LEAVES FROM OUR TUSCAN KITCHEN

OR
HOW TO COOK VEGETABLES

Dear friend, will you accept this little book? It may sometimes bring a thought of Italy into your beautiful Surrey home

The innate love of change in man is visible even in the kitchen. Not so very long ago soup was an exception in English houses—almost a luxury. A dish of vegetables—as a dish and not an adjunct to meat—was a still greater rarity; and even now plain-boiled potatoes, peas, cabbages, etc., are the rule. When we read of the dishes, fearfully and wonderfully made, in the old Italian novelle, we wonder whence the present Italians got their love of vegetables and maccaroni.

Sacchetti tells us that in the fourteenth century a baked goose, stuffed with garlic and quinces, was considered an exquisite dish; and when the gonfalonier of Florence gave a supper to a famous doctor, he put before him the stomach of a calf, boiled partridges, and pickled sardines. Gianfigliazzi’s cook sent up a roasted crane to his master as a delicacy, says[Pg viii] Boccaccio; and a dish of leeks cooked with spices appears as a special dish in the rules of the chapter of San Lorenzo when the canons messed together. Old Laschi, author of that delightful book L’Osservatore Fiorentino, moralises on the ancient fashion of cooking in his pleasant rather prosy way: ‘It would not seem that the senses should be subjected to fashion; and yet such is the case. The perfumes, once so pleasing, musk, amber, and benzoin, now excite convulsions; sweet wines, such as Pisciancio, Verdea, Montalcino, and others mentioned by Redi in his dithyrambic, are now despised; and instead of the heavy dishes of olden times, light and elegant ones are in vogue. Whoever characterised man as a laughing animal ought rather to have called him a variable and inconstant one.’

The dinner which set all Siena laughing for days, given to a favourite of Pius II. by a Sienese who substituted wild geese for peacocks, after cutting off their beaks and feet, and coloured his jelly with poisonous ingredients, forms the subject of one of Pulci’s tales:—

‘Meanwhile it was ordered that hands should be washed, and Messer Goro was seated at the[Pg ix] head of the table, and then other courtiers who had accompanied him; and they ate many tarts of good almond paste as a beginning. Then was brought to Messer Goro the dish on which were the peacocks without beaks, and a fellow was told to carve them. He not being used to such office gave himself vast trouble to pluck them,[1] but did it with so little grace that he filled the room and all the table with feathers, and the eyes, the mouth, the nose, and the ears of Messer Goro, and of them all. They, perceiving that it was from want of knowledge, held their peace, and took a mouthful here and there of other dishes so as not to disturb the order of the feast. But they were always swallowing dry feathers. Falcons and hawks would have been convenient that evening. When this pest had been removed many other roasts were brought, but all most highly seasoned with cumin. Everything would however have been pardoned if at the last an error had not been committed, which out of sheer folly nearly cost Messer Goro and those[Pg x] with him their lives. Now you must know that the master of the house and his councillors, in order to do honour to his guest, had ordered a dish of jelly. They wanted, as is the fashion in Florence and elsewhere, to have the arms of the Pope and of Messer Goro with many ornaments on it; so they used orpiment, white and red lead, verdigris and other horrors, and set this before Messer Goro as a choice and new thing. And Messer Goro and his companions ate willingly of it to take the bitter taste of the cumin and the other strange dishes out of their mouths, thinking, as is the custom in every decent place, that they were all coloured with saffron, milk of sweet almonds, the juices of herbs, and such like. And in the night it was just touch and go that some of them did not stretch out their legs. Messer Goro especially suffered much anguish from both head and stomach....’[2]

A company of Lombard pastrycooks came to Tuscany in the sixteenth century, and introduced fine pastry into Florence. We find the first mention of it in Berni’s Orlando Innamorato, where it is mentioned among the choice viands.[Pg xi] Laschi says, ‘the epoch of Charles V. is the greatest of modern times, for the culture of the spirit induced the culture of the body.’ But he does not mention vegetables or herbs at all. For them we must go back to the ancients. Bitterly did the Israelites, when wandering in the desert, regret ‘the cucumbers and the melons we did eat in Egypt’; though old Gerarde says, ‘they yield to the body a cold and moist nourishment, and that very little, and the same not good.’ Gerarde is however hard to please, for he says of egg-plants, under the old English name of Raging or Mad Apples, ‘doubtless these apples have a mischievous qualitie, the use whereof is utterly to be forsaken.’

Fennel, dedicated to St. John, was believed to make the lean fat and to give the weak strength, while the root pounded with honey was considered a remedy against the bites of mad dogs. If lettuce be eaten after dinner it cures drunkenness; but Pope says:—

If your wish be rest,
Lettuce and cowslip wine, probatum est.

Sorrel is under the influence of Venus, and Gerarde declares that also ‘the carrot serveth[Pg xii] for love matters; and Orpheus, as Pliny writeth, said that the use hereof winneth love.’ Flowers of rosemary, rue, sage, marjoram, fennel, and quince preserve youth; worn over the heart they give gaiety. Rosemary is an herb of the sun, while Venus first raised sweet marjoram, therefore young married couples are crowned with it in Greece. While

‘He that eats sage in May
Shall live for aye.’[3]

Sweet basil is often worn by the Italian maidens in their bosoms, as it is supposed to engender sympathy, and borage makes men merry and joyful.

For years English friends have begged recipes for cooking vegetables in the Italian fashion, so I have written down many of the following from the dictation of our good Giuseppe Volpi, whose portrait, by Mr. A. H. Hallam Murray, adorns this little book, and who has been known to our friends for over thirty years.

I must also acknowledge, with thanks, the[Pg xiii] courtesy of Sigri. Fratelli Ingegnoli of Milan, who have permitted me to use and translate what I needed from their excellent little book Come si Cucinano i Legumi.

Janet Ross.
Poggio Gherardo,
Florence.

[Pg xiv]

About the cooking of Vegetables.

Vegetables should be well washed in cold water to remove insects and dust; if not fresh gathered, leave them some time in cold water, and remember that they take longer to cook than fresh ones. Green vegetables must be put into salted water (one tablespoonful of salt to every two quarts of water) and rapidly cooked over a brisk fire in an open sauce-pan until they are tender. All green vegetables should be removed from the water as soon as cooked, and be well drained before adding the seasoning.

About Sauces.

So much depends on sauces that only the best ingredients should be used in making them. Rancid or impure oil or bad butter will ruin sauces and salads. Both butter and oil should always be tasted before buying, as good cookery is impossible unless they are perfectly fresh and good in every way; butter must be added to sauces in small bits, or it will form a greasy line. To skim sauces, take the sauce-pan[Pg 2] off the fire and put in a teaspoonful of cold water, which will make the grease rise. Remember that wine increases the taste of salt, so when wine is used in a sauce put in very little salt until after the wine has been added.

About Eggs.

Eggs must be quite fresh, if they taste of straw the sauce will be spoiled. They should therefore be broken one at a time into a saucer and examined before using. A pinch of salt added to the whites of eggs makes them whisk better, and none of the yolk must be allowed to get mixed in.

About Spices.

The following is a good recipe for the spices so necessary in cooking: Half an ounce of cloves, two ounces of nutmeg, half an ounce of sweet basil, half an ounce of white pepper, two ounces of cinnamon, one quarter of an ounce of dried bay leaves, half an ounce of thyme. Pound well together, then pass through a sieve, and put them into a bottle, or box, hermetically closed to preserve the perfume.

About a Bouquet.

Take one bay leaf, one sprig of thyme, two cloves, and one stalk of well-washed celery, place round these six sprigs of parsley, fold and tie them so that the cloves, etc., cannot fall out.

[Pg 3]

About Onion Juice.

Onion juice is obtained by grating an onion on a coarse grater, after peeling it. Press hard, and each stroke will give one drop of juice.

About Maccaroni and Spaghetti Paste.

For every quarter of a pound of flour use one egg and two tablespoonfuls of warm salted water. Take as much flour as needful, make a hole in the centre, and put in the water and the eggs. Beat them up with a spoon, mixing the flour in gradually, then knead well. Roll the paste into very thin sheets, and place them on a clean cloth to dry for half an hour. This paste will not keep more than one, or one and a half days, and must always be put into boiling water or broth to cook. If soaked before cooking the flavour is spoiled.

About blanching Maccaroni and Spaghetti.

Put an earthenware pot, filled with water, on the fire, add two tablespoonfuls of salt, and boil. Put in three-quarters of a pound of fresh maccaroni, twisting it round carefully so as not to break it. Boil for seventeen minutes, then remove from the fire; drain, and put it in cold water; drain again, and it is ready for use. Spaghetti are blanched the same way.

[Pg 4]

About Croûtons.

To make croûtons, cut bread into whatever shape you want. Take off the crust, dip the pieces into melted butter, and toast in the oven, turn often in order to colour evenly, or fry them in boiling oil or fat. They must be crisp and of a light brown colour.

About a Bain-Marie.

A Bain-Marie is a large copper pan placed on the fire, and containing boiling water in which are put smaller pans with anything to be kept hot, or cooked without boiling. Milk is better cooked in Bain-Marie, than in a sauce-pan on the fire.

Artichokes ‘alla Barigoul.’

Clean and cut straight the under leaves of three large French artichokes, boil them sufficiently to be able to take out the chokes, and put them in cold water for five minutes. Drain thoroughly, then fill the hole left by the choke with forcemeat made of half an ounce of minced salt pork, two shallots, six mushrooms minced, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, a little pepper, and grated nutmeg, mixed well together. Tie up the artichokes with string, heat three tablespoonfuls of good olive oil in a pan, and brown them well on both sides. Then place your artichokes in a sauté-pan, and put a small slice of fresh pork, or a bit of good butter, on the top of each; add a tumbler of broth, bake for forty minutes in oven, then place on a hot dish, and serve, pouring the sauce in the pan over them.

Artichokes ‘alla Barigoul’ (maigre).

Parboil three fine French artichokes for three minutes, drain, pare the tips and the bottoms, and remove the chokes. Then place them in[Pg 6] a sauce-pan with a tablespoonful of fresh butter, a carrot and an onion sliced up, and very little salt. Cook a shallot (minced up) with a tablespoonful of butter for three minutes (being careful not to let it brown), add ten minced mushrooms, a tablespoonful of chopped-up parsley, a teaspoonful of chopped-up chervil, and a little salt and pepper; cook for five minutes, stirring often. Stuff the artichokes with this, and put a whole mushroom on the top of each artichoke. Bake in a hot oven, adding a wine-glassful of white wine and a tumbler of vegetable soup; close the pan and cook for forty minutes. Add a quarter of a pint of sauce ‘Vellutata’ (see Sauces, p. 127) to the sauce of the artichokes, heat, but do not boil; strain, and serve in a sauce-boat separately.

Artichokes ‘Farciti.’

Boil and drain twelve young artichokes. Chop up four ounces of boiled ham and one pound of chicken-meat fine, add two tablespoonfuls of cream, one teaspoonful of chopped parsley, a little pepper and salt, and some grated nutmeg. Fill each artichoke with this compound, put into a well-buttered frying-pan, and bake for a quarter of an hour in a hot oven. Serve hot with ‘Alla Panna’ sauce (see Sauces, p. 125).

[Pg 7]

Artichokes ‘al Forno.’

Boil eight or ten young artichokes, then dry them well. Put a small piece of onion on the top of each artichoke, wrap each in a slice of ham, and stand them upright in a sauce-pan. In another sauce-pan make your stuffings: four ounces of fine white lard cut up small, a quart of broth, six mushrooms and a little parsley chopped up fine. Boil, and when cooked pour this compound into each artichoke, put them into the oven (not too hot) for about three-quarters of an hour. Before serving be careful to remove any ham that has remained attached to the artichokes, and pour some sauce ‘Olandese’ (see Sauces, p. 124) over them.

Artichokes ‘alla Francese.’

Cut your artichokes into four or eight pieces according to their size, remove the stalks and the hard leaves, and boil. Then sprinkle them with lemon, and, to prevent them from turning brown, put them into hot water with a good deal of vinegar. Drain well before serving, and after putting them on a dish, pour a sauce made of pepper, salt, fine olive oil, and a little vinegar over them, and serve hot.

Artichokes ‘Fritti.’ No. 1.

Wash your artichokes and cut them into[Pg 8] slices. When drained put them into an earthen pot with some salt, pepper, fine olive oil, and a few drops of vinegar. Put two yolks of eggs, one whole egg, a little water, and some fine olive oil, into a frying-pan, and mix well together. Throw the slices of artichoke into the frying-pan, stirring them well. When they have taken a good colour remove them from the fire, strain them, put them on a napkin in a dish, garnish with fried parsley and serve very hot.

Artichokes ‘Fritti.’ No. 2.

Cut eight or ten young artichokes into slices lengthways, take out the chokes and cut off the ends of the leaves, and throw them into vinegar and water; drain and dip them in the following batter:—two tablespoonfuls of flour, the yolk of one egg, one spoonful of good olive oil, and two tablespoonfuls of milk. Stir well; add one tablespoonful of brandy (or water), pepper and salt to taste, and let it stand for some hours. Before using whisk two whites of egg to a stiff froth and beat it in.

Artichokes ‘alla Graticola.’

Wash your artichokes well, remove the stalks, the hard leaves, and the points of the leaves; cut them in halves, and cook them on a gridiron. Then sprinkle them with salt, some fine olive[Pg 9] oil, and a little pepper, and squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over them just before serving up hot.

Artichokes ‘all’ Italiana.’

Clean the artichokes and remove the hard outside leaves. Boil them well and leave them to drain. Arrange them on a dish and pour a sauce ‘Tartara, No. 1’ (see Sauces, p. 126) over them. Serve up quickly.

Artichokes ‘alla Lionese.’

Remove the stalk and the hard leaves, cut your artichoke into pieces, then wash and drain them. Butter the bottom of a sauce-pan well, put in the pieces of artichoke, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and cook them with a slow fire above and below until they take a golden colour. When quite cooked, arrange them on a dish, and pour some fried fresh butter over them, into which a pinch of sugar and three tablespoonfuls of sauce ‘Suprema’ (see Sauces, p. 125) has been put. Serve up very hot.

Artichokes ‘alla Milanese.’

Put your boiled artichokes into an earthenware pot after greasing it well with fresh butter, then place a bit of butter in the centre of each artichoke and sprinkle them with some[Pg 10] finely grated Parmesan cheese of the best quality. Cover the pot and cook over a slow fire, taking care that the artichokes should not boil for too long. Just before serving up, pour some more melted butter over them.

Artichokes ‘alla Spagnuola.’

Remove the stalks and the hard leaves, and wash three (or more) artichokes well and cut them into pieces. Boil, then drain, put them into a sauce-pan with some pepper, five tablespoonfuls of sauce ‘Suprema’ (see Sauces, p. 125), five of Consommé, and then put them on the fire for half an hour. Boil again for half an hour with fire above and below, before serving them up hot.

Artichokes ‘al Vapore.’

Remove the hard outside leaves of the artichokes, but leave a little of the stalk. Then place them upright in a small sauce-pan with a little water which must not quite cover the artichokes. Open out the artichokes and pour into the centre of each a sauce made of pepper, salt, and fine olive oil. Then cover the sauce-pan and be careful to boil the water well, so as to steam the artichokes thoroughly.

N.B.—Artichokes are eaten when barely half-grown in Italy.

[Pg 11]

Asparagus ‘alla Borghese.’

Take a bundle of asparagus, scrape the white of each stalk lightly, and put them into cold water. Then tie them in bundles of twenty-five (or, if very large, of twelve or fifteen), keep the heads together, and cut the ends of one length. Cook them quickly for fifteen minutes in one gallon of boiling water in which two ounces of salt has been put. Dish them up on a piece of toast, serve very hot, with melted fresh butter, or sauce ‘Alla Panna,’ or ‘All’ Olandese’ (see Sauces, pp. 124, 125).

Asparagus ‘alla Casalinga.’

Take four pounds of asparagus and cook the green part in boiling salted water. Then drain, and put the asparagus into a baking-dish with four ounces of fresh butter, sprinkle with grated cheese, salt and pepper to taste, brown slightly, garnish with eggs fried in butter, and serve hot.

Asparagus, cold.

Cut the ends of your asparagus so as to have them of equal length, and boil in salted water. When cold lay them on a dish, and, just before serving, pour over them a sauce made of good olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. (If preferred, a white sauce can be used instead of oil and vinegar.)

[Pg 12]

Asparagus ‘alla Crema.’

Take the heads only of the asparagus (two or three pounds as required) and put them into boiling water with a little salt. Boil for about fifteen minutes, and prepare meanwhile some square pieces of roll or white bread, without the crust. Scoop out the centre of each piece and put in a bit of butter, then fry (or bake) until the bread turns a good yellow colour. After draining the heads of the asparagus place them in the holes in the bread, taking care to keep them hot. Then boil half a pint of milk, add four yolks of eggs, and stir till solid. Take it off the fire, add a little butter, a sprinkling of salt and pepper, pour over the asparagus and bread, and serve up hot.

Asparagus ‘Fritto.’

Cut the heads off a bunch of asparagus, boil them in slightly salted water for about fifteen minutes, and then strain. Put half a tumbler of cream, in which the yolk of an egg and two ounces of butter have been well beaten up, into a frying-pan, add a tablespoonful of sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and stir slowly over the fire for five or six minutes. Then fry your asparagus heads in it and serve very hot.

[Pg 13]

Asparagus ‘ai Gamberi.’

Cut the tender heads of the asparagus in equal lengths and boil them, then pickle them in good olive oil, salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Stick a hunch of bread into the centre of a dish, cover it with sauce ‘Mayonnaise,’ and place the asparagus heads (over which you have just squeezed some lemon juice) round and over it. Garnish the dish with sauce ‘Mayonnaise’ (see Sauces, p. 123) and crayfish tails, and serve. Some jelly will be an addition.

Asparagus ‘in Istufato.’

Cut the heads off a bunch of asparagus and wash them well in cold salted water. Strain, and when dry put them into a sauce-pan with a tablespoonful of flour, four ounces of butter, half a pint of cream (or milk), and a little salt and pepper. Leave them on the fire until they begin to boil, then remove, and serve up hot.

Asparagus tips ‘all’ Italiana.’

Prepare about 200 asparagus tips two or two and a half inches long, half cook, and then drain them. Put them in a baking-pan with fresh butter and strong gravy, taking care that they should be well glacées. Cook fifteen or eighteen eggs for five minutes, shell them and keep them warm in hot water. Pile a stiff[Pg 14] purée of potatoes dome-shaped on a dish, arrange your asparagus heads (pointing upwards) round it, heat the dish well, and stand your eggs upright all round, pouring a white sauce over them. Serve very hot.

Asparagus ‘all’ Olandese.’

Take a bunch of asparagus and scrape the stalks well. Cut them of equal length and put them into boiling salted water (if they are not all of the same size, put the biggest in first, or the small ones will be too much cooked) and boil fast. Drain well, and place them on a napkin in a dish, with sauce ‘Olandese’ (see Sauces, p. 124) in a sauce-boat apart.

Asparagus ‘alla Parmigiana.’

Scrape and boil your asparagus and place them on a dish, pour over them a sauce of melted fresh butter mixed with strong gravy, some grated Parmesan cheese, and a little pepper; then powder them with a little grated Parmesan cheese, pour some more melted butter over them, colour with the salamander and serve immediately.

Asparagus ‘Perlate.’

Cut the heads of a bunch of asparagus into small pieces like peas, and put them into salted[Pg 15] boiling water. When almost cooked, drain, and put them into a sauce-pan with four ounces of fresh butter and a little powdered sugar, sprinkle well with flour, and pour a little soup, or sauce ‘Vellutata’ over them (see Sauces, p. 127). When thoroughly cooked, mix two or three well-beaten-up yolks of eggs with them, and serve very hot.

Asparagus tips ‘alla Suprema.’

Choose asparagus of about the same size, break off the tenderest part with your fingers, and cut them in small bits, cooking the tips last. Put them into salted boiling water, then drain, and place them in a baking-pan with melted fresh butter, keep them a few minutes on the fire, add some salt, a little gravy, fresh butter and lemon juice. Serve hot.

Asparagus on Toast. No. 1.

Wash the asparagus well and scrape the stalks, then tie in bunches and put them into an earthenware pot of boiling water slightly salted; boil for about twenty minutes, until they are tender but not over-done, cut some toasted bread into square pieces (without the crust), and put a bit of butter on each piece. When the asparagus is cooked and drained, untie the bunches and place it on the toast, taking care to lay the heads all the same way.[Pg 16] Then melt four ounces of fresh butter with a little flour in a frying-pan, and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Serve the sauce separately, or a sauce ‘Olandese’ if better liked (see Sauces, p. 124).

Asparagus on Toast. No. 2.

Cut off the bottom of the stalks of a bunch of asparagus to make them even, and put them into a pan of cold water till near dinner-time. Then put the bunch in boiling water in which a pinch of soda, the weight of a pea, has been dissolved. Boil a quarter of an hour, then drain, cut the twine and serve. Have the buttered toast ready, place the white ends of the asparagus on it and pour one tablespoonful of melted butter over the green heads in the dish.

Asparagus ‘alla Wilhelmina.’

Wash and clean a bunch of asparagus and cook in boiling water slightly salted. When cooked and dried, arrange them in a dish, one-half on one side, one-half on the other, so that the heads meet in the middle. Melt four ounces of fresh butter in a frying-pan, add a little flour and some good broth, mix well together and boil, then add one or two bay leaves, some chopped parsley and onion, salt and pepper to taste, and three well-beaten-up yolks[Pg 17] of eggs. Boil for five minutes, add a little lemon juice, pour the sauce over the asparagus, and serve up very hot.

Beans (Broad) ‘al Burro.’

Shell one quart of fresh young broad beans and put them in cold water. Put two quarts of water in a sauce-pan and add a slice of ham, a stick of celery, a bunch of parsley, three cloves, twenty peppercorns, and one bay leaf. Boil for a quarter of an hour, then take out the ham, etc., and put in the beans. Strain as soon as they are tender, add four ounces of fresh butter and put them on the fire for a few minutes before serving.

Beans (Broad) ‘alla Romana.’

Chop up one small onion and four or five sage leaves, and fry brown in butter. Put in a quart of young shelled broad beans, cover them with boiling water and stew over a very slow fire for twenty minutes, add the strained juice of six tomatoes (or some tomato conserve), with salt and pepper to taste. Add boiling water whenever necessary, and stir often, to prevent the beans from sticking to the sauce-pan. Stew for twenty or twenty-five minutes, and serve very hot.

[Pg 18]

Beans (Broad) ‘alla Turca.’

Take a quart of young broad bean pods, about two inches long, cut them in half and put them in cold water. Then cook them in a sauce-pan with two quarts of boiling water. Drain, and again put them in cold water. Mince some ham and fry it with a little butter in a sauce-pan, throw your beans in, toss, and heat them for ten minutes. Add three tablespoonfuls good stock before serving up hot.

Beans (Broad) ‘al Vino.’

Take quite young shelled broad beans and stew them in a sauce-pan with a little browned onion, some ham, butter, sweet herbs, and flour; moisten well with broth, add a quarter of a pint of sweet white wine, and three spoonfuls of sugar. Serve hot.

Beans (French) ‘al Burro.’

Remove the strings and the ends from one quart of French beans and cut them into pieces about an inch long. Put them into cold water for twenty or thirty minutes, then dry, and throw them into a sauce-pan of boiling water with some salt and butter. Cook slowly for about half an hour (according to the age of the beans), then place them in a dish, adding some fresh butter, salt and pepper. Serve up hot.

[Pg 19]

Beans (French) ‘alla Crema.’ No. 1.

Boil one quart of French beans slowly until nearly tender; then dry, and put them to cook in fresh butter. Mix a teacupful of cream, an egg, some grated cheese, and some allspice well together in a sauce-pan, then add some lemon juice, a little white wine vinegar, and boil. Pour this sauce over the beans, mix well, and serve up hot.

Beans (French) ‘alla Crema.’ No. 2.

Break off both ends and string two quarts of young fresh French beans, wash in cold water, and drain. Put them into salted boiling water and cook for five minutes, stirring them well. Season with a teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper, one or two chives, and some sprigs of parsley (to be taken out before serving); add half a tea-cup of fresh cream (or milk), and two yolks of eggs, heat for five minutes, but do not boil. A tablespoonful of pounded sugar is an agreeable addition.

Beans (French) ‘allo Zabajone.’

Clean and remove the strings from two quarts of French beans and put them into cold water; then boil and strain, and lay them in a dish. Put two yolks of eggs, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, two of white wine[Pg 20] vinegar, and two of water, into a sauce-pan on a slow fire, mix and heat, but do not allow it to boil. Pour the sauce over the beans, and serve hot.

Beans (Haricots) ‘alla Bruna.’

Put a quart of haricot beans into a sauce-pan of salted boiling water, and boil for about half an hour. When cooked brown, put four ounces of butter in a frying-pan, add two or three tablespoonfuls of flour, and fry them well together. Then add some broth, stir well, and add half an onion minced up with salt and pepper. Dry the beans, put them in the sauce, boil all together for ten minutes, and serve hot.

Beans (Haricots), Croquettes of.

Put a quart of small white haricot beans to soak in tepid water all night long; dry, put them in cold water, and boil over a slow fire for about an hour. Drain and dry them again, and put into boiling water for another hour. Pass them through a sieve and put them in a sauce-pan with four ounces of fresh butter, one tablespoonful of white wine vinegar, one of balm-mint, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well together, cook, and let cool. Then roll up into balls (or croquets), dip them into the yolk of an egg, cover them with finely grated bread-crumbs, and fry with good fresh butter. Serve up very hot.

[Pg 21]

Beans (Haricots) ‘alla Fiorentina.’

Half-boil a quart of haricot beans in salted water, strain, and put them into a sauce-pan with some fried, browned butter in it. Mix, then drain off the butter, and add the following sauce: Melt four ounces of fresh butter, skim it carefully, add some flour and mix well, add some broth and stir until it is of the consistency of a sauce, and leave it to boil. Then pass the sauce through a sieve, put it back on the fire, and stir to prevent its sticking to the sauce-pan, add two yolks of eggs, the juice of half a lemon, and some finely chopped-up parsley. Pour the sauce over the beans before serving up hot.

Beans (Haricots) ‘alla Maître d’Hôtel.’

Put some young, green, shelled haricot beans into boiling water, when half-cooked add a pinch of salt, and a little butter. Take them out, drain, and put them at once into a sauce-pan with butter, chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and some lemon juice. Toss them well, and serve up very hot.

Beans (Haricots) ‘alla Milanese.’

Take young, green haricot beans and throw them in boiling water. When half-cooked add a little salt and some butter, and boil them again for five or six minutes. Then take them[Pg 22] out, strain, and put them, whilst still hot, into a sauce-pan with a dessert-spoonful of chopped-up parsley, salt, pepper, the juice of a lemon, and four ounces of fresh butter. Toss them, and serve on a hot dish. (If the beans are dry you must put them into cold water and boil them for one or two hours first.)

Beans (Haricots) ‘alla Polenta.’

Put a quart of white haricot beans into tepid water for the night. Dry, and put them into cold water, and boil for about an hour over a slow fire; dry them again, put them into boiling water, and boil for nearly an hour. Mash, and pass them through a sieve, place them in a sauce-pan with three ounces of butter, a little salt and pepper, stir well together, and boil them again for ten minutes. Serve up very hot.

Beans (Haricots) ‘Purée alla Brétonne.’

Wash the white haricot beans and let them soak all night. Boil them (changing the water) until tender, and mash them through a sieve. Season with salt, pepper, and butter, add enough cream (or stock) to make them of a proper consistency. Serve hot.

Beans (Haricots) ‘alla Romana.’

Cook the beans in an earthen pot in salted water, and let them drain. Meanwhile cut[Pg 23] three onions into small pieces, stew them in an earthen pan until they are browned, then add the beans, with pepper, grated nutmeg, minced anchovies passed through a sieve, and some broth. Fry all together, and when the beans have absorbed all the liquid, squeeze the juice of a lemon over them and serve hot at once.

Beans (Haricots) ‘sautés.’

Melt two ounces of fresh butter in a frying-pan, add some parsley and half an onion chopped up together. Then put in the beans (already boiled), leave them to cook for eight or ten minutes, sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and the juice of a lemon, and serve up very hot.

Beans (Lima) ‘alla Crema.’

Put the beans into boiling salted water, cook well, then drain and dry, season with salt and pepper to taste, and three or four ounces of fresh butter, add a tablespoonful of flour and three-quarters of a pint of cream. Boil, and serve up very hot.

Beans (Dwarf Lima) ‘alla Portugese.’

Take a quart of young Lima beans, cook them in salted boiling water for half an hour, then drain and dry them. Melt four ounces of fresh butter in a frying-pan, add two tablespoonfuls[Pg 24] of flour and three-quarters of a pint of milk, mix well together till they boil, then add two beaten-up yolks of eggs, salt, pepper, and a finely chopped onion. Pour over the beans and serve hot.

Beans (Scarlet Runners) ‘alla Panna.’

Snap them in two in the middle and string them. Boil for three-quarters of an hour in salted water, then drain away the water, put in a little pepper and salt, and one or more (according to the quantity of beans) cupfuls of cream.

Beet Leaves boiled.

Take the young leaves of white beetroot, tie them together in bunches and put them into boiling water. They can be cooked with butter (like spinach) or served up on buttered toast with sauce ‘Olandese’ (see Sauces, pp. 122, 124) or Butter sauce.

Beet ‘Gnocchi.’

Wash well and remove the mid-ribs of a bundle of beet leaves, boil, and then throw them into cold water. Dry, mince them very fine, and put them into an earthen pot with four fresh eggs, four ounces of grated cheese, four ounces of curds, or fresh-milk cheese, a little grated nutmeg, and some salt. When[Pg 25] pretty dense put it on a well-floured table and make a long roll the size of a finger. Cut into pieces about two inches long, flour them well, and then throw them into an earthen pot of boiling broth. As they come to the surface take them out, drain well, season with butter or rich gravy, a little grated nutmeg, cinnamon, and cheese. They must be cooked over a hot fire.

Beetroot (How to boil).

Wash the beetroot carefully without cutting or scraping it (if the skin is broken the beet loses flavour and colour). Young ones take one hour to boil, old ones four. In winter the beet must be put into cold water overnight to make it tender, those that remain hard are unfit to eat. It must be cooked in boiling water, then put into cold water for five or six minutes, when it can be rubbed with a cloth to take off the peel. Cut into slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and pour melted fresh butter over it; or it can be put into the oven to bake. Boiled beetroot when wanted for salad ought to be put into wine vinegar to soak.

Beetroot ‘alla Panna.’

Boil some white beetroot as directed above, and peel it. Cut up into dice, place on a very hot dish, and pour a sauce ‘Alla Panna’ over it (see Sauces, p. 125).

[Pg 26]

Beetroot and Potatoes.

Boil the beetroot as directed above, and peel when cold. Cut into thin round slices and put it into a frying-pan with two onions cut up small, two ounces of butter; stir continually and do not let it brown. Add one spoonful of flour, and milk enough to make a thickish sauce; add three saltspoonfuls of salt, four of sugar, one of pepper, and one tablespoonful of white wine vinegar, and boil for a few minutes. Then put the slices in the pan to simmer for twenty minutes, and have some mashed potatoes ready to make a border round the dish in which to put the beetroot and the sauce, adding a little cream.

Broccoli ‘alla Crema.’

Wash and clean the broccoli well, put them into salted cold water for half an hour. Then wrap each head in a piece of linen to prevent its breaking, and put into salted boiling water for about twenty minutes. When cooked, remove the linen carefully so as not to break the heads, place them in a hot dish, pour half a pint (for each head) of hot ‘Alla Panna’ sauce (see Sauces, p. 125) over them, and serve immediately.

[Pg 27]

Broccoli ‘alla Parmigiana.’

Wash and clean the broccoli well and put them for one hour in salted cold water, then rinse again, and cook in boiling salted water with a little butter. Put ten tablespoonfuls of White sauce (see below, White Sauce) into a stew-pan with a little chopped-up onion, and boil for a few minutes, then add a quarter of a pound of grated Parmesan cheese. When boiling, add the yolk of an egg and a very little cayenne pepper, mix quickly and put a little on a dish; lay the broccoli on it, pour the rest of the sauce over them, sprinkle with bread-crumbs and grated cheese, and put it in the oven for half an hour, until of a nice brown colour, and serve. (If you have no White sauce, use melted butter, cooking it less, or it will be greasy.)

Broccoli with White Sauce.

Boil the heads of broccoli in salted water with a little flour. When cooked take them out and drain well. Then put them in a dish and pour the following sauce over them: Melt some butter, salt, pepper, and a tablespoonful of flour in a sauce-pan, add a glass of boiling water, pouring it in a little at a time, and stirring continually. When cooked, take it off the fire and mix the yolk of an egg beaten up with a piece of butter. Do not put the sauce again on the fire.

[Pg 28]

Brussels Sprouts ‘alla Crema.’

Clean, and pick off the dead leaves from one and a half pounds of sprouts. Wash well, drain, and cook them in boiling water for seven minutes. Drain again, and cool in cold water. Drain well once more, and put them into a sauté-pan with two tablespoonfuls of Vellutata sauce (see Sauces, p. 127), one teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper, and the same of grated nutmeg. Add half a cupful of good cream, and heat (but do not boil) for five minutes, tossing frequently. Put on a dish and serve at once.

Brussels Sprouts ‘al Limone.’

Wash the sprouts and remove any dead leaves. Then put them into boiling salted water and cook for twenty minutes, drain, and place them on a hot dish. Meanwhile mix four ounces of butter with two tablespoonfuls of flour, add a little broth (or water), and stir well until it boils. Just before serving add a good sprinkling of pepper and the juice of two lemons. Pour the sauce over the sprouts and serve up quickly.

Brussels Sprouts ‘sautés.’

Clean and wash the sprouts well, and boil. Then dry, and put them into a sauce-pan with[Pg 29] two (or more) ounces of butter (according to the quantity of sprouts); brown them well, and add one or two spoonfuls of white wine vinegar, a little chopped parsley, salt, and pepper. Serve up very hot.

Cabbage (How to boil).

Cut the cabbage into good-sized pieces and strip off the outside leaves. Cut out the hard core, wash well in two or three changes of water, and drain thoroughly. Put the cabbage (a piece at a time, so as not to stop the boiling) into a large sauce-pan or earthen pot of salted boiling water. Cook for twenty-five minutes over a hot fire (with pot uncovered), and push the cabbage under water every now and then.

Cabbage ‘farcito all’ Americana.’

Take a large cabbage and boil it whole for fifteen minutes. Then change the water and boil again for half an hour; meanwhile prepare the stuffing. Put about one pound of rice into cold water and boil for twenty-five or thirty minutes, add three and a half pounds of sausage, the juice of a lemon, some chopped parsley and a little pepper, and mix well. Dry the cabbage thoroughly, open the leaves, and[Pg 30] put half a tablespoonful of the stuffing between each leaf, folding them over it, until the cabbage is quite stuffed. Then tie it up carefully in a piece of linen and put it into a sauce-pan of boiling water. When boiled remove the cloth, put the cabbage in a vegetable dish, pour an ‘Alla Panna’ sauce (see Sauces, p. 125) over, and serve.

Cabbage ‘alla Crema.’

Choose a white cabbage, remove the outer leaves and cut it into quarters. Soak in cold water for an hour, then dry, and put it in an earthen pot of boiling water to cook. Then let it cool for about ten minutes and put it into another pot of boiling water, adding salt and pepper, and boil, keeping the cover on tight. When done serve with an ‘Alla Panna’ sauce (see Sauces, p. 125).

Cabbage ‘al Forno.’

Boil the cabbage as directed above. Press out all the water and chop it up. Put a layer in the bottom of a pie or vegetable dish, cover with a white sauce made of one cup of milk, one tablespoonful of butter, one of flour, a little salt, and a pinch of cayenne pepper, and then add a layer of grated cheese. Repeat your layers of cabbage, sauce, and cheese; cover the[Pg 31] top with a layer of bread-crumbs and bits of butter, and put it in the oven. When the sauce bubbles on the top take it out and serve up in the same dish.

Cabbage ‘Fritto.’

Wash and cut up a cabbage, put it into a sauce-pan of boiling water. Boil for twenty minutes, then dry, and put it into a sauce-pan with four ounces of butter, two spoonfuls of white wine vinegar, some salt, and pepper; mix well together until it becomes well heated. Then serve up.

Cabbage ‘all’ Uovo.’

Drain a well-boiled cabbage and chop it up very fine. Put into a frying-pan two tablespoonfuls of butter, and one of flour, for every quart of chopped cabbage. When hot add the cabbage, season with salt, pepper, and one or two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, and stir constantly for six or eight minutes. Then put it on a dish, smooth the outside and garnish with quarters of hard-boiled eggs.

Cabbage ‘Pasticciato.’

Cut up a cabbage and boil it in an earthen pot. Boil a little white wine vinegar in a sauce-pan, put in two well-beaten eggs, three-quarters[Pg 32] of a pint of clotted cream, and a little butter. Mix well, when boiling add some salt and pepper, and pour over the cabbage. Serve it cold.

Cabbage ‘in Stufato.’

Cut up a small cabbage and leave it in cold water for some time, then dry, take out the hard pieces, and chop up the rest fine. Put it into an earthen pot with a little salt, and boil for fifteen or twenty minutes. Then strain and put it on a hot dish, pour a cream, tomato, mustard, or horse-radish sauce, over it, and serve hot.

Cabbage (Rea) ‘alla Fiamminga.’

Remove the outer leaves of a red cabbage and cut it in pieces. Put it into boiling water for fifteen minutes, then dry, and place it in a sauce-pan with four ounces of butter, a chopped-up onion, a bay leaf, two cloves, and a little salt and pepper. Boil slowly for about half an hour, stirring it often. When cooked take out the bay leaf, add a little butter and serve quickly.

Cabbage (Red) ‘alla Tedesca.’

Cut up the leaves of two small red cabbages in slices. Melt four ounces of butter in a frying-pan, and when browned, throw in the[Pg 33] cabbage, adding a little salt, three tablespoonfuls of white wine vinegar, and a chopped-up onion. Cover the frying-pan and put it on a slow fire for an hour. Serve up very hot.

Capsicums ‘Farciti.’ No. 1.

Select large green sweet capsicums, and for each one take half a pound of minced roast or boiled fowl, half a pound of grated bread-crumbs, a little salt and pepper, and some chopped parsley and mix; add two ounces of melted butter and mix again. Meanwhile cut off one end of the capsicums (remove the seeds), and put the capsicums into a sauce-pan of boiling water; cover the pan and let it boil for about a quarter of an hour. Then drain the capsicums well, fill them with the force-meat, and sprinkle them over with bread-crumbs. Put some butter in an earthen pan and cook the capsicums in a moderate oven for a quarter of an hour.

Capsicums ‘Farciti.’ No. 2.

Fry six medium-sized green sweet capsicums for one minute in boiling fat, drain, peel, and cut off the ends, keeping them to use as covers. Remove the insides and fill them with force-meat made of minced fresh pork, a spoonful of salt, a saltspoonful of pepper, half a saltspoonful[Pg 34] of grated nutmeg, and the same of powdered thyme. Put on the ends, lay the capsicums in a well-oiled baking-dish, add a little pure olive oil, and put them in a moderate oven to bake for a quarter of an hour. Turn them on to a hot dish, and serve with a quarter of a pint of Vellutata sauce (see Sauces, p. 127), with a little Marsala added.

Capsicums ‘al Forno.’

Cut two or more green capsicums in two lengthwise, remove the seeds and filaments, and parboil them in boiling water for five minutes. Fill each half with an equal quantity of softened bread-crumb and minced meat seasoned with butter, salt, and a squeeze of lemon. Then put them into a baking-dish in half an inch of good stock (or water), and bake. Serve in the baking-dish, hot.

Cardoons ‘al Bianco.’

Clean and pare two or three pounds of cardoons, cut them lengthwise, and blanch them in boiling water. Then throw them into cold water to make them retain their whiteness, and dry them on a clean cloth. Cut an onion and a carrot into slices, and put them into a sauce-pan with four ounces of fresh butter, take out the carrot and onion after ten[Pg 35] minutes and mix a tablespoonful of flour into the butter, adding some broth (or water), to prevent it burning. As soon as the broth (or water) boils, throw in the cardoons. When done, serve up hot.

Cardoons ‘alla Milanese.’

Prepare the cardoons as above, then put them one by one in a sauce-pan with six ounces of fresh melted butter, salt them a little, and add about three-quarters of an ounce of grated Parmesan cheese, and a little Béchamel sauce (see Sauces, p. 119). Cook them with fire above and below, and serve up hot.

Carrots ‘all’ Aceto.’

Scrape six large carrots and wash them well in cold water, cut them in slices, put them into an earthen pot of boiling water, and boil till tender. Then drain and dry, put them into a salad bowl and pour some white wine vinegar over them, with a little chopped onion and celery and two bay leaves.

Carrots ‘alla Béchamel.’

Scrape and wash six or eight large carrots, and slice them very fine. Cook them slowly in a sauce-pan with two ounces of fresh butter,[Pg 36] and a little pounded sugar, salt, and pepper, and stir them continually. In another sauce-pan put one ounce of butter, one ounce of flour, two tumblers of cream (or milk), and salt to taste. Cook for about ten minutes, then pour it over the carrots, and heat again, taking care not to let them boil.

Carrots ‘alla Casalinga.’

Cut up some young carrots into small pieces, and put them into a sauce-pan with salted boiling water. Leave them to boil for several minutes, then drain and put them into a sauce-pan, with four ounces of butter, some salt, and a little pepper, on a hottish fire to bring out the flavour. Add a little flour, and a little broth (or water), and boil again, taking care the carrots do not fall to bits. Then make a sauce with the yolks of two eggs, the juice of half a lemon, and a little chopped parsley, and pour it over the boiling carrots. Take them off the fire at once to prevent the eggs from getting hard, put them on a dish, garnish with fried parsley and fried sippets of bread, and serve up hot.

Carrots ‘alla Panna.’

Scrape and wash six large carrots and cut them into very fine slices. Put them into a[Pg 37] sauce-pan and cook slowly with two or three ounces of butter, a little sugar, a teaspoonful of salt and pepper, and mix well together. In another sauce-pan mix four ounces of butter, four ounces of fine flour, two tumblers of cream (or milk), and a pinch of salt. Boil for about ten minutes until the cream begins to bubble, then pour it over the carrots, keep them on the fire, but do not let them boil. Serve hot.

Carrots ‘Sautées.’

Scrape and wash six large carrots and cut them in rounds half an inch thick. Cook them in white broth (or salted water) for half an hour in a covered pan. Then drain, put them in a sauté-pan, add a teacupful of cream (or milk) and three tablespoonfuls of Béchamel sauce (see Sauces, p. 119), some salt, and pepper, and a little nutmeg. Cook for ten minutes, then place them on a hot dish, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve hot.

Carrots ‘in Stufato.’

Take one or two pounds of fine carrots, cut them in pieces, put them in an earthen pot of boiling water, and cook them until nearly soft. Meanwhile, put two ounces of butter, half or three-quarters of a pint of good broth, and one or two tablespoonfuls of powdered white sugar,[Pg 38] into a frying-pan, and cook quickly for ten minutes; then take it off the fire, add two well-beaten yolks of eggs, and a little salt and pepper. Then drain the carrots, pour the hot sauce over them, and serve hot.

Carrots ‘allo Zucchero.’

Wash and clean two or three pounds of young carrots and cut them up. Put them in a sauce-pan, add two ounces of fresh butter, a little salt, and water. When cooked, pour a tumbler of cream over them with two ounces of pounded white sugar, replace the sauce-pan on the fire, being careful not to let it boil. Then take it off and mix two yolks of eggs, stirring all well together. Serve hot.

Cauliflower ‘al Borghese.’

Boil a cauliflower in salted water for one hour, drain, and break it into bits. Put a layer of cauliflower into a pie-dish, cover with Béchamel or ‘Alla Panna’ sauce (see Sauces, pp. 119, 125), and sprinkle with some grated cheese. Fill the dish with alternate layers of cauliflowers and sauce, then cover the top with bread-crumbs, grated cheese, and bits of butter. Bake in a moderate oven for half an hour. Serve hot.

[Pg 39]

Cauliflower ‘al Burro.’

Clean and remove the leaves from one large (or two small) cauliflowers, and wash well in fresh water. Then put the cauliflower into a large sauce-pan full of cold water, add a handful of salt, one teaspoonful of pepper, and one ounce of fresh butter, boil for half an hour, and drain well. Pour a sauce made of one tablespoonful of white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and one ounce of good butter over the cauliflower, and serve hot.

Cauliflower ‘alla Crema.’

Take off the outer leaves of a cauliflower (cut the stalk off close), and wash it in cold water. Tie it up in a piece of linen, stand it upright in an earthen pot of salted water, and boil for half an hour. Take it out carefully, drain, remove the linen, and put the cauliflower in a dish. Pour a hot ‘Alla Panna’ sauce (see Sauces, p. 125) over it and serve at once. Or you can make a sauce of two ounces of fresh butter, one tablespoonful of fine flour, well mixed in a frying-pan, add three-quarters of a pint of milk, stir till it boils, then add a little salt and cheese.

Cauliflower ‘al Forno.’

Boil a large cauliflower as in last recipe (alla Crema). When dried place it in a baking-pan.[Pg 40] Mix two ounces of butter and one tablespoonful of flour in a frying-pan, add three-quarters of a pint of milk, and stir continually till it boils. Then put in a bay leaf, a little chopped parsley, some salt and pepper, and boil for ten minutes in a Bain-marie. Then take out the bay leaf and pour the sauce over the cauliflower, sprinkling it with bread-crumbs. Put some bits of fresh butter on it, and bake in a very hot oven for ten or fifteen minutes.

Cauliflower ‘al Fritto.’

Cut off the leaves and clean a fine cauliflower, break it into pieces, parboil in salted water, drain, and put it to cool. Whip up two or three eggs (according to the size of your cauliflower), dip each piece of cauliflower in, then roll it in bread-crumbs, fry in boiling butter on both sides, sprinkle with grated cheese, and serve hot.

Cauliflower ‘al Gratin.’

Boil a head of cauliflower in salted water, then break it in small pieces into a sauté-pan with four ounces of fresh butter. As soon as it boils put it on a dish and pour a Béchamel sauce (see Sauces, p. 119) over it. Put it in the oven, and when browned serve in the same dish.

[Pg 41]

Cauliflower ‘alla Piemontese.’

Boil a fine cauliflower in salted water, and when done pour the following sauce over it: Chop up one small onion and one or two anchovies very fine, cook with some butter and stock, add a few drops of vinegar, and a teaspoonful of sweet herbs chopped up fine. Cook for a few minutes just before serving.

Cauliflower ‘in Stufato.’

Remove the outer leaves and clean a fine cauliflower; cut it into several pieces and wash them well in cold water. Put them into an earthen pot of salted boiling water, and cook quickly for twenty or thirty minutes until they are quite tender. Take them out without breaking, and place them on pieces of buttered toast. Then put some butter in a frying-pan, add a little flour, mixed with some broth, stir well till it boils, then add six finely chopped mushrooms, and cook a little more. Take it off the fire and add three whipped yolks of fresh eggs, salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, and the juice of one lemon. Pour this sauce over and round the cauliflower and serve. The sauce must not be boiled after adding the eggs.

Celery ‘alla Crema.’

Cut off the green leaves and pare four or five heads of celery, cut into pieces two inches long,[Pg 42] wash well, and dry on a napkin. Blanch in boiling water for five minutes, drain, and put into a sauté-pan with two ounces of fresh butter and one tablespoonful of fine flour. Stir well together, add half a pint of good consommé, and reduce for twenty minutes. Then thicken with two yolks of eggs beaten up with half a teacupful of cream, and a little grated nutmeg. Serve up hot, garnished with croûtons (fried bread).

Celery ‘al Fritto.’

Remove the green leaves and cut the white stalks of the celery into bits one inch long. Clean, and put them into boiling water for fifteen minutes, then dry on a napkin. Beat up a fresh egg with stock (or hot water), add a little salt and pepper, throw the celery in, then roll them in bread-crumbs, and fry in butter or fine white lard. Serve hot.

Celery ‘all’ Italiana.’

Take six large heads of celery, cut off the green leaves, leaving three inches of stalk attached to the root; clean, and cut in half. Blanch, and put into a sauce-pan with some good gravy, lard, ham, salt and pepper. Let them get cold, then dip them into the yolk of egg and bread-crumbs, and fry in fresh butter. Lay them in a dish and pour a Tomato sauce, or[Pg 43] tomato conserve heated, over them. Serve hot. (See Sauces, p. 126.)

Celery ‘alla Parmigiana.’

Take six large heads of celery and cook as above. But when cooked, drain, lay in a dish, sprinkle with finely grated Parmesan cheese, pour melted fresh butter over them, and put into the oven until they have taken a good colour. Pour a little gravy lightly over, and serve.

Celery ‘al Pomidoro.’

Cut off the green leaves and clean the stalks of six heads of celery, wash them in cold water, then throw them into an earthen pot of boiling salt water, and boil fast for twenty minutes. Drain, dry well, put them on a dish, and pour a pint of tomato sauce, or tomato conserve heated, over them. Serve hot.

Celery Stewed.

Cut the white outside stalks of celery into lengths of three inches, and boil them for half an hour in salted water. Drain, and put them into clear strained stock, adding a little minced onion and parsley. Boil until the celery is tender, add two ounces of butter stirred up with flour and shake the stew until thickened. Serve hot, pouring the sauce over the celery.

[Pg 44]

Cucumbers ‘alla Béchamel.’

Peel and pare six small cucumbers, and blanch them in salted boiling water for five minutes. Drain, and put them in a sauté-pan with half a pint of Béchamel sauce (see Sauces, p. 119), half an ounce of butter, a little grated nutmeg, and three tablespoonfuls of milk. Cook for fifteen minutes, put them on a hot dish, and serve.

Cucumbers ‘alla Comasca.’

Peel and slice two cucumbers very fine, and put salt and pepper, and taragon vinegar over them. Then slice an onion and lay it on the cucumbers, leaving them to pickle for fifteen minutes. Remove the onion and some of the liquid before serving.

Cucumbers ‘alla Crema.’

Peel six cucumbers, cut them into quarters, remove the seeds, and put them into cold water for half an hour. Place them in a covered sauce-pan of salted boiling water and cook them for half an hour, then lay them on a hot dish. Melt some butter in a sauce-pan and mix in one tablespoonful of flour, then add half a pint of milk and stir till it boils; add a little salt and pepper, take the sauce-pan off the fire, add a little more butter, and pour the sauce over the cucumbers. Garnish with croûtons (fried bread), and serve hot.

[Pg 45]

Cucumbers ‘Farciti.’

Choose cucumbers of about the same size and cut them in two lengthwise. Remove the seeds carefully with a spoon, and fill with a stuffing made of equal parts of minced chicken (or other white meat) and soft bread-crumbs, salt and pepper to taste, one egg, and a little stock. Sprinkle the top with bread-crumbs, and lay them into half an inch of stock in a baking-dish. Bake in a moderate oven until the cucumbers are soft, filling up the stock when necessary. Put them carefully in a hot dish and pour the gravy out of the baking-dish, thickened with a very little flour, round them.

Cucumbers ‘in Istufato.’

Peel two or three cucumbers, cut them into quarters, and take out the seeds. Put two ounces of fresh butter and a sliced onion into a frying-pan, fry until the onion is browned, add the cucumbers and stir them well until browned. Then take them out of the frying-pan. Put some more butter into the pan, stir it well with the rest, add a little broth, and mix till it boils, and add a little salt and pepper. Then put the cucumbers in, cover them, and leave them to cook slowly for twenty minutes. Put them on slices of buttered toast and serve up hot.

[Pg 46]

Cucumbers ‘alla Panna.’

Peel four or five cucumbers, cut them into halves, and remove all the seeds. Then cut them into small pieces and boil in water until soft. Strain, and dry them well on a napkin. Mix two ounces of butter with a spoonful of flour over the fire, add salt and pepper, stir well, and add a tumbler of cream. Put in the cucumbers and heat them without letting them boil.

Cucumbers ‘alla Spagnuola.’

Peel two cucumbers, cut them in half and take out the seeds. Fill them with force-meat and tie the halves together. Put some lard, raw veal, two carrots, two onions, some parsley, several bay leaves, some thyme, salt, and pepper, and the cucumbers covered with lard, into a sauce-pan with some strong broth, and cook for five or six minutes. Drain, and then pour a sauce ‘Suprema’ (see Sauces, p. 125) over the cucumbers before serving up hot.

Cucumbers ‘alla Toscana.’

Peel and blanch three or four cucumbers in salted boiling water for five minutes. Drain, cut them into pieces one inch thick, and put them into a sauté-pan with one ounce of butter, a little flour, half a pint of veal broth, stir well, and add some salt and pepper. Reduce for[Pg 47] about fifteen minutes, stirring until it boils, add one teaspoonful of chopped parsley, half a teaspoonful of grated nutmeg, half a cupful of cream and the beaten-up yolks of two eggs. Put on the fire again for three or four minutes (do not let it boil) and serve hot.

Cucumbers ‘all’ Uova.’

Peel three large cucumbers and blanch them in salted boiling water for five minutes. Drain, and cut them into pieces an inch thick. Put them in a sauté-pan with one ounce of butter, sprinkle a little fine white flour over them, stir, and add a half pint of veal broth, with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well until it boils, reduce the whole for fifteen minutes, then add a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, a little grated nutmeg, two yolks of eggs beaten up, and two tablespoonfuls of cream. Cook again for three or four minutes, but do not let it boil, and serve hot.

Egg-Plant (Aubergine) ‘Farcite.’

Cut each egg-plant into four, leaving the peel on. Make four cuts in each piece and fry in boiling fat for one minute. Remove the fleshy part of the egg plant and fill it with any force-meat you have. Sprinkle the top with bread-crumbs and a little melted butter, brown in the oven for about ten minutes, and serve hot.

[Pg 48]

Egg-Plant (Aubergine) ‘al Forno.’

Boil two (or more) of the fruits for twenty or thirty minutes (until tender). Then cut them in two lengthwise and take out the pulp, being careful not to break the skin. Mash the pulp up with some butter, salt, and pepper, and replace it in the skins. Sprinkle with bread-crumbs and bits of fresh butter, and put it in the oven to brown.

Egg-Plant (Aubergine) ‘Fritto.’

Peel a fruit and cut it into round slices about half an inch thick, sprinkle with one teaspoonful of salt and half a teaspoonful of pepper, dip the slices into beaten-up egg and fresh bread-crumbs, and then fry in hot fat for five minutes. Take them out, give a very slight sprinkle of salt, and drain them well. Serve very hot on a napkin.

Egg-Plant (Aubergine) ‘alla Griglia.’

Peel a large fruit and cut it into slices half an inch thick, put them in a dish and season with salt and pepper, and pour a tablespoonful of pure olive oil over them. Mix well, then broil the slices for five minutes on both sides. Place them on a hot dish, pour a quarter of a pint of Butter sauce over them (see Sauces, p. 122), adding a little chopped parsley, and serve hot.

[Pg 49]

Egg-Plant (Aubergine) ‘Sauté.’

Peel one or two fruits and cut them into slices a quarter of an inch thick. Sprinkle with salt, and pile them one on the top of the other on the underside of a plate. Put a weighted plate on the top of the pile and let it stand for an hour to press out the juice. Then dip the slices in egg and bread-crumbs, or in egg and flour, and sauté on both sides in lard or dripping. Serve hot.

Flan of Celery.

Clean and boil three or four heads of celery. Then drain well, and chop them up very fine. Mix one tablespoonful of flour and three-quarters of an ounce of butter in a sauce-pan, and add the celery and one pint of milk. Reduce, then take the sauce-pan off the fire, and when cold add the yolks of six eggs, and some allspice. Put all into a shape, and cook it slowly with fire above and below, or in an oven, for half an hour. An Alla Panna sauce (see Sauces, p. 125) can be served with it.

Flan of Potatoes.

Boil one or two pounds of potatoes, cut them into slices, and put them into a sauce-pan with four ounces of fresh butter and a tumbler of cream (or milk). Cook until the potatoes are[Pg 50] quite soft, mash them, and pass them through a cullender. Then mix six yolks, and four beaten-up whites of eggs, and two and a half ounces of white powdered sugar, with the potatoes, and put the whole into a buttered shape, well covered with bread-crumbs (and holding more than the quantity of potatoes). Cook with fire above and below for about half an hour (or in an oven). A Béchamel sauce (see Sauces, p. 119) can be served with the Flan.

Flan of Vegetables.

Wash, strain, boil, and cut up fine about two pounds of different vegetables, potatoes, spinach, cardoons, etc., and sweet herbs. Boil them in a sauce-pan with some good stock; when cooked, add a teacupful of cream (or milk), stir well together and leave them to cool. Then add four yolks of eggs, some grated cheese, and the white of the eggs beaten up. Put the vegetables into a buttered shape, well covered with bread-crumbs, cook with fire above and below, or in the oven.

(Flans can be made of any other vegetables, such as fennel, French beans, cauliflower, etc.)

Fritto ‘Misto.’

Cut one or two young green pumpkins in thin slices about as long as a finger and half as[Pg 51] wide, and lay them on a plate with a little salt. Mix three ounces of butter and three tablespoonfuls of flour in a sauce-pan and boil for two minutes, add half a tumbler of cream, half a tumbler of chicken broth, and boil till it is a stiff Béchamel. Then mince three breasts of cooked chicken, two slices of tongue, and one small truffle, mix with the Béchamel and roll into small balls, then dip into egg and grated bread and put aside till wanted. Take ten or twelve pumpkin flowers, some young artichokes properly prepared and cut into quarters (if not quite young and tender they must be boiled first), some cauliflower and bits of cardoon, dip them in egg and dust them with flour. Do the same to some parboiled calves’ brains, flour the slices of pumpkin, and fry all together in pure olive oil. Use dripping or lard for frying if you have not got good oil. Season with a sprinkling of salt. Serve very hot.

Fritto of Vegetables.

Instead of chicken and calves’ brains mix minced mushrooms or truffles with the Béchamel and roll into balls. In winter, large yellow pumpkins and potatoes must be sliced.

Jerusalem Artichokes ‘al Bianco.’

Clean and cut two dozen Jerusalem artichokes into pieces about half an inch long, wash and put[Pg 52] them into a stew-pan with half an ounce of fresh butter, and a quarter of an ounce of white pounded sugar. Put them on a slow fire for a few minutes, add four tablespoonfuls of white sauce, eight of veal broth (or milk), and simmer until the Jerusalem artichokes are soft, then skim, mix the yolk of an egg with two tablespoonfuls of milk, pour it into the stew-pan, stir quickly, and serve hot. The Jerusalem artichokes must be well cooked, but not reduced to a pulp.

Jerusalem Artichokes in Purée.

Wash well and boil twelve Jerusalem artichokes in three pints of water with one ounce of butter and one tablespoonful of salt. When soft, chop them up; meanwhile cook slowly in a stew-pan one sliced onion, a little celery, half a turnip, two ounces of butter, one of ham, three or four bay leaves, and a little grated nutmeg. Put in the artichokes, stir, and add one tablespoonful of flour and one pint (or less) of milk to form a proper thickness when boiled. Pass through a fine hair sieve and serve hot.

Leeks ‘alla Casalinga.’

Cut off the root, peel the white part of the leek (about three inches), and blanch them in hot water. Dry, braise them in butter, stock, and a little sugar; and when well glacé serve at once.

[Pg 53]

Leeks ‘al Forno.’

Take twenty leeks, cut them into pieces two inches long, and put them into cold water. Then boil them in plenty of salted boiling water, and when done throw them again into cold water. Melt some fresh butter in a sauce-pan and simmer the leeks over a slow fire, add seven tablespoonfuls of a white sauce made with cream and chicken broth, a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, and the yolk of an egg. Mix well, then put the leeks into a baking dish and brown them slightly in the oven. Serve hot.

Leeks ‘alla Salza Bianca.’

Take twenty leeks, cut them into pieces two inches long and put them into cold water. Then boil them in plenty of salted boiling water, when done throw them again into cold water. Put fresh butter into a sauce-pan and simmer the leeks over a slow fire, add five tablespoonfuls of a white sauce made with cream and chicken broth, and a little pepper. Serve up hot.

Lentils ‘alla Corona.’

After boiling one pint of lentils with a bouquet of sweet herbs, strain them. Meanwhile mince some ham with a very little onion[Pg 54] and put it to brown with some butter; then add one or two ladlefuls of good stock, boil, and strain. Pour this sauce over the lentils with a good piece of butter, salt and pepper to taste, heat them, and garnish boiled beef or pork with them.

Lentils ‘in Istufato.’

Put an earthen pot on the fire, and just before the water boils throw in one pint of lentils. As it boils skim off the lentils which float to the surface, and continue to do this until all are taken out; the few which remain at the bottom of the pot must be strained through a sieve. Chop up two anchovies, place them in a sauce-pan with some pure oil and butter, and a little minced shallot, brown them well, put in the lentils, and then add some good stock or soup. When cooked serve up hot.

Lentils ‘alla Provenzale.’

Leave one pint of lentils in cold water for twelve hours. Strain, put them into hot water, and boil them rapidly; then cook them slowly for about an hour, drain them well, put them back into boiling water and cook until quite soft. Pass them through a sieve, and put them into a sauce-pan with two ounces of butter, a very little onion juice, pepper and salt to taste,[Pg 55] and stir for a quarter of an hour over the fire. Serve up very hot. Two tablespoonfuls of cream are a good addition.

Lentil Purée.

Boil the lentils in water with a spoonful of butter, then rub them through a sieve. Put some minced parsley, celery, carrot, and a very little onion on the fire with two or three ounces of butter; when brown, pour in a ladleful of good stock. Strain, flavour the lentils with it, adding salt and pepper to taste. The purée should be pretty stiff.

Lentils ‘al Riso.’

Cook the lentils as in ‘alla Provenzale.’ Then take half a pint of rice and put it into an earthen pot of boiling water. When cooked, drain the rice through a sieve, and stand it near the fire for ten or fifteen minutes to dry. Place two ounces of butter in a frying-pan, and when melted, add a small onion chopped up fine; when browned, put in the lentils and rice, and stir them over the fire for a quarter of an hour. Add a little salt and pepper, and serve up very hot.

Lettuce ‘Farcite.’

Cut off the roots, wash, and clean five or six lettuce heads. Put them into boiling water[Pg 56] for five minutes, then fill the inside with force-meat. Tie the tops together, and put them in a sauce-pan, adding a quarter of a pint of Marsala sauce, and the same of good white broth. Add salt and pepper to taste, cover the sauce-pan with buttered paper, and cook in the oven for fifteen minutes. Place the lettuces on a hot dish (having untied them), pour the sauce over, and serve hot.

Lettuce ‘al Forno.’

Wash the lettuce, remove the faded leaves, and cut off the root. Tie the tops together, lay the lettuces side by side in a baking-pan, and pour in one and a half inches of stock. Cover the pan and put it in a moderate oven for half an hour, adding stock when necessary. Place a fork under the middle of each lettuce, raise and drain, and lay them doubled up on a hot dish. Season the gravy in the pan with butter, salt and pepper, thicken with one beaten egg, and pour it over the lettuce. Serve hot.

Lettuce ‘alla Spagnuola.’

Remove the lower leaves and cut twelve fine lettuces in half, blanch, then drain, and put them into a sauce-pan; sprinkle with salt, and cover them with slices of lard and ham, moisten with a little broth, cover the pan[Pg 57] with greased paper, and cook in the oven. Drain and remove the fat, then roll the lettuces in the shape of prunes, and lay them on croûtons of buttered toast. Pour some sauce ‘Suprema’ (see Sauces, p. 125) over them, and serve hot.

MACCARONI AND OTHER PASTES.

Maccaroni ‘alla Béchamel.’

Take three-quarters of a pound of blanched maccaroni (see p. 3) and put it into a sauce-pan with three ounces of good fresh butter, tossing until the butter is thoroughly absorbed. Then add five or six tablespoonfuls of grated cheese, one spoonful of salt, a little pepper and grated nutmeg, and quarter of a pint of sauce ‘alla Béchamel’ (see Sauces, p. 119). Toss well together, without stirring, and heat for five minutes. Place in a deep dish and serve up hot.

Maccaroni ‘alla Crema.’

Boil three-quarters pound of fresh maccaroni in plenty of salted water for three quarters of an hour, with an onion stuck with two cloves and half an ounce of butter. Drain it well (taking out the onion) and put it back in a sauce-pan with four ounces of butter, four ounces of grated Swiss cheese, and four of grated Parmesan cheese,[Pg 58] a small pinch of nutmeg, and a pinch of pepper. Add half a pint of veal broth, and four or five tablespoonfuls of cream. Cook for five minutes, stirring well, and as soon as the maccaroni is ropy serve up hot.

Maccaroni ‘al Forno.’ No. 1.

Boil three-quarters of a pound of maccaroni as in above recipe. When drained, put it into a baking dish, sprinkle with bread-crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese, pour a little clarified fresh butter over it, and place it in the oven for ten minutes. When of a golden colour serve up at once.

Maccaroni ‘al Forno.’ No. 2.

Break some large maccaroni into pieces about four inches long, and stew it in consommé or veal broth until tender. Put a layer of maccaroni in a dish, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Gruyère cheese grated fine. Repeat the layers until the dish is full, then cover the top with a thick layer of the cheese, some finely grated bread-crumbs, and small bits of fresh butter. Bake long enough to brown the top, and serve at once.

Maccaroni ‘al Forno.’ No. 3.

Break enough maccaroni into bits one and a half or two inches long to half-fill a pie-dish.[Pg 59] Put it into salted boiling water, and boil for twelve or fifteen minutes until perfectly soft. Shake the sauce-pan often, or the maccaroni will stick to the bottom. Drain it well, then put it into the dish with butter, salt, and grated cheese. Fill the dish with milk, so as to cover the maccaroni, and bake until the milk is absorbed and the top browned. For every half-pound of maccaroni one and a half tablespoonfuls of melted butter must be used. Middle-sized maccaroni is the best for this dish.

Maccaroni ‘au Gratin.’

Take three-quarters of a pound of blanched maccaroni (see p. 3). Make a good white sauce, mix in plenty of grated Parmesan cheese, and add salt and pepper to taste. Place the maccaroni and sauce in a dish, and bake in a moderate oven until browned.

Maccaroni ‘all’ Italiana.’

Prepare three-quarters of a pound of fresh maccaroni as in ‘alla Crema.’ Then place it in a sauce-pan with a gill of Vellutata sauce (see Sauces, p. 127), to which add a little Marsala, and a quarter of a pound of grated Parmesan cheese. Add very little salt, some pepper and nutmeg, and cook slowly for ten minutes, tossing frequently. Serve on a hot dish with grated Parmesan cheese separately.

[Pg 60]

Maccaroni ‘al Latte.’

Parboil three-quarters pound of long maccaroni in salted water, then drain it well. Put half an ounce of flour and two ounces of butter into a sauce-pan and stir them well; when they begin to colour, pour one and a quarter to one and a half pints of milk in gradually, and boil for ten minutes. Then put in the maccaroni and one ounce of grated Gruyère cheese, stand the sauce-pan on the edge of the fire to simmer, and let the maccaroni absorb the milk. When cooked, add one and a half ounces more butter and one and a half ounces of grated Parmesan cheese, put the maccaroni into a baking dish and cover it with grated bread-crumbs. Place it in an oven and serve when browned.

Maccaroni ‘alla Napolitana.’

Boil and prepare three-quarters of a pound of maccaroni as in ‘alla Crema.’ Drain, and put it in a sauce-pan with half a pint of sauce ‘Suprema,’ half a pint of Tomato sauce (see Sauces, pp. 125, 126), a quarter of a pound of grated Parmesan cheese, two truffles, six mushrooms, and half an ounce of tongue, all cut up into small pieces. Cook over a sharp fire for ten minutes, tossing well all the time, and serve hot.

[Pg 61]

Maccaroni ‘alla Quaresima.’

Parboil twelve ounces of maccaroni and drain it well. Put one onion, a little parsley, and six anchovies all finely chopped up, into a frying-pan with butter, and fry for six or eight minutes; add this to the maccaroni with half a tumbler of white wine, one of fish soup (or water), and a pinch of white pepper, boil over a slow fire for twenty minutes, and serve at once sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese.

Maccaroni ‘alla Semplice.’

Boil twelve ounces of maccaroni in salted boiling water, then drain well and put them on a hot dish. Pour four ounces of fresh melted butter over them and mix in gradually six ounces of grated Swiss cheese. Stir with two forks, and sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese thickly over before serving hot.

Maccaroni ‘alla Siciliana.’

Blanch (see p. 3) and strain about three-quarters of a pound of fresh maccaroni and cut it into small pieces, then mince one pound of roast veal, four ounces of ham, slice four hard-boiled eggs, and mix with one and a half tablespoonfuls of finely chopped-up sweet herbs, add[Pg 62] salt and pepper to taste. Butter a mould, and sprinkle it well with bread-crumbs, then line it with thin paste; put in alternate layers of maccaroni sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese, and of force-meat, until the mould is full; add half a pint of good stock, cover with paste and bake in a slow oven for about forty minutes. Serve hot.

Maccaroni ‘Timbale alla Milanese.’

Take one pound of flour, one pound of butter, a quarter of an ounce of salt, and one wineglassful of water, and work the paste well; roll it out thin and cover carefully the inside of a timbale shape. If any air bubbles remain between the paste and the shape, prick them to let out the air. Cook three-quarters of a pound of maccaroni in salted boiling water, drain, and put it into a sauce-pan with some good gravy, two ounces of butter, a little grated nutmeg, and some grated Gruyère cheese; mix well, pour into the mould, and cover with a piece of paste which fits, passing some white of egg with a brush round the join. Bake in the oven for three-quarters of an hour, turn the timbale carefully out of the shape and serve. The timbale can be enriched by adding thin slices of hare, veal, or sweetbread, truffles and small mushrooms to the maccaroni.

[Pg 63]

Maccaroni ‘Timbale alla Napolitana.’

Boil half a pound of maccaroni as in ‘alla Crema.’ Prepare a timbale shape about seven inches in diameter and butter it. Arrange long maccaroni round and round the mould inside until it is covered, and then stand it in the ice-box until wanted. Put the remaining maccaroni into a sauce-pan with two ounces of good butter, tossing well for five minutes, then add a tablespoonful of salt and a little cayenne pepper, five tablespoonfuls of grated Gruyère cheese, and a quarter of a pint of Tomato sauce (see Sauces, p. 126), and again toss all well together. Add some thin slices of truffles and boiled tongue, toss for two minutes, and take it off the fire to cool for a quarter of an hour. Then fill the mould with the maccaroni, taking great care not to disturb the inside coil of maccaroni. Put the mould into a large sauce-pan, filled to only half the height of the mould with water, and place it in a moderate oven to cook for one hour. When done turn the timbale carefully out of the mould on to a hot dish, pour a little hot Tomato sauce round it, and serve.

OTHER PASTES.

Agnellotti ‘alla Poggio Gherardo.’

Take the meat of a boiled chicken (hare, pheasant, or any game will do as well) and[Pg 64] pound in a mortar with one truffle, two ounces of crumb of bread soaked in veal broth, two ounces of butter, a pinch of salt, the same of pepper, and a little grated nutmeg. When well worked into a paste rub it through a sieve. Meanwhile take one pound of flour, three eggs, half a tumbler of milk, and a pinch of salt, mix up into a paste and work it well. Lay it aside for half an hour, then roll it out very thin, divide it in half and let it dry. Then take one half and put the meat paste on it in little heaps (half a teaspoonful) about three inches distant from each other. Cover them with the other half of paste, cut round the little heaps, and press the edges of the two pastes together to prevent the meat stuffing from coming out. Put the agnellotti into a sauce-pan with a great deal of salted boiling water in it, and boil slowly. When done take them out with a strainer, season with butter, grated Parmesan cheese, and good gravy. Serve very hot.

Crescioni.

Boil a bunch of spinach, drain it well and put it to simmer with some pure olive oil, a taste of shallot, some chopped parsley, and salt and pepper to taste: season with some raisins (stoned) and some currants, and a little sugar. Put the spinach into rounds of paste made[Pg 65] of flour and eggs, about two inches in diameter, and fold the paste over the spinach (as you make a turnover). Fry in pure olive oil.

Gnocchi ‘alla Romana.’

Mix five and a half ounces of flour and two eggs in a sauce-pan, add one pint of milk by degrees, and three-quarters of an ounce of Gruyère cheese cut into bits. When the paste is cooked put in salt to taste, and three-quarters of an ounce of good butter, spread it in a dish to the thickness of three-quarters of an inch, and let it cool. Then cut it into small square pieces and pile it in layers in a baking-dish with three-quarters of an ounce of good butter in bits, and three-quarters of an ounce of grated Parmesan cheese between the layers (but not on the outside). Brown with the salamander or in a hot oven, and serve at once.

Gnocchi of Semolina.

Take one pint of milk, four and a half ounces of semolina and boil; before taking it off the fire add salt to taste, one ounce of good butter, and three-quarters of an ounce of Parmesan cheese. Before it gets cold mix in two eggs, then pour it out on a dish, spreading it in an even thickness of about three-quarters of an inch. When cold cut it in small square[Pg 66] pieces. Pile them one on another in a vegetable dish, adding between each layer one ounce of good butter in bits, and some grated Parmesan cheese (but not on the top), put the gnocchi into a hot oven to be slightly browned, and serve hot.

Pappardelle with Hare.

Make a paste with flour, and three eggs, roll it about the thickness of a florin, and cut it into strips the width of a finger. Boil in salted water and put it aside to dry. Cut up the fillets, or the thighs of a hare (about eight ounces) into small pieces, mince one and a half ounces of bacon, half a small onion, half a carrot, and a quarter of a head of celery, and put them to cook with three-quarters of an ounce of butter, and season with salt and pepper. When browned, sprinkle the meat with one tablespoonful of flour, moisten it with one wine-glassful of gravy, and let it simmer for a time, adding one and a quarter ounces of butter and a little grated nutmeg. Place the pappardelle (the strips of paste) on a hot dish, grate a little Parmesan cheese over them, add the hare condiment, and serve hot.

Spaghetti ‘con Acciughe.’

Take twelve ounces of medium-sized spaghetti, parboil in slightly salted water; meanwhile[Pg 67] wash and bone five anchovies, chop them up fine and put them into a sauce-pan with an abundance of pure olive oil, and a pinch of pepper. Do not let them boil, but when hot add two ounces of butter and the pulp of one or two tomatoes (or some tomato conserve). Pour this sauce over the spaghetti and serve hot.

Spaghetti ‘al Forno.’

Boil three-quarters of a pound of fresh spaghetti in plenty of salted water for three-quarters of an hour, adding an onion with two or three cloves stuck into it and half an ounce of butter. Drain and place them in a sauce-pan with half a pint of sauce ‘Alla Tedesca’ and half a pint of sauce ‘Alla Béchamel.’ Add a good pinch of pepper, a little grated nutmeg, and a quarter of a pound of grated Gruyère cheese. Toss well, then put them in a baking-dish, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and bread-crumbs, pour a little clarified butter over them, and put into the oven. When baked a golden colour (about fifteen minutes) serve up hot.

Spaghetti ‘all’ Italiana.’

Boil the spaghetti as above (‘al Forno’), drain, add one pint of Tomato sauce (see Sauces, p. 126) (or conserve) and a quarter of a pound of grated cheese, add a little pepper and grated nutmeg,[Pg 68] and cook for ten minutes, tossing well. Serve hot with some grated Parmesan cheese separate.

Spaghetti ‘alla Napolitana.’

Boil three-quarters of a pound of fresh spaghetti in plenty of salted water for three-quarters of an hour, with an onion stuck with cloves, and half an ounce of butter. Drain and put them into a saucepan with half a pint of Tomato sauce (see Sauces, p. 126) (or tomato conserve), half a pint of sauce ‘Suprema’ (see Sauces, p. 125), two truffles, seven or eight mushrooms, and a piece of smoked tongue, all cut up small. Add a little pepper, grated nutmeg, and a quarter of a pound of grated Parmesan cheese. Cook for ten minutes, tossing well, serve hot with some grated Parmesan cheese separate.

Spaghetti, Timbaletti di.

Slide long pieces of spaghetti (or small maccaroni) gently into a sauce-pan, turning them round so that they should not be broken. Boil in salted water until tender, then lay them straight out on a cloth to cool. Butter small moulds (about three inches high), and wind spaghetti round inside them, beginning at the bottom. As you wind, fill each mould with boiled maccaroni, pieces of sweetbread cut into small bits, and button mushrooms,[Pg 69] already cooked and prepared. Fill the moulds rather tight, or the timbaletti will not stand up, cover them with buttered paper, and stand them in a pan of hot water to cook in a slow oven for half an hour. Turn the timbaletti carefully out of the moulds, pour a little gravy round them, and serve hot.

Tagliarini ‘al Formaggio.’

Take one pound of flour, three eggs, half a tumbler of milk, and a pinch of salt, mix up into a paste and work it well. Lay it aside for half an hour, then roll it out very thin and let it dry before cutting it into long thin strips (tagliarini). Boil these in salted water over a very slow fire for twenty minutes and then drain well. Meanwhile prepare four ounces of grated Parmesan cheese, five ounces of grated Gruyère, and six ounces of butter; put a layer of tagliarini into a baking-dish, and cover them with cheese and butter. Repeat the alternate layers of tagliarini, cheese and butter, until the dish is full. Sprinkle the top with bread-crumbs and bits of butter, bake in the oven for quarter of an hour and serve in the baking-dish very hot.

Tagliatelle with Ham.

Make a stiff paste with flour and eggs, roll it to the thickness of a florin, cut it into strips[Pg 70] half or three-quarters of an inch broad, and parboil with a very little salt. Meanwhile cut up into small square pieces a thick slice of ham, mince some carrot and celery (about the same in quantity as the ham) and put them into a frying-pan with two, or more, ounces of butter. When they begin to brown add some tomato juice (or tomato conserve) and a cupful of broth (or water). Place the tagliatelle, well strained, on to a hot dish, season with grated Parmesan cheese, some bits of butter, and the ham.

Tagliatelle ‘alla Romagnola.’

Put one clove of garlic (or a sliced onion) and a bunch of parsley into a frying-pan with some pure olive oil. As soon as the garlic (or onion) begins to brown, add six or seven tomatoes cut in slices, and salt and pepper to taste. When they are cooked strain off the gravy. Meanwhile make a paste as in ‘Tagliatelle with Ham,’ parboil in plenty of slightly salted water, then put it into a sauce-pan, pour the hot gravy over it, add some butter and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, mix, and serve at once.

Tagliatelle with Sausages.

Prepare the tagliatelle as in the recipe ‘with Ham,’ only substitute sausages for the ham.

[Pg 71]

Tortelli.

Take seven ounces of curds (squeeze them through a cloth to extract all the water), one and a half ounce of Parmesan cheese, one egg, and one yolk of an egg, a little grated nutmeg and some allspice, a pinch of salt, and a little chopped-up parsley. Mix well together and put a spoonful on to little rounds of paste (about two and a half inches in diameter). Fold the paste over the curds, as you would a turnover, and put them into boiling salted water. Take them out with a strainer, season with butter and Parmesan cheese and serve hot. The quantities given ought to make about twenty-four tortelli.

Macedoine of Vegetables.

Cut one carrot and one turnip into small dice, balls, or any fancy shapes; take a quarter of a pint of green peas, a quarter of a pint of young flageolet beans, a quarter of a pint of French beans cut into slices half an inch long, and some small pieces of cauliflower. Boil each vegetable separate, and drain them well before mixing them together lightly with a sauce ‘Alla Panna’ or ‘Alla Béchamel’ (see Sauces, pp. 119, 125), or a seasoning of melted butter, pepper, and salt.

[Pg 72]

Mushrooms (Pratajuoli[4]) ‘al Burro.’

Take large mushrooms, clean them carefully, break off the stalks and peel the tops, put them on a gridiron, season with a little pepper and salt, turn them, and when done serve up on a very hot dish; put a good piece of fresh butter on to each, and a squeeze of lemon. Place them in a hot oven for a minute, or even in front of a hot fire, and serve on buttered toast.

Mushrooms (Porcini[5]) ‘alla Casalinga’

Peel two pounds of fine mushrooms and put them into fresh water. Melt four ounces of butter in a sauce-pan with two or three spoonfuls of pure olive oil, one or two leaves of mint, an anchovy finely chopped up, and a little pounded parsley. Stir well together, put the mushrooms into the sauce-pan, having first dried them well, and sprinkled them with salt, then cook slowly. Serve up on slices of bread fried in butter, and squeeze the juice of half a lemon over them.

Mushrooms (Pratajuoli[6]) ‘alla Crema.’

Take one pound of fine mushrooms, break off the stalks, clean, wash, and drain them. (If[Pg 73] very large divide them in two.) Put them into a sauté-pan with one ounce of fresh butter, season with one spoonful of salt and half a spoonful of pepper, and cover the pan. Cook over a moderate fire for six or seven minutes, then add half a cupful of cream and two tablespoonfuls of Vellutata sauce (see Sauces, p. 127). Cook for four minutes, and serve at once in a hot dish with croûtons (fried bread).

Mushrooms (Porcini[7]) ‘alla Francese’.

Peel two pounds of mushrooms, wash, drain, cut them into halves and pickle them for one hour in pure olive oil, salt and pepper. Put some pure olive oil into a clean frying-pan, throw in the mushrooms and add some finely chopped-up parsley. When done put them on slices of bread fried in fresh butter and serve hot.

Mushrooms (Porcini[8]) Fried. No. 1.

Clean and wash some large mushrooms thoroughly; put them into a sauce-pan with a bay leaf, a clove of garlic (or an onion), a little thyme, salt, and a ladleful of water flavoured with a few drops of vinegar or lemon. Boil for two minutes, then drain, and cut them into slices. Throw the slices into a paste made of[Pg 74] flour, one or two yolks of eggs, a little white wine (or water), and half a teaspoonful of pure olive oil. Fry in pure olive oil over a good fire, and serve up hot.

Mushrooms (Porcini[9]) Fried. No. 2.

Choose porcini of a medium size, clean, and wash them well, but do not let them soak, as it spoils the flavour. Cut them into slices and flour well before throwing them into the frying-pan. Fry in pure olive oil, and season with salt and pepper while they are frying.

Mushrooms (Porcini[10]) Grilled.

Remove the skin of some medium-sized heads of porcini (keep the stalks), clean, wash, and put them on a napkin to dry. Make a stuffing of the stalks, some parsley, a very little garlic (or onion), and put a small portion inside each mushroom head, salt according to taste, with a pinch of pepper; season with olive oil, place the heads thus prepared on a gridiron, and cook them over a slow fire for about a quarter of an hour. Serve very hot.

Mushrooms (Porcini[11]) ‘all’ Intingolo.’

Put several peeled mushrooms into a sauce-pan with two or four ounces of butter (according[Pg 75] to the quantity of mushrooms used), add a small bunch of parsley and two or three small onions. Put them on the fire, mix with a little flour, a tumbler of soup, half a tumbler of white wine, the same of clear gravy, and boil for an hour. Then skim off the grease, add a little more gravy if required, dust with flour, and put back to cook with salt and pepper to taste. Serve up hot.

Mushrooms (Prugnuoli[12]) ‘alla Spagnuola.’

Wash and clean one pound of prugnuoli and put them into a sauté-pan with two ounces of butter, a little flour, salt and pepper, and cook over a brisk fire for ten minutes. Moisten well with chicken broth, and add a little sauce ‘Suprema’ (see Sauces, p. 125) (made with chicken broth). Prepare croûtons (fried bread) on a hot dish, and after sprinkling the juice of half a lemon over the mushrooms, put them on the bread and serve.

Mushrooms (Dormienti[13]) ‘al Sugo.’

Clean and wash well one pound of dormienti, put them into a sauté-pan with two ounces of butter, a little flour, salt and pepper; boil for a quarter of an hour, and add three tablespoonfuls[Pg 76] of veal broth. Prepare croûtons (fried bread) on a hot dish, squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the mushrooms, place them on the bread and serve.

Mushrooms (Pratajuoli[14]) on Toast.

Choose large fresh mushrooms, peel, and break the stalks off level; sprinkle pepper and salt on them and place a small piece of butter on each. Melt some butter in a frying-pan and put the mushrooms in, covering the pan closely with buttered paper. Fry slowly for ten minutes, then place the mushrooms on buttered toast, and serve at once.

Mushrooms (Porcini[15]) with Tomato Sauce.

Clean and cut the porcini into small pieces, wash, dry, and put them into a sauce-pan with one clove of garlic (or a little onion), and a little salt, adding some tomato conserve or the pulp of two raw tomatoes without skin or seeds, after pounding it well. Serve up hot.

Mushrooms (Ovoli[16]) ‘Trippati.’

Choose the ovoli young whilst still closed and of the form of an egg. Clean and wash them and cut them into thin slices. Fry in good[Pg 77] butter, and season with salt, pepper, and grated Parmesan cheese. A little gravy is an improvement. Serve hot with croûtons (fried bread).

Onions ‘Farcite.’

Boil six large onions for an hour in their skins. After draining, peel them and cut out their centres. Meanwhile prepare the following stuffing: Chop up fine four ounces of ham, or tongue, add grated bread, some melted butter, one or two tablespoonfuls of cream, a little salt and pepper. Mix well into a paste and fill the centre of the onions with it, then put them into a frying-pan, sprinkle them with a Butter sauce, and grated bread, and cook them with fire above and below, or in the oven. Just before serving pour ‘Alla Panna’ sauce over them (see Sauces, pp. 122, 125).

Onions Fried.

Peel and slice four medium-sized onions and put them into milk for a short time, then dip them in flour and fry them in very hot fat for eight or ten minutes. Strain, put them on a napkin to dry, and serve on a hot dish garnished with fried parsley.

Onions ‘Glacées.’

Peel twelve large onions and put them into boiling water for about twenty minutes. Then[Pg 78] drain, throw them into cold water, remove the two outer skins, and cut out their centres. Stand the onions in a frying-pan and put a teaspoonful of sugar into the centre of each, add four ounces of butter and cook them slowly until soft and slightly browned. Add some strong broth, a little at a time, and let it cook until it becomes reduced, keeping the frying-pan covered. Sprinkle the onions with the sauce and they will be well glacées.

Onions (Small White).

Boil three-quarters of a pound of small white onions, then put them into a sauce-pan with two ounces of butter and a little flour, and cook them till they turn a good colour. Add about a quarter or half a pint of white wine or broth, and before they have finished cooking add some pepper and grated nutmeg. When the liquid is reduced, serve at once.

The onions can also be put into the oven, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and melted butter, and browned.

Onions ‘in Stufato.’

Peel two pounds of onions and, after putting them into cold water, place them in a sauce-pan and cover them with good broth, letting them cook slowly. If young, one hour will suffice, if old, allow two hours. When soft, strain, and put them on a dish. Melt two[Pg 79] ounces of butter in a frying-pan, add a spoonful of flour, and three-quarters of a pint of broth, mixing well until it boils, then add a little salt and pepper, and pour it over the onions. Serve hot.

Parsnips ‘alla Crema.’

If the parsnips are young and tender they must be put into cold water immediately after being scraped, to keep them white. If old they must be peeled and cut lengthwise into four pieces. Boil young parsnips three-quarters of an hour, old ones one and a quarter hours. Then drain, arrange on a hot dish, and pour a sauce ‘Alla Panna’ over them (see Sauces, p. 125).

Parsnips ‘al Forno.’

Wash and peel six large parsnips, cut them in two and put them into a sauce-pan with enough boiling water to cover them, for one hour. Then drain, and place them on a hot dish. Meantime melt two ounces of butter in a frying-pan with three or four tablespoonfuls of flour, and stir to prevent browning. Add half a pint of hot water and boil for five minutes, stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste, pour the sauce over the parsnips, sprinkle them with bread-crumbs and grated cheese, and bake for a quarter of an hour in a slow oven.

[Pg 80]

Parsnips ‘Fritte.’

Boil the parsnips till tender; drain, sprinkle with salt and pepper, dip them into butter, then into flour, and then sprinkle with sugar. Melt two or three tablespoonfuls of dripping in a frying-pan, put in the parsnips, and fry until browned on both sides.

Parsnips ‘Sautés.’

Mash six or seven parsnips, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir in one tablespoonful of flour and one egg. Make them up into small round cakes and fry in dripping, turning occasionally, until browned on both sides.

Peas ‘all’ Antica.’

Shell carefully three quarts of young peas and wrap them in a wet cloth until wanted. Wash and tie up a lettuce head, and put it with the peas into a sauce-pan, adding one tumbler of water, a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, and a pinch of salt. Cook for a quarter of an hour, take out the lettuce, and before serving put in three tablespoonfuls of cream, mixed with the yolk of one egg, a spoonful of powdered sugar, and half a saltspoonful of white pepper. Boil for five minutes and serve hot.

[Pg 81]

Peas ‘alla Borghese.’

Put one quart of young shelled peas into a sauce-pan with a little browned onion, one or two slices of ham chopped up fine, one ounce of fresh butter, a bunch of sweet herbs, and a sprinkling of flour. Add a large ladleful of good stock and cook slowly. When done, mix in a cupful of milk, a little powdered sugar, and thicken with two yolks of eggs. Serve up hot.

Peas ‘al Burro.’

Put one quart of shelled peas into a sauce-pan with a little cold water and four ounces of fresh butter. Place them on a hot fire, add a cupful of boiling water, salt and pepper to taste, a spoonful of sugar, and a bunch of parsley. When reduced take out the parsley, add one or two ounces of fresh butter, and serve hot.

Peas ‘alla Consommé.’

Boil one and a half quarts of peas, and two carrots cut into small square pieces, in good broth, with a tablespoonful of powdered sugar, for about an hour. Just before serving put the peas on to croûtons (fried bread) fried in fresh butter.

Peas ‘alla Crema.’

Cook one pint of shelled peas in an earthen pot of salted boiling water for a quarter of an[Pg 82] hour, then drain. Put two ounces of fresh butter into a sauce-pan with one tablespoonful of flour, then add half a pint of milk and mix until it boils. Add salt and pepper to taste, and then put in the peas. Cook in a Bain-marie for a quarter of an hour, and serve as a garnish to any baked meat.

Peas ‘alla Francese.’ No. 1.

Take two young onions, cut them in half lengthwise, tie them up with a bunch of parsley leaves, and put them into a sauce-pan with one ounce of butter. When browned, pour a large cupful of broth over them and boil. As soon as the onions are quite soft rub them through a sieve together with the broth, and put them into a sauce-pan with one quart of peas and two heads of lettuce. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and boil slowly. When half done add one ounce more of butter mixed with a dessert-spoonful of flour, and a little more broth, if needed. Before serving take out the lettuce and thicken with two yolks of eggs mixed in a little broth.

Peas ‘alla Francese.’ No. 2.

Cut two young onions into fine slices, and put them in a sauce-pan with one ounce of butter. When browned, mix in a sprinkling of flour, pour in one or two cupfuls of broth[Pg 83] and let the flour cook. Put in one quart of young peas, season with salt and pepper, and when half-cooked add two heads of lettuce. Boil slowly, taking care that the gravy does not get too thick, and before serving take out the lettuce. Sugar can be added, but only in small quantities.

Peas ‘al Buon Gusto.’

Make a cross cut in an onion and put it into a sauce-pan with one ounce of butter; when browned, take it out and add a little flour to the butter. Mix and put in one quart of boiled peas, sprinkling them with salt and allspice. As soon as they have taken up the butter pour in a cupful of stock to finish the cooking, and serve.

Peas ‘all’ Inglese.’

Boil the peas in salted water with a bunch of parsley, drain when done. Just before serving turn them into the dish adding a few slices of fresh butter.

Pea Omelette.

Boil one quart of shelled peas in salted water for fifteen minutes, then strain and keep them hot while preparing the omelette. Beat up four eggs, and add four tablespoonfuls of hot water, three-quarters of an ounce of fresh[Pg 84] butter, and three or four drops of onion juice. Then put four ounces of butter into a frying-pan, brown it well and put in the eggs. Stir over a brisk fire till the eggs have set, then tilt the pan so that the butter passes under the omelette, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put two spoonfuls of the boiled peas into the middle of the omelette, turn one half of it over the peas, and put it on a very hot dish. Add a spoonful of Butter sauce to the rest of the peas and put them round the omelette. Serve up very hot.

Pease-pudding.

Melt two ounces of fresh butter in a sauce-pan, when browned put in one quart of shelled peas, add salt to taste, and mix for three minutes. Then moisten with strong stock (for maigre use fish soup) and add a little cinnamon and allspice. When the peas are soft to the touch rub them through a sieve. Meanwhile cook two ounces of butter in a sauce-pan, put in the purée of peas, stir, and add a tablespoonful of flour, and then (stirring all the time) two pounded maccaroons, and three yolks of eggs. Take the peas off the fire and let them cool before mixing lightly with them three whites of eggs well beaten up. Butter a shape, put in the peas, and cook in a Bain-marie with fire above and below.

[Pg 85]

Peas in their Pods.

Take two pounds of very young peas in their pods and boil them in an earthen pot in salted boiling water for about half an hour. When cooked put them into a hot dish and pour sauce ‘Alla Panna’ over them (see Sauces, p. 125), or melted butter, salt, and pepper. Serve hot.

Peas ‘allo Stufato.’

Take one and a half or two pounds of shelled peas, and put them into a sauce-pan with some ham, two ounces of butter, a bunch of sweet herbs, and a little fried onion. Simmer gently till they are done, then blend with the yolks of two or three eggs. Serve hot.

Peas ‘allo Zucchero.’

Take one pound of shelled peas, put them into a sauce-pan with two ounces of butter, one tumbler of water, one ounce of sugar, and a sprinkling of salt. Cook them over a sharp fire for a quarter of an hour; when tender, take them off the fire and add the yolks of four eggs well beaten up with half a tumbler of cream. Put them on the fire again and stir continually to prevent them from boiling. As soon as the eggs are set serve at once.

[Pg 86]

Polenta ‘Dabs.’

Scald one pint of Indian corn flour in boiling water. Mix together one dessert-spoonful of butter, two lightly beaten-up eggs, one wine-glassful of cream and a little salt, add this to the corn flour, and drop the paste from a spoon into a well-buttered pan. Bake in a moderate oven.[17]

Polenta ‘alla Parmigiana.’

Stir one pound of Indian corn flour, a little at a time, into one pint of boiling salted water until smooth, then turn out into a dish to cool, in a layer about half an inch thick. When quite cold, cut into pieces of one inch long, and pile in layers in a baking-dish, sprinkling each layer well with grated Parmesan cheese and some melted butter. Bake in a slow oven and serve hot.

Polenta with Sausages.

Make a polenta as above (alla Parmigiana) and while cooling boil two or three sausages in an earthen pot with very little water. When done, skin them, break them into small pieces, and add a little stock and tomato conserve. Lay the polenta in a baking dish, putting some sausage and grated Parmesan cheese between[Pg 87] each layer with some bits of butter here and there. Then cook with fire above and below, or in the oven, and serve very hot.

Potatoes Boiled.

Wash the potatoes well and peel off a piece of skin round each potato about half an inch wide to make them mealy. Put them in a sauce-pan, and cover them with cold water; add half a handful of salt, cover the sauce-pan, boil for forty-five minutes. Drain them well, place them in a napkin on a hot dish, and serve hot.

Potatoes ‘alla Borghese.’

Boil two pounds of potatoes, and put them in a covered dish to drain. When dry, peel and cut them into slices, then put them into a sauce-pan with four ounces of butter, some chopped parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Let them simmer over a slow fire, then squeeze the juice of two lemons over them and serve up hot.

Potatoes ‘alla Campagnuola.’

Boil two pounds of potatoes, peel, slice fine, and brown them slightly in a frying-pan with four ounces of butter. Toss them now and then, adding a little salt and grated nutmeg, and mix Béchamel sauce with them before serving hot (see Sauces, p. 119).

[Pg 88]

Potatoes ‘in Casseruola.’

Mix one pound of mashed potatoes, the yolks of four eggs, half a pint of cream, and two ounces of butter in a sauce-pan. Cook until hot, stir constantly until the paste is flaky and light, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the paste in a circle round a dish and set it in the oven to colour. Then fill the circle with a fricassee of chicken or rabbit, or any kind of stew, mushrooms, or any cooked vegetables (peas, French beans, etc.) left over from the day before, or half a bottle of tomato conserve, or the pulp of six or seven fresh tomatoes.

Potatoes ‘alla Crema.’

Boil six or eight potatoes, and cut them into small pieces. Put four ounces of butter, a little flour, salt, pepper, half an onion, some parsley chopped up fine, and a pinch of grated nutmeg, into a sauce-pan. Mix well until it boils, then add a tumbler of cream. Stir constantly over a slow fire until it boils, and then add the potatoes. Stand the sauce-pan by the fire for a few minutes, and serve up very hot.

Potato Croquettes. No. 1.

Boil two pounds of potatoes in salted water, when cool pound in a mortar, and mix with two or three eggs, and various sweet herbs[Pg 89] chopped up (parsley, thyme, marjoram, chervil, etc.). Moisten with half a cup of cream and stir into a thick paste. Roll this into croquettes and fry in fresh butter. When they have taken a good colour serve up hot.

Potato Croquettes. No. 2.

Put one pound of mashed potatoes, the beaten-up yolks of two eggs, a little onion juice, grated nutmeg, salt, two tablespoonfuls of cream, a pinch of cinnamon, one dessert-spoonful of minced parsley, and two ounces of butter, into a sauce-pan over a moderate fire. Cook until it comes away from the sides, then remove it from the fire. When cold it will break up into small pieces. Meanwhile beat up an egg with a little hot water, dip the pieces of potato into it, and then into grated bread-crumbs. Fry in boiling fat and serve hot with fried parsley.

Potato ‘Farcite.’

Wash and peel six or seven large potatoes, cut them in two lengthwise, scoop out the centres (leaving just enough of the potato to support the skin), and fill with forcemeat made of fresh pork minced, salt and pepper to taste, a pinch of grated nutmeg, and a little powdered thyme. Arrange the potatoes in a well-buttered baking-dish, and cook for half an hour in a slow oven until well browned.

[Pg 90]

Potatoes ‘al Forno.’ No. 1.

Mash six or seven boiled potatoes and beat them up while hot with three tablespoonfuls of cream, two tablespoonfuls of butter, one raw egg, and salt to taste. Put a layer into a well-buttered baking-dish, then put a layer of thin slices of yolk of hard-boiled eggs, sprinkled with salt and pepper; put layers of potatoes and eggs until the dish is full. The top layer must be potato, over which strew bread-crumbs thickly. Cover the dish and bake until hot, then brown quickly, and serve in the baking-dish.

Potatoes ‘al Forno.’ No. 2.

Roast six large potatoes in the oven with their skins on, cut them in two, remove the inside with a spoon, but take care to leave enough substance to preserve the shape of the potato. Put the inside of the potato in a dish and add two ounces of butter, half a pint of hot milk, salt and pepper to taste. Mix together until the paste is light, and then add the well-beaten whites of two eggs, and beat up the whole well. Fill the potato skins with the paste, first rolling it in the yolk of egg, then cook in the oven and serve as soon as the top is well coloured.

Potatoes ‘in Frittata’ (Omelette).

Mince up two boiled, cold, potatoes, sprinkle with pepper and salt, and put them into a frying-pan[Pg 91] in which two ounces of butter have been melted. Spread the potatoes one-third of an inch deep in the pan, and cook slowly over a moderate fire for about a quarter of an hour. Then turn over (as you would any other omelette), and cook the other side. Serve hot.

Potatoes ‘alla Semplicità.’

Boil and peel eight large potatoes, and pound them in a mortar with two spoonfuls of chopped parsley, a little powdered cinnamon, and some salt. When fairly thick and consistent, make up the paste into fritters and fry in butter, turning them continually until they are a rich brown colour. If a richer dish is desired, add four eggs and two ounces of butter to the potato paste.

Potatoes ‘Fritti alla Francese.’

Wash thoroughly six large peeled potatoes, then cut them into small balls, and put them in boiling water to cook for five or six minutes. Drain, then fry them, a few at a time, in good roast-meat dripping until they are of a golden colour. When cooked, drain them, sprinkle with salt, and serve as a garnish to fish or meat.

Potatoes ‘in Frittura.’

Pound four or six cold, boiled potatoes in a mortar with two tablespoonfuls of chopped parsley, a[Pg 92] little powdered cinnamon, and some salt. When the paste is well mixed and smooth, make it up into small round cakes and put them into fried fresh butter, turning them until they take a good yellow colour. Serve hot.

Potato ‘Gnocchi.’

Boil eight or ten potatoes for a few minutes, then peel; place them in the oven until they are quite soft, then pound them in a mortar with three-quarters of an ounce of grated cheese, five or six dessert-spoonfuls of flour, salt to taste, and three eggs. Knead well and make little rolls, cover them with flour, and put them into a large sauce-pan with salted boiling water. Boil for five or six minutes, then take them carefully out, and place them on a dish, sprinkle them with cheese, and pour some browned melted fresh butter over them with a taste of onion in it (if liked).

Potatoes ‘all’ Italiana.’

Wash eight potatoes thoroughly, peel off a strip of skin round each (to make them mealy), put them in a sauce-pan and cover them with cold salted water, put on the lid and boil for forty-five minutes. Then peel and mash them, put them in a sauce-pan, add one ounce of butter and a piece of fresh crumb of bread[Pg 93] (about the size of a roll) which has been soaked in milk. Put in two tablespoonfuls of milk, three yolks of fresh eggs with their whites beaten to a froth, salt and pepper to taste, and a little grated nutmeg. Mix well together and pile it high in a baking-dish, pour a little melted butter over it, and sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese, then put it in the oven for about ten minutes. Serve as soon as it is of a good golden colour.

Potatoes ‘alla Gran Duchessa.’

Take one pound of mashed potatoes, add two ounces of butter, and salt to taste, one tablespoonful of powdered white sugar, and work up into a light paste, adding two well-beaten eggs. Make the paste into oval balls, roll them in melted fresh butter, and place them in the oven on greased paper until well cooked. They make a nice garnish.

Potatoes ‘alla Lionese.’

Boil two large potatoes, and when cold cut them into slices. Melt two ounces of butter in a frying-pan, add a sliced onion, and stir till well browned. Put in the potatoes and simmer gently until they are coloured, then sprinkle with a little salt. Place them on a hot dish and serve very hot.

[Pg 94]

Potatoes ‘alla Maître d’Hôtel.’

Boil four large potatoes and cut them into dice. Put them into a sauce-pan, add about one pint of stock, and cook slowly for a quarter of an hour, sprinkling with salt and pepper to taste, and then place them on a hot dish. Meanwhile fry two ounces of butter, one tablespoonful of chopped parsley, and the juice of one lemon, when done, pour over the potatoes and serve immediately.

Potatoes ‘all’ Olandese.’

Peel six large, cold, boiled potatoes, cut them into dice, and throw them into boiling water for five minutes. After draining, place them in a sauce-pan with two ounces of butter on a moderate fire, or in a slow oven, and shake them occasionally, until the potatoes have absorbed the butter and are soft. Serve on a hot dish with sauce ‘Olandese’ (see Sauces, p. 124).

Potatoes ‘alla Panna.’

Boil eight or ten large potatoes, and cut them up when cold into small dice. Melt four ounces of butter in an earthen dish with one tablespoonful of flour, then mix in one pint of fresh cream (or milk), a little salt and pepper, and a small pinch of nutmeg. Stir well together until[Pg 95] it boils, then put in the potatoes, add some grated bread-crumbs and bits of fresh butter, and cook over a brisk fire until they have turned a good yellow colour. Serve up hot in the earthen dish.

Potato Pudding.

Mash twelve large boiled potatoes in a sauce-pan with four ounces of butter, two tumblers of cream, a pinch of salt, and a tablespoonful of flour. Then rub through a sieve, adding four ounces of white powdered sugar, a little cinnamon, the yolks of four eggs, with their whites beaten to a froth. Mix well, put into a well-buttered mould thickly sprinkled with bread-crumbs, and bake for three-quarters of an hour until browned.

Potato Pudding with Mushrooms (Budino con Prugnuoli).

Peel eight or more potatoes, cut them into quarters, wash, and boil them in salted water with half a lemon; take them off the fire before they are over-cooked. Then strain through a sieve, put them into a large dish, and mash them well with a wooden spoon. Add two ounces of fresh butter, and pour in half a tumbler of cream (a little at a time). Beat up well with the spoon until the paste is smooth,[Pg 96] then add three or four well-beaten-up yolks of eggs. Butter a mould and pour in the potato paste, make a hole in the centre, put small whole mushrooms into it, cover them with a piece of the paste, and cook in the oven. When baked, turn out the pudding on to a dish and serve hot.

Potatoes ‘in Ragoût.’

Cut six fine potatoes into dice, and put them into boiling water with six sliced leeks. Boil for ten minutes, then drain. Boil half a bunch of asparagus, drain, cut off their heads, and add them to the potatoes and leeks, mixing well together. Meanwhile put two ounces of butter, one pint of milk, one tablespoonful of chopped chervil, pepper and salt to taste, into a sauce-pan, mix slowly over the fire until hot, then pour over the potatoes, leeks, and asparagus, and boil the whole together. Serve very hot.

Potatoes ‘Arrostite’ (Roasted).

Choose two pounds of young, round, and equal-sized potatoes. Put them into a sauce-pan with four ounces of butter, salt to taste, and cover hermetically. Place over a slow fire and shake frequently. After three-quarters of an hour the potatoes will have a brown crust, and inside they will be white and tender.

[Pg 97]

Potatoes ‘Sautées.’

Cut three or four cold, boiled potatoes into dice, and put them, a few at a time, so that they shall not overlap one another, into a frying-pan with fresh butter. (Allow one tablespoonful of butter for each potato.) Brown them well, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Potatoes ‘in Stufato.’

Cut ten large potatoes into dice and put them into cold water for a quarter of an hour. Drain, and cook in boiling water for about ten minutes, then dry in a cloth and put them into a sauce-pan; sprinkle them with flour, add one pint of milk and two ounces of butter. Cover tightly and let them simmer slowly for ten or fifteen minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve up very hot.

Potatoes ‘Tartufate.’

Cut three or four parboiled potatoes into thin slices and lay them one by one, with thin slices of truffles mixed with grated Parmesan cheese, in an earthen dish. Add two ounces of butter in bits, salt and pepper to taste, and when the potatoes begin to cook moisten with broth or gravy. Before serving, squeeze a little lemon[Pg 98] juice over them, and serve hot in the earthen dish.

Potatoes ‘all’ Umido.’

Boil five or six large potatoes, let them get cold, and then cut them into dice. Put them into a baking-dish with two ounces of butter and enough cream to cover them. Cook until nicely browned, and serve very hot.

Pumpkins ‘alla Fiorentina.’

Take twelve very young pumpkins (about one and a half inches long), cut them in half, and put them in cold water. Have a sauce-pan ready with four quarts of salted water. When boiling put in the pumpkins. When they are cooked put them again into cold water. Just before serving place them in a sauce-pan with four ounces of butter, heat for three minutes, then add two tablespoonfuls of veal broth, two of cream, and a squeeze of lemon. Heat again and serve.

Pumpkins ‘Fritti.’

Take young pumpkins (about the size of your two fists), peel them, cut them in half, and take out seeds and pulp. Cut them into thin strips (one and a half or two inches long,[Pg 99] and as wide as your finger), and put them into a dish with salt for some hours. Then squeeze out the water with your hands, and throw them into flour, taking care to separate and cover each strip with flour, shake the superfluous flour off them in a sieve, and put them into a frying-pan with plenty of boiling lard or oil. Serve at once.

Pumpkin Pudding (Bodino).

Cook (but not too much) two and a half pounds of pumpkin with two ounces of butter, a little pepper, allspice, and salt, and pass through a sieve, adding some crumb of bread soaked in milk or cream, some powdered cinnamon, several pounded bitter almonds, a handful of grated bread, and three yolks of eggs. Mix thoroughly and put it into a well-buttered shape with thin slices of buttered bread arranged round the inside, and cook with a fire above and below until thoroughly browned. Serve up hot.

Pumpkins ‘Ripiene.’ No. 1.

Cut six young and small pumpkins (about two and a half inches long) in two, and take out the pulp. Meanwhile mince fine the breast of a fowl (or any tender white meat you have[Pg 100] over from the day before), one slice of tongue, and one of ham; put them into a sauce-pan with three tablespoonfuls of veal broth, the yolk of an egg, a pinch of salt, and one of pepper; parboil; therewith fill the pumpkins. Butter a sauté-pan, lay the stuffed pumpkins in, and cook with fire above and below, occasionally adding some broth. Serve as soon as cooked.

Pumpkins ‘Ripiene’ (maigre). No. 2.

Take young pumpkins (about the size of your fist), scoop out their insides, and fill them with minced tunny fish preserved in oil, yolk of egg, a pinch of Parmesan cheese, a little of the soft pulp of the pumpkin, and a little allspice and pepper, but no salt. Cook the pumpkins in butter, and when brown serve with Tomato sauce (see Sauces, p. 126).

Rice (How to cook).

Place a large sauce-pan with water on a hot fire; it is necessary that the water should boil violently in order to keep the grains of rice separate. Wash the rice in several waters so as to remove the floury coating, which makes it pasty. Drain, and drop it gradually into the sauce-pan, so as not to stop the[Pg 101] boiling. Then boil hard for a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes. When the rice is soft to the touch, it is done. Then drain off every drop of water, sprinkle with salt, cover the sauce-pan with a thin napkin, and leave it by the fire to steam and get dry. (The rice can also be put into a cullender to drain, and then into an open oven to dry; or butter the interior of a stew-pan, put in the rice, put on the lid tight, and stand the pan on a trivet in the oven, or by the fire.)

Rice ‘alla Casalinga.’

Wash eight ounces of rice, and blanch it in a sauce-pan with two quarts of water for five minutes, then strain and let it cool. Meanwhile fry four ounces of lean bacon cut up into small pieces, and when browned, add one and a half pints of stock and a small teaspoonful of white pepper. Put in the rice, cook for twenty minutes, stirring every now and then, take it off the fire, add half a tumbler of Tomato sauce (see Sauces, p. 126), or conserve, and mix well. Turn out the rice on to a hot dish, and garnish with small sausages.

Rice Croquettes.

Boil a cupful of rice in weak chicken broth, drain, stir in two beaten-up eggs, one teaspoonful[Pg 102] of butter, a slight sprinkling of flour, pepper, and a pinch of grated lemon-peel. Flour your hands, and make the rice, when cold, into small sausages (or croquettes), roll each in raw egg, and then in bread crumbs, and fry to a golden brown.

Rice with Tomatoes. No. 1.

Boil one cupful of rice soft in hot water, shake it now and then, but do not stir it. Drain, and add a little milk in which a beaten egg has been mixed, one teaspoonful of butter, and a little pepper and salt. Simmer for five minutes, and if the rice has not absorbed all the milk, drain it again. Put the rice round a dish, smooth it into a wall, wash it over with the yolk of a beaten-up egg, and put it into the oven till firm. Take half a bottle of tomato conserve (or the strained juice and pulp of seven or eight tomatoes), season with pepper, a little salt, sugar, and half a chopped onion, stew for twenty minutes, then stir in one tablespoonful of butter and two tablespoonfuls of fine bread-crumbs. Stew three or four minutes to thicken, and then pour the tomato into the dish in the middle of the rice, and serve.

[Pg 103]

Rice with Tomatoes. No. 2.

Boil one cupful of rice as directed in ‘How to boil Rice’; add half a cupful of Tomato sauce (see Sauces, p. 126), season with some butter, salt, and pepper to taste, and one or two bay leaves. Toss, or mix lightly with a fork, being careful not to mash the grains. Serve hot. This makes a nice dish for winter.

Rice with Prawns.

Mince up half an onion, one clove of garlic, one carrot, half a head of celery, and a bunch of parsley, and brown in pure olive oil. Then put six or seven ounces of prawns into the sauce-pan, and season with salt and pepper. Turn them often, and when all are red put in two or three tablespoonfuls of Tomato sauce (or conserve), and add enough hot water to cook fourteen or fifteen ounces of rice in afterwards. Do not boil too much, as prawns cook fast. Take the prawns out, dry them, choose about a third of the finest, shell and lay them aside. Pound the others in a mortar (shells and all), rub them through a sieve, and mix again with the water in which they were cooked. Meanwhile put some butter into a sauce-pan, add the rice, stir well, and as soon as it has taken up the butter, pour the water little[Pg 104] by little on to it. When half-boiled add the shelled prawns, and before serving sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the whole.

Rice with Quails.

Mince up two or four slices of ham and a quarter of an onion, and brown in a sauce-pan, then put in four quails ready drawn. Sprinkle with pepper and salt, and as soon as they are browned, parboil them in broth, then add fourteen ounces of rice, and boil all together. Powder with grated Parmesan cheese and serve on a hot dish.

Rice ‘alla Ristori.’

Cut two ounces of bacon into small pieces, and put them into a sauce-pan with chopped-up cabbage. Steam for half an hour and add a little salt, pepper, and chopped parsley; then throw in a quarter of a pound of rice and half a pint of veal broth. Cook for fifteen or eighteen minutes, and serve with grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled over it.

Risotto ‘alla Milanese.’ No. 1.

Melt two ounces of good fresh butter in a sauce-pan over a sharp fire, add one onion chopped fine, brown a deep golden colour, then add about ten ounces of clean rice (Italian if possible) and two large truffles chopped up. Stir[Pg 105] without stopping for one and a half minutes, and add one quart of boiling veal broth, stir and let it cook for fourteen minutes. Add six chopped-up mushrooms, and, a little at a time, one more quart of broth, stirring constantly over a sharp fire for ten minutes more. Put in half a teaspoonful of salt, a little pepper, one and a half ounces of grated Parmesan cheese, and a teaspoonful of saffron soaked in two tablespoonfuls of hot broth, and strained. Cook three or four minutes longer, stirring all the time, then pour into a deep dish, and serve hot with some grated Parmesan cheese separate. It is an improvement to put a tablespoonful of marrow into the centre just before serving.

Risotto ‘alla Milanese.’ No. 2.

Cut up an onion and cook it with one and a half ounces of beef marrow, and the same quantity of good butter; when browned put in one pound of rice and add three-quarters of a glass of good white wine and broth enough to cook the rice. Before taking off the fire add one and a half ounces of butter and some grated Parmesan cheese, and serve with more grated cheese separately.

Risotto with Peas.

Mince up one small onion, brown it in two ounces of butter, then put in one pound of rice,[Pg 106] and stir with a ladle until the rice has taken up all the butter. Add hot water (a cupful at a time), sprinkle with salt, and let it boil dry, adding two ounces of butter. Before taking it off the fire add peas cooked ‘alla Borghese’ omitting the milk and eggs. Mix, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, and serve hot.

Risotto ‘alla Poggio Gherardo.’

Mince an onion, put it into a three-quart sauce-pan, and brown with three ounces of good butter. Take out the onion, put in one pound of rice, and half a wineglassful of Marsala. Reduce over a brisk fire, then add one quart of stock, and boil hard so as to reduce in eighteen minutes. Then take it off the fire and season with one ounce of good butter, one ounce of grated Parmesan cheese, three or four fowls’ livers and mushrooms minced up fine, and some good gravy. Serve hot.

SALADS.

Artichoke Salad.

Boil some small and tender artichokes and leave them to cool. Just before serving drop into the middle of each, one drop of onion juice, lay them on lettuce leaves, and pour sauce Mayonnaise (see Sauces, p. 123) over them.

[Pg 107]

Beetroot Salad.

Slice two or three cold, boiled beetroots and place them in a salad-bowl. Pour half a pint of sauce Tartara (see Sauces, p. 126) over them and serve up with a garnish of parsley leaves.

Broccoli Salad.

Boil one or two heads of broccoli in salted water, then strain them and dry with a cloth. Make a sauce of pure olive oil, white wine vinegar, very little salt and pepper, one tablespoonful of capers, and two or three anchovies chopped up with some parsley. Pour over the broccoli when cold and serve.

Cabbage Salad.

Cut the heart of a white cabbage and half a head of celery into shreds. Boil half a teacup of vinegar with one tablespoonful of butter, add one tablespoonful of sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and put in the cabbage, but do not let it boil. Meanwhile beat up two eggs, mix them in one cupful of hot milk, and boil to a custard. Then put the cabbage into a salad-bowl, pour the custard over it, and mix well. Place in the ice-box until wanted.

‘Alla Cardinale’ Salad.

Wash and dry well two lettuces and a bunch of water-cresses, cut two large cold, boiled[Pg 108] beetroots into strips, add twelve radishes, six hard-boiled eggs chopped up, and one sliced cucumber. Arrange the lettuce leaves round a salad-bowl, mix all the rest with half a pint of sauce Mayonnaise (see Sauces, p. 123) and serve.

Cauliflower Salad.

Boil a large cauliflower, then put it in cold water; when quite cold, break it into pieces, and put these to dry on a napkin before placing in the salad-bowl. Add two shalots and some parsley chopped up, salt and pepper to taste, and pour half a pint of sauce Mayonnaise (see Sauces, p. 123) over it before serving.

Celery Salad.

Cut the white stalks into small pieces and add half a pint of sauce Mayonnaise (see Sauces, p. 123) to every pound of celery. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, mix well with the sauce, and serve the dish trimmed with the green leaves of the celery.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad.

Peel and slice two cucumbers, dry them on a napkin, then peel and slice two large tomatoes. Cover the bottom of the salad-bowl with lettuce leaves, and then alternate layers of the cucumbers and tomatoes, pour sauce ‘alla Francese’ (see Sauces, p. 123) over and serve.

[Pg 109]

‘All’ Egiziana’ Salad.

Wash the curly inside leaves of two heads of endive, dry them well, put them into a salad-bowl, pour three tablespoonfuls of good olive oil over them, and add a finely chopped shalot. Mix one tablespoonful of honey (or sugar), one of vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste, in a cup, and pour over the salad just before serving.

French Beans Salad.

Boil one pound of French beans until tender, drain, and put them in cold water. Dry them on a napkin, and cut them lengthwise into four pieces. Pour sauce ‘alla Francese’ (see Sauces, p. 123) over them just before serving.

‘All’ Italiana’ Salad.

Cut one carrot and one turnip into slices and cook them in boiling soup. When cold mix them with two large cold, boiled potatoes, and one beetroot cut into strips. Add a very little chopped leeks, or onion, pour some sauce ‘Lombarda’ (see Sauces, p. 123) over the salad, and garnish with water-cress.

Lettuce Salad.

Use only the tender leaves, and let them stand in cold water until wanted. Wipe them quite[Pg 110] dry, then break with the fingers into the following sauce: Two or three yolks of hard-boiled eggs beaten up with one tablespoonful of pure olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, two more tablespoonfuls of oil added gradually, and one of white wine vinegar, and one teaspoonful of mustard. Mix well and garnish the salad-bowl with nasturtium (Tropæolum) flowers.

Lettuce Salad ‘alla Francese.’

Put the tender leaves of lettuce into cold water till wanted; then wipe them dry and stand them in circles in the salad-bowl. Sprinkle them with half a teaspoonful of chopped taragon, the same of chervil, of parsley and of chives, and pour the following sauce over them: mix in a cup one tablespoonful of pure olive oil, one saltspoonful of salt, and half a saltspoonful of pepper, stir well; add two more tablespoonfuls of oil, and one of vinegar (if liked add two drops of onion juice). The salad must not be mixed till wanted, and can be garnished with small radishes or nasturtium flowers.

Lettuce Salad with Veal (or Fish).

Slice up a head of lettuce and chop up two boiled eggs in large pieces, add half a pound of cold veal (or fish), cut into strips one inch long, and mix in a salad-bowl. Then beat up the[Pg 111] yolks of two raw eggs, add a very little salt, and mix in gradually four tablespoonfuls of pure olive oil, and one of white wine vinegar; a few drops of taragon vinegar is an improvement.

‘Alla Macedoine’ Salad.

Cut into small pieces one cold boiled beetroot and half an onion, add some cold boiled French beans, two ounces of cold boiled asparagus heads, two tablespoonfuls of cold cooked peas, one cold boiled carrot, and one head of celery. Mix them well together, pour sauce Mayonnaise (see Sauces, p. 123) over them, add the juice of a lemon, and serve.

‘Alla Pollastra’ Salad.

Chop up six lettuce leaves, and three stalks of celery; cut the remains of a cold boiled fowl into small pieces and mix with one tablespoonful of white wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste, in a salad-bowl. Pour a cupful of sauce Mayonnaise (see Sauces, p. 123) over; and garnish with quarters of hard-boiled eggs, one tablespoonful of capers, twelve stoned olives, and some small tender lettuce leaves.

Potato Salad. No. 1.

Boil six potatoes; peel, slice them fine, mix with one or two small onions cut into[Pg 112] quarters, and half a tumbler of red wine; add salt and pepper to taste, four or five tablespoonfuls of oil, and half a tablespoonful of white wine vinegar, one tablespoonful of chervil chopped fine, and some thin slices of anchovies, or, if preferred, smoked herring. Stir well, but before serving take out the onions.

Potato Salad. No. 2.

Boil some fine potatoes, peel and slice them. Slice some truffles (boiled in white wine) very thin and put them in alternate layers with potatoes into a salad-bowl. Season with four or five tablespoonfuls of good olive oil, one dessert-spoonful of white wine vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with slices of anchovies, stoned olives, and (if liked) a few young chives.

Potato Salad. No. 3.

Slice some boiled (or baked) potatoes thin, add one teaspoonful of chopped parsley; mix apart six tablespoonfuls of good olive oil, two of white wine vinegar, one teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper, and pour over the potatoes. Add six or more (according to taste) boned anchovies cut into strips, and twelve stoned olives. Thin slices of cold beef or fowl can be mixed in this salad with advantage.

[Pg 113]

Potato Salad. No. 4.

Boil six fine potatoes, slice them and place them to cool. Slice three hard-boiled eggs, and mince four ounces of pickled tunny-fish fine. Place alternate layers of minced tunny, and sliced potato and egg, in the salad-bowl, sprinkle the last layer with chopped chervil, and season the dish with pure olive oil, white wine vinegar, pepper and a very little salt, mixed separately and poured over before serving.

‘Alla Russa’ Salad.

Cut up two boiled carrots, one small turnip, half a bunch of asparagus (the green part) one small beetroot, and some cold chicken or partridge, into dice, take some cold boiled young French beans, and green peas, one tablespoonful of capers, some stoned olives, slices of anchovies, and some prawns. Make a sauce of pure olive oil (a good deal), a little vinegar, pepper, half a pinch cayenne, some mustard, a spoonful of caviare, and one finely chopped shalot.

Spanish Onion Salad.

Peel and slice two large Spanish onions and two cucumbers. Put them into iced water for twenty minutes, then drain, and dry them well on a cloth. Arrange the slices of onion and cucumber alternately on a dish, pour sauce[Pg 114] ‘alla Francese’ (see Sauces, p. 123), over them and serve.

N.B.—Cucumbers should if possible always be kept on ice, and never be put into salted water.

Summer Salad. No. 1.

Take three heads of fresh lettuce, one of celery, a little chopped taragon and chervil, and one or two shalots. Season with five tablespoonfuls of pure olive oil, two of white wine vinegar, one teaspoonful of salt, and half a teaspoonful of pepper. Stir well before serving. Cold, boiled haricot beans are a good addition, and also half a pound of cold meat cut in very thin slices.

Summer Salad. No. 2.

Take two large cucumbers, and one head of celery, peel and slice; add a bunch of red radishes. Add six cold, boiled young artichokes cut into quarters. Sprinkle with finely chopped chervil, mix, and pour sauce ‘alla Francese’ (see Sauces, p. 123) over just before serving.

Tomato Salad. No. 1.

Scald[18] and peel ripe tomatoes and put them in ice. Cut them into thin slices and put on a flat dish. In the centre of each slice put one teaspoonful of sauce Mayonnaise (see Sauces,[Pg 115] p. 123), and garnish with sprigs of parsley. Or the tomato can be cut in two, laid on a young lettuce leaf, and sauce Mayonnaise poured over them.

Tomato Salad. No. 2.

Scald and peel twelve or eighteen small yellow tomatoes. Pile them on a dish like plums, garnish with young lettuce leaves, and pour the following sauce over them: mix well in a cup one tablespoonful of pure olive oil, one saltspoonful of salt, and half a saltspoonful of pepper, add, stirring all the time, two tablespoonfuls of oil, and one of vinegar, and, if the flavour is liked, add two drops of onion juice.

Tomato Salad. No. 3.

Peel round red tomatoes of equal size, and scoop out a bit of the fruit from the stem end. Keep them on ice till wanted, then fill them high with sauce Mayonnaise (see Sauces, p. 123) and celery cut into shreds of half an inch long. Place each on a young lettuce leaf on which a little sauce Mayonnaise has been put, and arrange on a flat dish. (Chopped hard-boiled eggs and lettuce may be used instead of celery.)

Tomato Salad. No. 4.

Scald and peel six fine tomatoes and put them in ice, cut them into very thin slices in a salad-bowl so as to keep the juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste, two tablespoonfuls of oil,[Pg 116] one of vinegar, and, if liked, one small teaspoonful of chives. Mix well and serve as cold as possible.

Tomato Salad. No. 5.

Take round tomatoes (not too big), fill them as in No. 3, but do not let the stuffing stand out beyond the fruit. Then put small moulds, or cups, on ice, and pour in one-eighth of an inch of clear aspic jelly; when set, place a tomato (the filled side uppermost) into each mould, and pour more jelly round it and over it. Ice well, turn out the tomatoes on a dish garnished with sliced lettuce or watercress, and serve with sauce Mayonnaise (see Sauces, p. 123) separate.

Tomato Jelly Salad.

Boil five or six tomatoes until they are soft with one teaspoonful of salt, one of sugar, half a teaspoonful of thyme, a saltspoonful of pepper, one slice of onion, one bay leaf, and three cloves. Then add enough calves’ feet jelly (or isinglass) to set the tomato juice, strain, and pour into a mould on ice. If the jelly is in the shape of a ring fill the centre with curled celery, mix with sauce Mayonnaise (see Sauces, p. 123), and garnish with lettuce cut into shreds; if solid put the celery and sauce Mayonnaise round the jelly.

[Pg 117]

Tomatoes and Celery (Salad of).

Scald and peel twelve small round tomatoes, cut off the stem end, take out the seeds, and put them on ice. Meanwhile chop up fine the inside of a head of celery, mix with some sauce ‘Francese’ (see Sauces, p. 123), and fill the tomatoes with it. Place each tomato on a fresh lettuce leaf, and pour a seasoning of oil, vinegar, salt and pepper over all.

Watercress Salad.

Wash three or four bunches of watercress and drain them, slice four or five cold boiled potatoes very thin and mix with the following sauce: four tablespoonfuls of oil, half a tablespoonful of vinegar, salt and black pepper to taste, one shalot minced up fine, half a pinch of cayenne, and half a tablespoonful of sugar.

SAUCES

Roux for Sauces.

Roux is necessary to thicken and give body to sauces. Put one tablespoonful of flour and one of butter into a sauce-pan and cook till the flour has lost any raw taste. Then put the sauce-pan on the hob and add the stock, or milk slowly (one cupful for every tablespoonful[Pg 118] of butter or flour), and stir till smooth. For white sauces take care the flour does not colour; for dark sauces let it brown, but take care it does not burn.

Agro Dolce Sauce.

Take two tablespoonfuls of sugar (brown or white), half a cupful of currants, a quarter of a bar of grated chocolate (about four ounces), one tablespoonful of chopped candied orange, one of lemon peel, one of capers, and one cupful of vinegar. Mix well together and let it soak for two hours. Pour it over the wild boar, venison, or veal, and simmer for ten minutes. Some add one tablespoonful of pinocchi (pine seeds), or a dozen almonds chopped up fine.

Bearnese Sauce.

Take five yolks of eggs, one ounce of butter, a pinch of salt, and one of pepper. Stir, and as soon as the eggs begin to consolidate take the sauce-pan off the fire and add one ounce of butter. Then put the sauce-pan on the fire again and stir in one ounce more butter; repeat this twice, then add one tablespoonful of chopped tarragon, and one teaspoonful of tarragon vinegar. This sauce must be stiff and have the consistency of Mayonnaise.

[Pg 119]

Béchamel Sauce. No. 1.

Put two ounces of butter and two tablespoonfuls of flour into a sauce-pan and stir for five minutes. Pour one and a half pints of boiling milk in gradually, beating well with a whisk. Add a bouquet, half a teaspoonful of grated nutmeg, twelve peppercorns, a pinch of salt, and three ounces of chopped mushrooms. Cook for a quarter of an hour, and rub through a fine sieve.

Béchamel Sauce. No. 2.

Mix three tablespoonfuls of butter and three of flour to a smooth paste, put ten peppercorns, half an onion, half a carrot sliced, a small piece of mace, two teacupfuls of white stock, a pinch of salt and of grated nutmeg, and a bouquet, in a stew-pan; simmer for half an hour, stirring often, then add one teacupful of cream, boil at once, strain and serve.

Béchamel Sauce. No. 3.

Cut a thick slice of veal or part of a knuckle into small cubes and put them into a sauce-pan with two ounces of butter, two medium-sized onions and two carrots sliced. Cook for ten minutes, taking care it should not brown, then put in five ounces of flour and stir for five minutes over the fire. Pour in three quarts of strong[Pg 120] white stock and one of good cream. Add three and a half ounces of minced mushrooms, one bouquet, one saltspoonful of salt, and half a saltspoonful of pepper. Let it boil, and then stand the sauce-pan to simmer on the hob for one and a half hours, skimming often. Strain through a sieve into a large sauce-pan to jelly, add two wineglassfuls of cream and reduce till the sauce clings to the spoon. Then strain again. Stir occasionally while it is cooling, or a skin will form on the top of the sauce, in which case it must be strained again.

Béchamel Sauce (Maigre). No. 4.

Slice three onions and one carrot, and put them into a sauce-pan with two whole onions and seven ounces of butter. Cook for five minutes, then add seven ounces of flour, stir, and add three quarts of milk. Put in a bunch of parsley and half an ounce of salt. Reduce for a quarter of an hour stirring all the time, then strain through a sieve. Cover the sauce with a thin layer of melted butter, and it will keep some days. When wanted boil and stir in three and a half ounces of butter for every quart of sauce.

Broccoli (Sauce for).

Mix one tablespoonful of butter in a sauce-pan with one tumbler of water and a little salt.[Pg 121] Stir until it boils. When the flour has quite lost its raw taste, stir in two yolks of eggs, the juice of half a lemon, and half a teaspoonful of chopped parsley.

Caper Sauce. No. 1.

Mince an anchovy and dissolve it in oil and butter over a slow fire, add four ounces of capers, three tablespoonfuls of vinegar, and some chopped parsley. This sauce can be served hot or cold.

Caper Sauce ‘alla Genovese.’ No. 2.

Mince up one small onion with two ounces of capers and three-quarters of an ounce of anchovies. Brown them in a sauce-pan with a little butter, then add one cupful of broth or good gravy, a little vinegar, and a pinch of sweet herbs. Boil up twice and serve with any boiled meat.

Caper Sauce ‘alla Milanese.’ No. 3.

Take four ounces of butter, one tablespoonful of flour, pepper and salt to taste, and mix well over the fire in a sauce-pan. Do not let it boil, and just before serving add two ounces of capers and one teaspoonful of white wine vinegar.

[Pg 122]

Cold Caper Sauce. No. 4.

Take pure olive oil, four ounces of capers and the juice of a lemon. Mix them well together and serve.

Butter Sauce. No. 1.

Put two ounces of flour into one quart of water, with one and a half ounces of butter, and a little salt and pepper. Cook for twenty minutes, stirring well, then strain into a covered bowl and put into a Bain-marie. Just before serving boil again, take off the fire, add twelve ounces of butter cut into pieces, and the juice of one fine lemon. The heat of the sauce must melt the butter as it must not be put on the fire again. If the sauce is too thick mix in half a wineglassful of hot water.

Butter Sauce. No. 2. (Melted Butter.)

Take eight ounces of butter, one tablespoonful of salt, one of pepper, and two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice. Stir with a wooden spoon over the fire until the butter is half melted, then take it off and continue to stir until it is quite liquid. By taking the butter off the fire before it is all melted, it will have a pleasant taste of fresh cream; this is lost when fully cooked.

[Pg 123]

Francese Sauce.

Stir six yolks of eggs, seventeen ounces of butter, salt and pepper to taste, well together. When they begin to consolidate mix in one wineglassful of purée of tomatoes passed through a fine sieve, one ounce of chicken jelly, one tablespoonful of chopped parsley, and one teaspoonful of capsicum vinegar.

Lombarda Sauce.

Put two tumblers of white roux and one of chicken jelly into a sauce-pan, reduce, and add three yolks of eggs mixed with two ounces of butter and the juice of half a lemon. Before it boils take the sauce-pan off the fire and add one tumbler of thick Tomato sauce (see Sauces, p. 126) (or conserve), strain, and just before serving add one tablespoonful of sweet herbs minced fine.

Mayonnaise Sauce.

Put one yolk of egg (quite free from any white), half a teaspoonful of salt, and a pinch of cayenne, into a bowl standing in ice. Stir constantly, and add one cupful of pure olive oil, drop by drop. The goodness of the sauce depends upon adding the oil slowly. When it begins to get thick, alternate a few drops of tarragon vinegar with the oil till you have put in one and a half teaspoonfuls of vinegar (lemon[Pg 124] juice may be used instead). In summer it is a good plan to mix the yolk of a hard-boiled egg with the raw one; the sauce is made more quickly and is less likely to curdle.

Mayonnaise Monte Bianco Sauce.

To the above Mayonnaise sauce add half a cupful of stiff whipped cream just before serving.

Mayonnaise Sauce ‘alla Ravigote.’

Take a few sprigs of tarragon, parsley, chervil, watercress, two or three chives, and a leaf of spinach or lettuce, and pound them in a mortar with some drops of lemon juice. Squeeze out the juice of the herbs, and mix it with mayonnaise sauce (as above). A few green peas will add to the colour and consistency of the sauce.

Olandese Sauce.

Rub four ounces of butter to a cream in a sauce-pan or a bowl, add four yolks of eggs, beat well together, then put in half a teaspoonful of salt, the juice of half a lemon, a pinch of cayenne, and one cupful of hot water poured in by degrees. Mix well and put into a Bain-marie. Stir until the sauce becomes of the consistency of thick cream, but be careful it does not boil. Take it off the fire and stir for some minutes. ‘Olandese’ sauce ought to be quite smooth and creamy.

[Pg 125]

‘Alla Panna’ Sauce.

Melt half a pound of butter, add a little flour, salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Stir until thick, then add one pint of cream, a little chopped parsley, and heat for five minutes.

Suprema Sauce. No. 1.

Put four quarts of good stock into a sauce-pan with two pounds of knuckle of veal and the body of a fowl. Boil well, skimming off the grease, add one teaspoonful of salt, two onions (one of them stuck with cloves), one bouquet, and a pinch of grated nutmeg. Simmer on the hob until the veal is quite cooked, then strain. Add three tablespoonfuls of white roux and stir over the fire until it boils. Skim, and put it into a Bain-marie to reduce. Just before serving boil it again and add one ounce of butter and three tablespoonfuls of milk of sweet almonds.

Suprema Sauce. No. 2.

Put the body of a fowl into a sauce-pan, cover it with water, and cook quickly. Take it out as soon as it boils, drain, and wash it well. Then put the fowl into a clean sauce-pan, with one quart of veal broth, one dessert-spoonful of salt, and a bouquet. Cook for forty-five minutes, then pour the broth through a strainer into another sauce-pan with two tablespoonfuls of white roux, and stir well.

[Pg 126]

Tartara Sauce. No. 1.

Take one shallot, one tablespoonful of capers, six sprigs of tarragon, six of chervil, and two gherkins; chop all up very fine and put them into an earthen bowl with two raw yolks of eggs, half a teaspoonful of ground mustard, a small pinch of salt, and one of pepper, then stir in (a drop at a time) one teaspoonful of good wine vinegar, and then a cupful of pure olive oil.

Tartara Sauce. No. 2.

Wash and mince two anchovies with the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs. Mince separately some parsley, tarragon, one shallot (or a small onion). Put them into a bowl with one tablespoonful of white wine vinegar, one and a half of olive oil, one of French mustard, and a little pepper and salt. Beat up well with a wooden spoon till quite smooth.

Tomato Sauce. No. 1.

Mince a quarter of an onion, half a stalk of celery, a few leaves of sweet basil, and a bunch of parsley, up fine. Add half a cupful of pure olive oil, a pinch of salt and one of pepper, and cut eight or nine tomatoes into slices. Boil until the sauce is as thick as cream, stirring occasionally, then strain through a sieve and serve. Eight or nine tablespoonfuls of conserve can be used instead of fresh tomatoes.

[Pg 127]

Tomato Sauce. No. 2.

Take four pounds of tomatoes, cut them in two and put them into a two-quart sauce-pan with two wineglassfuls of water, two saltspoonfuls of salt, one of pepper, and a bouquet. Cover the sauce-pan and boil for forty minutes, stirring often to prevent burning; then strain. Make a roux in another sauce-pan with one ounce of butter, and three-quarters of an ounce of flour. Cook for three minutes, mixing well. Take the roux off the fire and pour the tomatoes into it a little at a time, stirring to keep it smooth. Add two wineglassfuls of stock, put on the fire, and cook for twenty minutes, stirring all the time.

Vellutata Sauce.

Put one pound of knuckle of veal and any scraps you have of fowl into a well-buttered sauce-pan with two or three slices of ham, two carrots, one onion, and one tumbler of veal broth. When the broth is reduced add twelve mushrooms, two or three shallots, salt and pepper to taste, a bouquet, and enough veal broth to cover the meat. Boil, skim off the fat, and let it simmer for one and a half hours. It will keep some days if well corked in a cold place. Before using mix white roux with it.

[Pg 128]

Sorrel Purée.

Nip the stalks off a peck of sorrel, wash well, drain, and chop up fine with one head of well-washed lettuce and a small bunch of chervil. Put all into a sauce-pan and stir over a hot fire for three minutes, then place in the oven until well dissolved. Add one and a half ounces of fresh butter, stir until it bubbles, add half a pint of good stock or beef gravy, and cook for five minutes.

Sorrel Purée (Maigre).

Take sorrel as above, but instead of stock or gravy, add two yolks of eggs and half a cupful of cream.

Sorrel Stewed.

Wash clean the necessary quantity of sorrel, boil until tender, then rub through a sieve into a stew-pan. Add one or two tablespoonfuls of Béchamel sauce (see Sauces, p. 119), a little salt and sugar, and two or three ounces of fresh butter. Stew for a few minutes and serve.

SOUPS.

Artichoke Soup.

Boil three large artichokes for forty minutes, then dry and cut them in pieces and rub through a sieve. Put one quart of milk in an earthen[Pg 129] pot, boil, add the artichokes, two ounces of butter, and three tablespoonfuls of flour. Stir until the milk thickens, add pepper and salt to taste, and boil for ten minutes, adding chicken forcemeat balls just before serving. (For the forcemeat balls take four tablespoonfuls of minced raw fowl, some grated bread, the white of an egg beaten up, and a little salt and pepper. Place the balls in boiling water as you make them, and boil for ten minutes. Take them out with the strainer and put them into the soup.)

Artichoke Soup (Purée).

Cut the bottom out of several artichokes, blanch them, remove the chokes and boil with a little salt, flour, and lemon juice. Then mash them and mix with one (or more, according to the number of people) cupful of Béchamel sauce (see Sauces, p. 119); rub through a sieve, add enough good stock to make a thick soup, and serve with small croûtons (fried bread).

Asparagus Soup.

Boil a bunch of asparagus in salted water for half an hour, then cut off their heads and put them into a soup-tureen. Meanwhile boil one quart of milk, mix three tablespoonfuls of flour and one of butter together, and add to the milk; stir until it thickens. Rub the rest of the[Pg 130] asparagus through a sieve and add to the milk. Take it off the fire, season with salt and pepper, and pour it into the tureen on to the asparagus heads.

Carrot Soup.

Put eight or ten finely sliced carrots, one onion, two heads of celery sliced, five ounces of fresh white haricot beans, four ounces of butter, and salt and pepper to taste, in a sauce-pan. Cook over a slow fire for one hour, and stir from time to time. Then add about one and a half quarts of good stock, boil for one and a half hours, and rub through a sieve. Thin the purée with three quarts of stock, add half an ounce of sugar, boil for half an hour, and serve with croûtons (fried bread).

Chestnut Soup.

Peel some roast chestnuts, warm them in butter, moisten them with stock and white wine, and simmer over a slow fire until soft. Then pound them in a mortar, rub through a sieve, and mix with a thin purée of game. Heat in a Bain-marie, and serve with small croûtons (fried bread).

Lentil Soup. No. 1.

Soak one pint of lentils in cold water all night. Strain and wash them again, then put them in an earthen pot with two quarts of[Pg 131] broth and simmer for one and a half hours. Fry one sliced onion, a little chopped parsley and thyme, and one bay leaf in two ounces of butter. Add these to the lentils and simmer for another half-hour. Rub through a sieve and boil, season with salt and pepper. Serve with croûtons (fried bread).

Lentil Soup. No. 2.

Put about half a pint of well-cleaned, dry lentils into boiling water in an earthen pot. Be careful to remove those which float to the surface. Leave the rest to cook until they are quite soft, then take them out and strain them. Meanwhile mix two or three anchovies, a bunch of parsley and some sage, and mix with some good oil in a sauce-pan. When well browned put in the lentils. Stir well, add more oil, and cook over a slow fire, stirring from time to time. When ready, mix in some strained stock, and serve with croûtons (fried bread).

Lettuce Soup.

Put the mealy part of four potatoes into boiling consommé, the blanched leaves of two heads of celery, one lettuce chopped up, one pint of green peas, and two large tablespoonfuls of flour well stirred in cold broth. Boil for one and a half hours, and serve with croûtons (fried bread).

[Pg 132]

Potato Soup ‘alla Provinciale.’

Boil and rub two pounds of potatoes through a sieve, put them in a sauce-pan with four ounces of good butter, a little salt, and half a tumbler of cream (or milk). Simmer until it is thick like Polentina (see p. 135), then add six yolks of eggs to consolidate it to a paste. Cut into small dice, throw them into boiling soup, and cook for five minutes. Just before serving sprinkle a little grated Parmesan cheese into the soup.

Potato Soup ‘alla Romana.’

Parboil four large potatoes in one quart of water, when half-cooked strain off the water and pour one pint of boiling water on the potatoes; add one bay leaf, half an onion, one head of celery, and some chopped parsley. Boil over a slow fire in an earthen pan, add two ounces of butter and two tablespoonfuls of flour, and mix well. Rub the potatoes through a sieve into an earthen pot, add boiling milk, a little at a time, and serve hot.

Pumpkin Soup. No. 1.

Cut two or three slices of white pumpkin into small dice. Put them into a sauce-pan with four ounces of butter, and cook till they take a golden colour. Mince up one onion, some[Pg 133] parsley, sweet basil, celery, thyme, and (for those who like it) one clove of garlic. Mix well, and add two cloves, one quart of water, and some butter, or pure olive oil, or both. Boil for one hour, serve very hot with croûtons (fried bread).

Pumpkin Soup. No. 2.

Take a slice (about one and a half pounds) of a large yellow pumpkin, peel it and remove the seeds. Cut into small dice and put them into a sauce-pan with one ounce of butter, a pinch of salt, one ounce of sugar, and half a tumblerful of water. Boil for two hours, then drain, and put back into the sauce-pan with one and a half tumblers of well-boiled milk. As soon as it boils pour into the tureen and add croûtons (fried bread).

Onion Soup. No. 1.

Peel and cut three large Spanish onions in slices. Put two ounces of butter into a frying-pan, and add the onions when the butter is hot. Just before they are browned take them off the fire and put them into a sauce-pan with two quarts of good stock. Boil slowly for half an hour, and add a little pepper and salt. Strain through a sieve and serve very hot. Add croûtons (fried bread) to the soup.

[Pg 134]

Onion Soup ‘Purée alla Soubise.’ No. 2.

Chop up a few onions, warm them in butter, but take care they do not brown. Stir in three tablespoonfuls of purée of white haricot beans, add a pinch of grated nutmeg, and rub through a sieve. If the purée is too thick add a little stock. Serve with croûtons (fried bread) in the soup.

Palestine Soup.

Scrape and slice six or eight large Jerusalem artichokes and put them into cold water. Then place them in boiling water, boil for one hour, and rub through a cullender. Mix them with two ounces of butter and three tablespoonfuls of flour, and pour them into one quart of boiling milk, stirring continually until thick. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with croûtons (fried bread).

Pea Soup.

Shell four pounds of fresh green peas, put them in an earthen pot, cover them with cold water, and boil for twenty minutes. Take out one cupful of peas. Rub the rest through a sieve, and mix in an earthen pot with one quart of milk, four ounces of butter, and two tablespoonfuls of flour. Stir until the soup is thick, add a pinch of salt and of grated nutmeg, and the whole peas, and serve very hot.

[Pg 135]

Polentina ‘alla Veneziana.’

Put two large tablespoonfuls of fine yellow Indian-corn meal into one quart of boiling milk. Stir continually for twenty minutes to prevent burning, then add one teaspoonful of salt (or more to taste), and four to six ounces of fresh butter. Serve with croûtons (fried bread).

Sorrel Soup.

Wash and dry two bunches of sorrel. Chop it fine, and cook with two ounces of butter until it becomes a pulp. Stir in one spoonful of flour, salt and pepper to taste, and a cupful of water. When it boils add two or more yolks of eggs and a cupful of cream. Serve with croûtons (fried bread).

Spinach Soup ‘alla Modenese.’

Boil two pounds of spinach, mince fine, and put it in a sauce-pan with four ounces of melted butter. Stir well, add salt to taste, then take off the fire and mix in two eggs, a little grated cheese, and a pinch of grated nutmeg. Pour this purée into boiling broth, take it off the fire after a few minutes, and cover with a salamander; this will coagulate the eggs and turn the purée into a soft green paste. Serve very hot with croûtons (fried bread).

[Pg 136]

Tomato Soup. No. 1.

Simmer one quart of tomatoes (or tomato conserve) in an earthen pot (or enamelled sauce-pan) with one pint of good stock (or water); add one bay leaf, one stalk of celery, a little parsley, six peppercorns, and one teaspoonful of sugar. Meanwhile melt one tablespoonful of good butter in another sauce-pan, and fry one sliced onion, but do not brown it; then add one tablespoonful of flour, mix well, see that it cooks without browning. Dilute with a little of the tomato soup, season with salt, and add the rest of the tomatoes. Strain through a sieve, beat it up before serving, and sprinkle small dice of fried bread in the soup.

Tomato Soup (Maigre). No. 2.

Stew eight or ten tomatoes thoroughly, then rub them through a sieve, and put them in a pot with one tablespoonful of soda. When the foaming is over add two tablespoonfuls of butter (a little at a time), one teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper, and a pinch of cayenne. Meanwhile heat one quart of milk in a Bain-marie for about ten minutes, and add to the tomatoes (beating well together) just before serving.

[Pg 137]

Turnip Soup.

Parboil ten or twelve turnips cut into fine strips. Strain, cook them over a slow fire in a stew-pan with a minced onion browned in three ounces of butter, add some broth (or fish soup for maigre). Serve with croûtons (fried bread), and one ounce grated Parmesan cheese.

Vegetable Soup (Mixed).

Cut two potatoes and one onion in pieces. Fry the onion in two ounces of butter till browned, then pour it over the potatoes in an earthen pot, add two tablespoonfuls of rice, one sliced carrot, and one quart of water. Boil for one hour, then pass through a sieve and put back in the pot. Moisten two ounces of fine Indian-corn meal with a little cold milk, add to the vegetables and then pour in half a pint of milk. Stir until it boils, season with pepper and salt, and serve with croûtons (fried bread).

Vegetable and Cream Soup.

Boil three lettuces, four heads of celery, two onions, a handful of chervil, a little sorrel, tarragon, and thyme, in one quart of water till well stewed. Strain off the herbs half an hour before dinner, let the soup cool, and add one pint of fresh cream with the yolks of three eggs. Stir well, put it on the fire to heat, but do not let it boil.

[Pg 138]

Spinach ‘al Burro.’

Wash, blanch, and chop up fine two pounds of spinach. Put it into an earthen pot with fresh butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Add two or three tablespoonfuls of flour and half a pint of milk, mixing continually. Serve hot with croûtons (fried bread), as a garnish.

Spinach ‘alla Crema.’

Wash half a peck of spinach in several waters to get the grit out, and put it into a covered earthen pan on a brisk fire. Stir now and then to prevent its burning, and after fifteen minutes put in one tablespoonful of salt. Cook five minutes more, then drain, and when dry chop it up very fine. Mix one and a half tablespoonfuls of fresh butter, and one of flour, in an earthen pot, and when half-cooked add the spinach and a little salt and pepper. Cook for five minutes, pour in half a cupful of good cream, and cook five minutes more, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Serve with croûtons (fried bread), or hard boiled eggs sliced.

Spinach Croquettes.

Take two pounds of boiled spinach, strain, and chop it up fine. Put it into an earthen pan with four ounces of butter, some sweet[Pg 139] marjoram chopped up, allspice, sugar, and grated lemon peel. Mix well over the fire, then put in one tumbler of milk, and when it boils add two beaten-up eggs. When thick and cooled roll up into croquets, meanwhile make the following batter: two handfuls of flour, one tablespoonful of good olive oil, half a glass of white wine, and a little salt, well mixed together. Roll the croquets in this and fry. Serve hot.

Spinach ‘Ravioli alla Fiorentina.’

Clean and wash eight bunches of spinach, cook them in salted boiling water, and then put them into cold. Dry well, chop up very fine, put them into a sauce-pan and mix well with four ounces of butter, eight ounces of fresh curds (out of which all the water has been pressed), two tablespoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese, and three yolks of eggs. When cold make small balls or rolls of the spinach, flour them well, and throw them into boiling water. As they rise to the surface take them out with a strainer, pour melted butter over them, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, and serve at once.

Spinach Fried.

Put two or three bunches of spinach into an earthen pot with a finely chopped up shallot, and two ounces of butter, and mix well. When[Pg 140] cooked, take off the fire, chop up very fine, add one egg, one ounce of grated cheese, a pinch of allspice, and roll up into balls or croquets; sprinkle with flour, and fry over a quick fire. Serve very hot garnished with fried parsley. (N.B.—Any vegetable, cardoon, cauliflower, etc., which is left over, can be fried in this way.)

Spinach Pudding with Mushrooms. (Bodino con Funghi.)

Wash a sufficient quantity of spinach well, boil it in salted water for a few minutes, drain and squeeze out the water thoroughly; then pound it in a mortar and finally rub it through a sieve. Then put it in an earthen pot with a good-sized piece of butter and a few drops of lemon juice; leave it to boil for a short time, then empty it into a dish, and when cold add the yolks of two or three well-beaten-up eggs. Put it into a well-buttered shape, leave an empty space in the middle, and cook slowly in a Bain-marie for one hour with fire above and below. When cooked, turn out on a dish and fill the empty space with small mushrooms cut up into little pieces, which have been previously prepared as in the recipe ‘alla Spagnuola’ (p. 75).

Spinach ‘in Riccioli.’

Boil a bunch of spinach and rub it through a sieve. Beat up two eggs, season them with[Pg 141] salt and pepper, and mix enough spinach with them to make them green. Put a little oil into the frying-pan, and when well heated pour a little of the egg in, turning the pan about so that the pancake should be as thin as a piece of paper, and dry. Toss if necessary. Take it out, repeat with the rest of the egg, then take the pancakes, place them one on the top of the other, and cut them into pieces the width of a finger and about two inches long. Fry them in butter and grate a little Parmesan cheese over them. They make an effective garnish.

Spinach Soufflé.

Take a cupful of spinach prepared as in ‘Spinach alla Crema.’ Beat up one yolk of an egg, mix with the spinach and stir over the fire until the egg is set. Then let it cool, and before serving stir the well-beaten whites of three eggs lightly into it. Fill china cups, or buttered paper forms, half full, put them into a hot oven for ten or fifteen minutes, and serve at once. If too little baked, or not served at once, the soufflé will be spoiled.

Tomatoes Broiled.

Slice large ripe tomatoes (without peeling them), broil or toast them until slightly browned. Place them on a hot dish and pour[Pg 142] boiling melted butter, mixed with a very little good wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and mustard, over them.

Tomatoes ‘in Conchiglia.’

Cut five or six tomatoes in half (do not peel them), put them in an earthen pan with bits of butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for about one hour, or until the tomatoes are soft. Meanwhile prepare squares of buttered toast, place a half tomato on each square of toast, pour sauce ‘alla Panna’ (see Sauces, p. 125) round them, and serve.

Tomatoes ‘al Forno.’ No. 1.

Scald, peel, and mash up eight or ten tomatoes, add one teaspoonful of salt, and one saltspoonful of pepper. Put a layer of bread-crumbs into a shallow baking-dish, lay the tomatoes on them, and sprinkle with one tablespoonful of sugar, and a few drops of onion juice. Then cover the tomatoes with a large cupful of bread crumbs moistened with one tablespoonful of melted butter. Bake half an hour in a hot oven, and serve in the baking-dish.

Tomatoes ‘al Forno.’ No. 2.

Scald and peel six or eight tomatoes, slice off their tops, and scoop out a little of the inside.[Pg 143] Drop a little oil into each tomato and a small pinch of salt and pepper, replace their tops, sprinkle them with grated bread, salt and pepper, place each on a slice of bread in a tinned dish, add a little pure olive oil, and bake for twenty minutes.

Tomatoes ‘al Forno.’ No. 3.

Scald and peel six or eight tomatoes, take out their seeds, and place them in a tinned dish. Meanwhile mix one tablespoonful of flour, one of fresh butter, four or five fresh mushrooms, some parsley chopped up with one shallot, a little salt and pepper, and some thick purée (or conserve) of tomatoes in a sauce-pan, and stir well. Fill each tomato with this, sprinkle them with grated bread, put four or five tablespoonfuls of pure olive oil in the tin dish, and bake for ten minutes, then brown with a salamander.

Tomatoes ‘Fritti.’

Cut six fine ripe tomatoes in half and put them in a shallow pan with the peel downwards. Add four ounces of butter, sprinkle with pepper and salt, and put them in the oven for ten minutes, then fry them slowly on the fire (do not turn them). When cooked place them carefully on a hot dish, put the pan on the fire again, and brown the butter, adding two tablespoonfuls[Pg 144] of flour, mix well, then add one pint of milk, and stir until it boils. Season with salt and pepper, pour it over the tomatoes and serve hot.

Tomatoes ‘alla Graticola.’

Cut four or five tomatoes in half without peeling them. Put them on the gridiron, dust them with salt and pepper, and cook over a moderate fire. Then place them on a hot dish and pour a white sauce over them. Serve with croûtons (fried bread).

Tomatoes Iced.

Scald and peel small round tomatoes, ice them, and serve them whole with sauce ‘Francese’ (see Sauces, p. 123) separate.

Tomatoes ‘all’ Indiana.’

Wash half a pint of rice in several waters. Take two pounds of boiled and strained tomatoes (or tomato conserve), season with a little salt and allspice. Put alternate layers of tomato and of rice in a pie-dish, and finish off with a layer of tomato covered with grated bread-crumbs moistened with melted butter. Bake in a moderate oven for a good half-hour, and serve in the pie-dish.

Tomatoes ‘al Pane.’

Peel and cut in slices six or more (according to the size of your dish) ripe tomatoes, and lay[Pg 145] them in a baking-dish with alternate layers of bread-crumbs and bits of good butter. Season each layer of tomatoes with sugar, pepper, and salt. The upper layer must be bread-crumbs moistened with melted butter. Bake in a moderate oven for half an hour, and serve in the baking-dish.

Tomato Pudding.

Scald, peel, and slice eight tomatoes. Squeeze out three-quarters of their juice into a bowl through a cloth, then chop them up with two tablespoonfuls of breadcrumbs, a little salt, sugar, and pepper, and a tablespoonful of melted butter. Pour them into a well-buttered mould and put on the lid. Place the mould in a pot of boiling water, and boil hard for one hour; then turn out on a dish. Meanwhile heat the tomato juice, season with sugar, salt, and pepper, mix in one tablespoonful of butter rolled in flour, boil one minute, then pour over the pudding and serve.

Tomato Purée.

Scald and peel about eighteen ounces of ripe tomatoes, and take out the stem end. Cut them up and put them in an earthen pan with a little salt, pepper, a bouquet, and one sliced onion. Stir over a moderate fire, parboil, and then rub[Pg 146] through a sieve. Make a roux with one ounce of good butter and one tablespoonful of flour, cook for five minutes, then pour the tomatoes into the roux, add two ounces of meat jelly, and reduce for five minutes. Strain through a cullender and put into a Bain-marie until wanted.

Tomatoes ‘Ripieni.’

Choose twelve large and smooth tomatoes, cut off the stem end and take out the seeds. Put four ounces of grated bread, one quarter of an onion minced, a little salt, and two ounces of butter into a frying-pan; mix well and then fill the tomatoes with it. Put them in an earthen pan and cook for half an hour over a hot fire, serve very hot.

Tomatoes ‘al Riso.’

Take the pulp of six tomatoes and put it in a sauce-pan with two ounces of butter. Cook thoroughly, then strain through a sieve, add one large cupful of consommé, and cook till reduced one quarter. Meanwhile cook some rice in consommé, when done add the tomatoes, stir, and serve hot.

Tomatoes Stewed.

Scald and peel six large fresh tomatoes and cut each into six pieces. Cook in an earthen[Pg 147] pot slowly for twenty minutes with one and a half ounces of fresh butter, one teaspoonful of salt, one of pepper, and half a teaspoonful of grated nutmeg. Then add half a teaspoonful of powdered sugar, stir well, cook for two or three minutes, and serve hot.

Tomatoes ‘in Umido.’

Scald, peel, and cut into bits twelve fine tomatoes, put them into an earthen pan and cook slowly for about half an hour. Then add one tablespoonful of butter, a pinch of sugar, some drops of onion juice, and a little pepper and salt. Cook for twenty minutes, and serve hot.

Tomatoes ‘con Uova.’

Choose round tomatoes of about equal size, and peel them. Cut off their tops, take out their insides, and drop a raw egg into each, replace the top as cover. Put the tomatoes into a baking-dish, and bake for about ten minutes (until the eggs have set). Serve up on the baking-dish very hot, with a sauce Béchamel (see Sauces, p. 119), or some brown gravy.

Truffles in Champagne.

Wash and brush well twelve truffles in warm water, then rinse them in cold water and drain. Lay slices of bacon in the bottom of a stew-pan,[Pg 148] and place the truffles on them. Put in a bouquet, sprinkle with a little salt, add some good stock, half a bottle of champagne, and boil. Cover the pan well, put fire above and below, and cook for one hour. See whether they are done (they should yield to the touch), then drain well, and serve in a folded napkin.

Truffles and Cheese.

Wash, brush, and clean eight ounces of truffles, and slice them. Meanwhile fry four ounces of butter with one or two tablespoonfuls of pure olive oil; put in the sliced truffles with four ounces of good Swiss cheese cut in fine slices. Mix well together over a brisk fire for ten minutes. Season with pepper and salt, and serve very hot with croûtons (fried bread).

Truffles (Maigre).

Wash, brush, and clean some truffles, cut them in slices, and put them in a stew-pan with some fish soup. Add a bouquet, season with pepper and salt, and stew over a small fire. When done thicken the sauce with a maigre roux, take out the bouquet, and serve hot.

Truffles in Omelette.

Beat up eight fresh eggs for an omelette, add a very little salt and a pinch of grated nutmeg.[Pg 149] Cut up fine four ounces of truffles already boiled in Madeira wine, warm up with one pint of good gravy reduced with Madeira wine. Make the omelette, and put the truffles in as you turn it over.

Truffles ‘alla Panna.’

Wash, brush, peel, and clean twenty or twenty-four truffles, and put them into an earthen pan with four ounces of butter, a little salt, one glass of white Rhine wine, and three tablespoonfuls of reduced stock. Put a layer of sauce ‘alla Panna’ (see Sauces, p. 125) in the bottom of a silver (or enamelled) sauce-pan, then a third of the truffles, cover them again with a layer of sauce, add half the remaining truffles, and some more sauce; at last the rest of the truffles must be covered with sauce sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese and browned quickly with the salamander just before serving. The truffles may be cooked and served in shells instead of a sauce-pan.

Truffles Sautés.

Wash, brush, and clean about one pound of truffles, cut them in thin slices, and put them into a stew-pan with a quarter of a pound of butter, one teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of sugar, and a saltspoonful of grated nutmeg. Warm over the fire, then add one gill of broth,[Pg 150] and half a tablespoonful of flour mixed with half a tablespoonful of butter. Stir well, boil, and serve on toast.

Truffles Stewed.

Wash, brush, and clean some truffles, cut them in slices, and put them into a small stew-pan with three or four slices of ham, a pinch of pepper, one cupful (or more) of good gravy, and a bouquet. Stew gently over a small fire until the truffles are tender, take out the ham and the bouquet, add some good brown gravy, and serve.

Truffles ‘sul tovagliolo.’

Wash, brush, and clean some truffles thoroughly, boil with veal stock and a glass of Madeira wine. Then serve in a napkin with good fresh butter separate.

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