A main course or sauce for a pasta dish? A sauce with a distinct and pleasing flavour typical of the Lake Trasimeno region, with a unique story. A recipe with roots in the territory.
A recipe which, in the past, had a range of variations. Other types of fish were even sometimes used depending on what was available, on what the fishermen brought back to shore. The origin of the recipe goes back to when it was served as a main course. Housewives didn’t use it to make a fish sauce but preferred to cook the fish in plenty of ripe tomatoes so that they could then use the sauce to flavour the pasta, while the fish was enjoyed by itself. A unique dish that not only saved money, but also enriched the cook!
Ingredients
400g of cleaned eel, cut into pieces
500g tomato concentrate
½ cup of red wine
1 clove of garlic
1 stalk of celery
Parsley
½ onion
Pepper
Chilli pepper (optional)
Chop up the garlic, celery, parsley and onion and fry in the olive oil.
Dilute the tomato concentrate with the red wine and, if needed, add a bit of hot water. Add to the fried mixture.
Let cook for about ten minutes and then add the eel, cut into bite-sized chunks.
Salt and pepper to taste and then cook over a low flame for about an hour.
Enjoy!
Chef Daniela
Ristorante “La Cantina”