaten wp with pepper and salt; then fry them of a good brown colour. Serve with a good Italian sauce under them. 89. To Spitchcock Eels.