madbaker | I finally got around to this week's Resolution Recipe.

All i Pebre

slug of olive oil (the recipe called for 3/4 cup!)
4 dried chile peppers, chopped and seeded
4+ garlic cloves, chopped
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1" thin strips
1 cup water
3 T tomato paste
salt
1 pound eel (I used mahi-mahi), cut in 1" pieces
fresh ground pepper

In a large skillet, heat oil. Add chile peppers and garlic and cook for 1 minute, shaking so that the contents don't burn. Add bell peppers, water, and tomato paste. Season with salt to taste. Cook 20-30 minutes until a nice sauce forms, stirring occasionally.

Add fish and cook 20-30 minutes more, until fish is easily cut with a fork. The bell peppers should be dissolved by this point. Season with pepper and serve in the skillet, mopping up sauce with fresh bread.

What worked: This was quite... red. Reasonably tasty. I threw in a bit of saffron just 'cause. The fuzzy upstairs neighbor suggested Asian grocery stores as a source for frozen eel (unagi); I shall have to go pick up some just to have in the freezer. I didn't notice any lack of oil when I cut the quantity down by 75%.

What didn't: The bell peppers didn't dissolve. Maybe I should have cooked it longer.

Will I make it again? I might. It could be worth trying with eel (or squid!) to see how it's different. It won't be a steady part of the repertoire, but it wasn't bad for a warm evening dinner.

What I'm reading: Jim Butcher, Academ's Fury