Schrat's eel smoke – potato soup with garnish

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 1 eel(s), smoked of just under 500 g
• 50 g ham, diced
• 800 g potatoes
• 2 stalk(s) leeks
• 2 carrots
• 1 onion(s)
• 30 g celeriac
• some beef broth
• 200 g cream
• Milk
• butter
• salt and pepper
• Nutmeg, freshly grated
• Parsley, flat and finely chopped

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

Fillet the eel, cut the meat into small pieces, and set aside. Chop the central bone and skin into approximately 5 cm long sections. Dice half a leek, 1 carrot, the onion, and the celery. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, fry the ham cubes, bones, skin, and head together with the diced vegetables, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. Add 1 liter of water and simmer gently with the pan uncovered for about 20 minutes. Carefully skim off any foam that rises. Pour the stock through a strainer into a second pan and reduce the liquid by about half. Discard the head, bones, and vegetables. By the way, the skin is edible; it tastes better than it looks. But if you don’t like it, throw it away too. In the meantime, peel the potatoes and finely chop 1.5 leeks and 1 carrot. Cook everything together in the eel stock. If the amount of liquid is too low, add a little beef broth. Let it simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, then pour in the cream and puree everything thoroughly. If the soup is still too thick, thin it further with milk, being careful not to make it too thin. The soup should be creamy. I can’t give you the exact amounts, as different potato varieties absorb liquid differently. So, once you have a creamy soup, melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter in it and stir in well. Season with pepper, salt, and nutmeg. Ladle the soup into deep bowls, place 1-2 tablespoons of eel pieces in the center of each, and sprinkle with parsley.