Eel can be a tough sell, until you have tried it. In Italy, however, it appears in a magnificent and succulent dish on almost every table during Christmas week, particularly on La Vigilia, Christmas Eve, when it is perhaps the most traditional dish of all. The many fish dishes served that night.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　2 cups basic tomato sauce

　　1 cup dry red wine

　　12 caper berries

　　12 gaeta olives

　　1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

　　2 pounds eel, (from the sea or river), skinned and gutted by your fishmonger, rinsed, patted dry, and cut into 4-inch-long pieces

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds

　　

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

　　

Step 2

2. In a large sauce pan, combine the tomato sauce, red wine, caper berries, olives, and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil over medium heat.

　　

Step 3

3. Meanwhile, season the eel with salt and pepper and arrange in a single layer in a baking dish.

　　

Step 4

4. Pour the sauce over the eel, put the dish in the oven, and bake for about 20 minutes, until the eel is cooked through. Transfer to a warmed platter, sprinkle with the chopped fennel, and serve immediately.

　　From Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home © 2005 by Mario Batali. Reprinted with permission from Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.Buy the full book from Amazon.