Cook the rice in milk, adding a small quantity of butter, so_The Italian Cook Book The Art of Eating Well; Practical Recipes of the Italian Cuisine, Pastries, Sweets, Frozen Delicacies, and Syrups

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THE ITALIAN COOK BOOK

The Art of Eating Well

PRACTICAL RECIPES

OF THE

ITALIAN CUISINE

PASTRIES

SWEETS, FROZEN DELICACIES

AND SYRUPS

COMPILED BY

MRS. MARIA GENTILE

ITALIAN BOOK CO.

NEW YORK

ITALIAN BOOK CO.

PREFACE

One of the beneficial results of the Great War has been the teaching of

thrift to the American housewife. For patriotic reasons and for reasons

of economy, more attention has been bestowed upon the preparing and

cooking of food that is to be at once palatable, nourishing and

economical.

In the Italian =cuisine= we find in the highest degree these three

qualities. That it is palatable, all those who have partaken of food in

an Italian =trattoria= or at the home of an Italian family can testify,

that it is healthy the splendid manhood and womanhood of Italy is a

proof more than sufficient. And who could deny, knowing the thriftiness

of the Italian race, that it is economical?

It has therefore been thought that a book of PRACTICAL RECIPES OF THE

ITALIAN CUISINE could be offered to the American public with hope of

success. It is not a pretentious book, and the recipes have been made as

clear and simple as possible. Some of the dishes described are not

peculiar to Italy. All, however, are representative of the =Cucina

Casalinga= of the peninsular Kingdom, which is not the least product

of a lovable and simple people, among whom the art of living well and

getting the most out of life at a moderate expense has been attained to

a very high degree.

BROTH OR SOUP STOCK

(Brodo)

To obtain good broth the meat must be put in cold water, and then

allowed to boil slowly. Add to the meat some pieces of bones and "soup

greens" as, for instance, celery, carrots and parsley. To give a brown

color to the broth, some sugar, first browned at the fire, then diluted

in cold water, may be added.

While it is not considered that the broth has much nutritive power, it

is excellent to promote the digestion. Nearly all the Italian soups are

made on a basis of broth.

A good recipe for substantial broth to be used for invalids is the

following: Cut some beef in thin slices and place them in a large

saucepan; add some salt. Pour cold water upon them, so that they are

entirely covered. Cover the saucepan so that it is hermetically closed

and place on the cover a receptacle containing water, which must be

constantly renewed. Keep on a low fire for six hours, then on a strong

fire for ten minutes. Strain the liquid in cheese cloth.

The soup stock, besides being used for soups, is a necessary ingredient

in hundreds of Italian dishes.

SOUP OF "CAPPELLETTI"

This Soup is called of "=Cappelletti=" or "little hats" on account of

the shape of the "=Cappelletti=".

First a thin sheet of paste is made according to the following

directions:

The best and most tender paste is made simply of eggs, flour and salt,

water may be substituted for part of the eggs, for economy, or when a

less rich paste is needed. Allow about a cup of flour to an egg. Put the

flour on a bread board, make a hollow in the middle and break in the

egg. Use any extra whites that are on hand. Knead it thoroughly, adding

more flour if necessary, until you have a paste you can roll out. Roll

it as thin as an eighth of an inch. A long rolling pin is necessary, but

any stick, well scrubbed and sand papered, will serve in lieu of the

long Italian rolling pin.

Cut from this sheet of paste rounds measuring about three inches in

diameter. In the middle of each circle place a spoonful of filling that

must be made beforehand, composed of cooked meat (chicken, pork or veal)

ground very fine and seasoned with grated cheese, grated lemon peel,

nutmeg, allspice, salt. The ground meat is to be mixed with an equal

amount of curds or cottage cheese.

When the filling is placed in the circle of paste, fold the latter over

and moisten the edge of the paste with the finger dipped in water to

make it stay securely closed.

These =cappelletti= should be cooked in chicken or beef broth until the

paste is tender, and served with this broth as a soup.

BREAD SOUP

(Panata)

This excellent and nutritious soup is a godsend for using the stale

bread that must never again be thrown away. It is composed of bread

crumbs and grated bread, eggs, grated cheese, nutmeg (in very small

quantity) and salt, all mixed together and put in broth previously

prepared, which must be warm at the moment of the immersion, but not at

the boiling point. Then place it on a low fire and stir gently. Any

vegetable left over may be added.

GNOCCHI

This is an excellent soup, but as it requires boiled or roast breast of

chicken or turkey it is well to make it only when these ingredients are

handy.

Prepare a certain quantity of boiled potatoes, the mealy kind being

preferred. Mash the potatoes and mix them with chicken or turkey breast

well ground, grated cheese (Parmesan or Swiss), two or more yolks of

eggs, salt and a small quantity of nutmeg. Pour the compound on the

bread board with a quantity of flour sufficient to make a paste and roll

it in little sticks as thick as the small finger. Cut the sticks in

little pieces about half an inch long and put them in boiling water.

Five or six minutes' cooking will be sufficient.

VEGETABLE SOUP

(Zuppa Santé)

Any kind of vegetables may be used for this soup: carrots, celery,

cabbage, turnips, onions, potatoes, spinach, the outside leaves of

lettuce or greens of any variety.

Select three or four kind of vegetables, shred or chop coarsely cabbage

or greens, and slice or cut in cubes the root vegetables. Put them over

the fire with a small quantity of cooking oil or butter substitute, and

let them fry until they have absorbed the fat. Then add broth and cook

until the vegetables are very tender. Fry croutons of stale bread in oil

and serve them in the soup.

QUEEN'S SOUP

(Zuppa Regina)

This is made with the white meat of chicken, which is to be ground in a

meat grinder together with blanched almonds (5 or 6) for one quart of

chicken stock. To the meat and almond add some bread crumbs, first

soaked in milk or broth, in the proportion of about one fifth of the

quantity of the meat. All these ingredients are to be rubbed to a very

smooth paste and hot broth is to be added to them. If you wish the soup

to be richer and have a more milky consistency, use the yolk of an egg,

which should be beaten, and have a few tablespoonfuls of hot broth

stirred into it before adding to the soup. Do not let the soup boil

after the egg is added or it will curdle.

One slice of stale bread may be cut into cubes, fried in deep fat, and

the croutons put in the soup. Send it to the table with a dish of grated

cheese.

BEAN SOUP

(Zuppa di fagiuoli)

One cup of dried beans, kidney, navy or lima is to be soaked over night.

Then boil until tender. It is preferable to put the beans to cook in

cold water with a pinch of soda. When they come to boil, pour off this

water and add fresh.

Chop fine 1/4 onion, one clove of garlic, one sprig of parsley and one

piece of celery and put them to fry in 1/4 cup of oil with salt and a

generous amount of pepper. When the vegetables are a delicate brown add

to them two cups of the broth from the beans and 1 cup of tomatoes

(canned or fresh). Let all come to a boil and pour the mixture into the

kettle of beans from which some of the water has been drained, if they

are very liquid. This soup may be served as it is or rubbed through a

sieve before serving. Croutons or triangles of dry toast make an

excellent addition.

The bean soup is made without meat or chicken broth, and it belongs

consequently to that class of soup called by the Italians "=Minestra di

Magro=" or "lean soup," to be served preferably on Friday and other days

in which the Roman Catholic Church prohibits the use of meats.

LENTIL SOUP

(Zuppa di lenticchie)

The lentil soup is prepared in the same way as the bean soup, only

substituting lentils for beans. A good combination is that of lentils

and rice. The nutritive qualities of the lentils are not sufficiently

known in this country, but all books on dietetics speak very highly of

them.

VEGETABLE CHOWDER

(Minestrone alla Milanese)

Cut off the rind of 1/2 lb. salt pork and put it into two quarts of

water to boil. Cut off a small slice of the pork and beat it to a paste

with two or three sprigs of parsley, a little celery and one kernel of

garlic. Add this paste to the pork and water. Slice two carrots, cut the

rib out of the leaves of 1/4 medium sized cabbage. Add the carrots,

cabbage leaves, other vegetables, seasoning and butter to the soup, and

let it boil slowly for 2-1/2 hours. The last 1/2 hour add one small

handful of rice for each person.

When the pork is very soft, remove and slice in little ribbons and put

it back.

The minestrone is equally good eaten cold.

RAVIOLI

Put on the bread board about two pounds of flour in a heap; make a

hollow in the middle and put in it a piece of butter, three egg-yolks,

salt and three or four tablespoonfuls of lukewarm water. Make a paste

and knead it well, then let it stand for an hour, wrapped or covered

with a linen cloth. Then spread the paste to a thin sheet, as thin as a

ten-cent piece.

Chop and grind pieces of roast or boiled chicken meat: add to it an

equal part of marrow from the bones of beef and pieces of brains, three

yolks, some crumbs of bread soaked in milk or broth and some grated

cheese (Parmesan or Swiss). Rub through a sieve and make little balls as

big as a hazel-nut, which are to be placed at equal distances (a little

more than an inch) in a line over the sheet of paste.

Beat a whole egg and pass it over the paste with a brush all around the

little balls. Cover these with another sheet of paste, press down the

intervals between each ball, and then separate each section from the

other with a knife. Moisten the edges of each section with the finger

dipped in cold water, to make them stick together, and press them down

with the fingers or the prongs of a fork. Then put to boil in water

seasoned with salt or, better still, in broth. The ravioli are then to

be served hot seasoned with cheese and butter or with brown stock or

tomato sauce.

PAVESE SOUP

(Zuppa alla Pavese)

Cut as many thin slices of bread as are needed in order that each person

may have at least two of them. These slices are then to be toasted and

browned with butter. Poach two eggs for each person, one on each slice

of bread and place the slices on a large and deep dish (not in a soup

tureen). Pour hot broth in the plate, taking care not to break the eggs,

season with Parmesan or Swiss cheese, and serve.

PASTE

SPAGHETTI, MACARONI ETC.

(Pasta Asciutta)

The Italians serve the spaghetti or macaroni at the beginning of the

meal, in place of soup, and they give it the name of =Minestra Asciutta=

or "dry" soup. Besides the familiar spaghetti, the paste is served in

many other forms and with different seasoning. This is by far the most

popular Italian dish, and it seems to have pleased the taste of all the

peoples of the earth. The highly nutritive qualities of spaghetti and of

cheese, their indispensable condiment, have been recognized by all diet

authorities and, as for its palatableness, the lovers of spaghetti are

just as enthusiastic and numerous outside of Italy as within the

boundaries of that blessed country. The most popular seasoning for

spaghetti, are tomato sauce, brown stock and anchovy sauce. The

description of these three condiments follows:

TOMATO SAUCE

(Salsa di Pomidoro)

Chop together, fine, one quarter of an onion, a clove of garlic, a piece

of celery as long as your finger, a few bay leaves and just enough

parsley. Season with a little oil, salt and pepper, cut up seven or

eight tomatoes and put everything over the fire together. Stir it from

time to time and when you see the juice condensing into a thin custard

strain through a sieve, and it is ready for use.

When fresh tomatoes are not available the tomato paste may be used. This

is a concentrated paste made from tomatoes and spices which is to be

had, at all Italian grocers', now so numerous in all American cities.

Thinned with water, it is a much used ingredient in Italian recipes.

Catsup and concentrated tomato soup do not make satisfactory substitutes

as they are too sweet in flavor. Of course canned tomatoes seasoned with

salt and a bit of bay leaf, can always be used instead of fresh

tomatoes.

This sauce serves many purposes. It is good on boiled meat; excellent to

dress macaroni, spaghetti or other pastes which have been seasoned with

butter and cheese, or on boiled rice seasoned in the same way (see

Risotto). Mushrooms are a fine addition to it.

When using concentrated paste the following recipes will be found to

give good results:

Chop one onion, one carrot and a celery stalk: form a little bunch of

parsley and other aromatic greens and put everything to brown in a

saucepan together with a piece of butter. Add a reasonable portion of

tomato paste while cooking, stir and keep on a low fire until the sauce

assumes the necessary consistency.

BROWN STOCK

(Sugo di Carne)

Cover the bottom of a saucepan with thin slices of beef taken from a

juicy cut and small pieces of salt pork. Place over a large onion, one

carrot, and a stalk of celery, all chopped in small pieces. Add some

butter and cover the whole with any trimmings from steaks or roasts and

any bit of left over cooked meat. Season with salt and cloves. Put over

the fire without stirring. When you smell the onions getting very brown,

turn the meat and when everything is quite brown add a cup of water,

renewing the latter three times. Finally add a certain quantity of

boiling water or, better still, of broth, and let it boil gently five or

six hours. Strain, cool and skim off the fat which will form a cake on

top of the liquid.

The meat can be used afterward for meat balls or =Croquettes=. The stock

may be kept for some days and forms the basis for many dishes.

ANCHOVY SAUCE

(Salsa d'Acciughe)

This recipe does not call for the filets of anchovies prepared for =hors

d'oeuvre=, but the less expensive and larger whole anchovies in salt to

be had in bulk or cans at large dealers. Wash them thoroughly in plenty

of water. Remove head, tail, backbone and skin and they are ready for

use.

Put five or six anchovies into a colander and dip quickly into boiling

water to loosen the skins, remove the salt, skin and bone them. Chop

them and put over the fire in a saucepan with a generous quantity of oil

and some pepper. Do not let them boil, but when they are hot add two

tablespoons of butter and three or four tablespoons of concentrated

tomato juice made by cooking down canned tomatoes and rubbing through a

sieve. When this sauce is used to season spaghetti, these must be boiled

in water that is only slightly salted and care must be taken not to let

them become too soft. The quantities above mentioned ought to be

sufficient for about one pound of spaghetti.

SPAGHETTI OR MACARONI WITH BUTTER AND CHEESE

(Pasta al burro e formaggio)

This is the simplest form in which the spaghetti may be served, and it

is generally reserved for the thickest paste. The spaghetti are to be

boiled until tender in salted water, taking care to remove them when

tender, and not cooked until they lose form. They should not be put into

the water until this is at a boiling point.

Take as much macaroni as will half fill the dish in which it is to be

served. Break into pieces two and a half to three inches long if you so

desire. The Italians leave them unbroken, but their skill in turning

them around the fork and eating them =is not the privilege of

everybody=. Put the macaroni into salted boiling water, and boil twelve

to fifteen minutes, or until the macaroni is perfectly soft. Stir

frequently to prevent the macaroni from adhering to the bottom. Turn it

into a colander to drain; then put it into a pudding-dish with a

generous quantity of butter and grated cheese. If more cheese is liked,

it can be brought to the table so that the guests can help themselves to

it.

The macaroni called "Mezzani" which is a name designating size, not

quality, is the preferable kind for macaroni dishes made with butter and

cheese.

MACARONI WITH SAUCE

(Maccheroni al sugo)

The most appreciated kind of macaroni are those seasoned with tomato

sauce or with brown stock (see nos. 12 and 13). The macaroni are boiled

as above, then drained in a colander, returned to the saucepan and mixed

with the sauce and grated cheese. For those who like it some butter may

be added in the mixing.

MACARONI WITH ANCHOVY SAUCE

(Maccheroni con salsa d'acciughe)

After the paste is drained thoroughly it is to be put into the hot dish

in which it is to be served and the anchovy sauce poured over it and

well mixed with two silver forks until the sauce has gone all through

it. Some olive oil may be added, but grated cheese is not generally used

with the anchovy sauce.

MACARONI A LA CORINNA

(Maccheroni alla Corinna)

Put on the fire a pot with two quarts of salted water to which add a

small piece of butter. When it begins to boil put in it 3/4 lb.

macaroni. Let it boil for five minutes, then drain them in a colander.

Put them again in new boiling water, prepared as above and let them cook

on a slow fire. Drain them again. Cover the bottom of a plate with

macaroni and cover this first layer with grated cheese and with some

vegetables in macédoine, that is, chopped fine and fried brown with

butter. Repeat the draining, moisten the macaroni with the water in

which they have previously cooked and keep on a low fire for ten minutes

more.

The =Macédoine= of vegetables can be made with a dozen Bruxelles sprouts

or one cabbage, half a dozen big asparagus cut in little pieces, a

carrot cut in thin slices, a dozen small onions, some turnips and half a

dozen mushrooms. The mushrooms and the asparagus can be omitted. Melt

some butter in a saucepan and when the turnips, the carrots and the

onions are half cooked, add the cabbage or sprouts. Put in some water

and some more butter, boil for ten minutes and then add the mushrooms

and the asparagus, adding salt and pepper, and a little sugar if this is

desired.

MACARONI "AU GRATIN"

(Maccheroni al gratin)

Boil the macaroni in salted water until tender and drain them. Butter

slightly a fireproof casserole and lay on the bottom some grated cheese

and grated bread. Alternate the layers of cheese with macaroni and on

the top layer of macaroni put more cheese and bread grated. Over the

whole pour some melted butter, cover the casserole, (or =pyrex= plate)

and put it in the oven with a low fire. Keep for ten minutes or more,

until the top appears browned.

MACARONI NAPOLITAINE

(Maccheroni alla Napoletana)

Grind 1/4 lb. salt pork or bacon and fry it out in a saucepan. While it

is frying put one small onion through the grinder. As soon as the pork

begins to brown add the onion, the parsley chopped, a clove (or small

section) of garlic shredded fine, and a few dried mushrooms which have

been softened by soaking in warm water. When the vegetables are very

brown (great care must be taken not to burn the onion, which scorches

very easily) add 1/2 lb. round steak ground coarsely or cut up in little

cubes. When the meat is a good brown color, add some fresh or canned

tomatoes or half a tablespoonful of tomato paste and simmer slowly until

all has cooked down to a thick creamy sauce. It will probably take 3/4

hour. The sauce may be bound together with a little flour if it shows a

tendency to separate.

This sauce is used to dress all kinds of macaroni and spaghetti, also

for boiled rice (see Risotto). The macaroni or spaghetti should be left

unbroken when cooked. If they are too long to fit in the kettle immerse

one end in the boiling salted water and in a very few minutes the ends

of the spaghetti under the water will become softened so that the rest

can be pushed down into the kettle. Be careful not to overcook it, and

it will not be pasty, but firm and tender. Drain it carefully and put in

a hot soup tureen. Sprinkle a handful of grated cheese over it and pour

on the sauce. Lift with two forks until thoroughly mixed.

MACARONI FRIED WITH OIL

(Maccheroni all'olio)

After the macaroni have boiled drain them and put them in a saucepan in

which some good olive oil has already boiled, with a clove of garlic

chopped fine. Let the paste fry, taking care that it doesn't stick to

the bottom of the saucepan, and when it is well browned on one side,

turn it to have the other side browned. Serve the macaroni very hot. Add

no cheese.

RISOTTO MILANAISE

(Risotto alla Milanese)

Melt a small piece of butter in a saucepan. Brown in the butter a medium

sized onion, cut in thin slices. When the onion is browned, take it away

from the saucepan and add little by little the rice, stirring it with a

wooden spoon. Every time that the rice becomes dry, add some hot broth

(or hot water) until the rice is completely cooked. Add salt and pepper

and a little saffron, if you like it.

When the rice is almost cooked, add to it some brown stock. Dress with

parmesan cheese and some butter. Mix well and serve hot. This dish must

not be allowed to be overcooked or cooled before eating.

RISOTTO WITH CHICKEN GIBLETS

(Risotto alla Milanese II)

The broth for this risotto may be made by cooking together the giblets,

neck and tips of wings of a chicken which is to be roasted, or it may be

made from the left-overs of roast fowl.

Boil the rice until it is about half done in salted water. Then let the

water cook away and begin adding the broth, in such quantity that the

rice will be nearly dry when it is tender. Fry one chopped onion in the

oil or fat. Some mushrooms cut up small are a very good addition to this

"=Soffritto=". Mince the chicken giblets and add to the onion. Stir the

mixture into the rice. Add grated cheese and a beaten egg just as the

rice is taken from the fire.

(Risotto con piselli)

Wash and dry 1-1/2 lb. rice; chop fine one medium sized onion and put it

on the fire with a small quantity of butter.

When the onion is well browned, add the rice little by little, stirring

with a wooden spoon. Add some boiling water one cup at a time. Drain the

peas previously prepared (fresh or canned peas may be used) and add them

toward the end of the cooking. When the whole is almost cooked, add some

salt and take it away from the water almost dry. Add some butter, stir

and serve hot.

RISOTTO WITH LOBSTER

(Risotto coi gamberi)

For this risotto either lobster or crab meat can be used: the former is,

however, considered more tasty. The lobster or crab meat ought to be

about half the weight of the rice employed. A little more than a pound

of rice and half this weight of crab meat ought to be enough for six

persons.

Chop fine a sprig of parsley, a stalk of celery, one carrot, half an

onion a clove of garlic and brown the whole in good olive oil. When

browned, add the crab meat and season with salt and pepper. During the

cooking process stir and turn over the crabs, and when they have become

red, pour over as much hot water as is necessary to cook the rice.

After the water boils for a while, remove the lobster (or crab, or

craw-fish) leaving the saucepan on the fire. Put half of the crabs

aside, and grind the rest. Rub the ground meat through the sieve and put

it back on the fire. In another saucepan melt some butter and put into

it little by little the rice that has been washed and dried. Stir and

add the broth from the first saucepan. When the rice is almost cooked

add the craw-fish that you have put aside, or rather its meat extracted

from the shells, take from the fire and pour over it the fish mixture,

adding some grated cheese.

RICE WITH SAFFRON

(Riso alla Milanese con Zafferano)

Wash and dry the rice and put it in boiling broth (beef or chicken

broth). When the rice is half cooked add half its weight of marrow of

beef bone, cut into small pieces. A few minutes are sufficient for the

cooking of the marrow. Add grated cheese and remove the kettle from the

fire.

Dissolve some saffron in one or two tablespoonfuls of broth; sift it

through a sieve and mix with rice, which is to be served very hot, and

makes an excellent soup.

RICE CAKES

(Frittelle di riso)

Cook the rice in milk, adding a small quantity of butter, some salt,

half a teaspoon of sugar and just a taste of lemon peel. Let the rice

cool down after being thoroughly cooked, then add three yolks of eggs

(for 1/4 lb. of rice) and some flour. Mix well and let the whole rest

for several hours. When about to fry, beat the white of the eggs to a

froth, add to the rice mixing slowly, and put into the saucepan with a

ladle.

FRIED ARTICHOKE

(Carciofi fritti)

Take two artichokes, cut out the hard part of the leaves and of the

stalk, cut them in two. Then cut these halves into section or slices so

as to have eight or ten for each artichoke, according to size. As you

cut them, throw them into cold water and when they are well washed, dry

them, but not thoroughly, putting them at once into the flour so that

the latter remains attached to it. Beat the white of an egg, but not to

a froth, then mix the yolk with the white and salt the whole. Shake out

the artichokes to take away the superfluous flour and then put them in

the egg, leaving them for a while so that the egg may be attached to

them.

Throw the pieces one by one into the pan where there is boiling fat,

butter or olive oil, and when they are well browned, take them away and

serve with lemon. If it is desired that the artichokes remain white, it

is better to fry them in oil and to squeeze half lemon into the water

where the artichokes are put to soften.

STEAMED ARTICHOKES

(Carciofi a vapore)

Artichokes have been only recently imported to the United States,

principally by Italian farmers, and they are just beginning to find

their way into the American kitchen. The artichokes may be eaten raw or

cooked. It is a healthy and palatable vegetable, easily digested when

cooked. It is nutritious and adapted for convalescents. It may be

prepared in a thousand ways, and here follow some of the simplest and

most tasteful.

To prepare the steamed artichokes they must first be cleaned and the

stalk cut to less than half an inch. Put them in a saucepan, standing on

their bottoms, one near the other, in half an inch or more of water. In

an opening made in the middle put salt and pepper, and pour inside as

much good olive oil as they may contain. Cover well the saucepan and put

it on the fire. The artichokes, that are already seasoned, will be

cooked by the steam.

STEWED ARTICHOKES

(Carciofi in stufato)

Wash the artichokes and cut the hard part of the leaves (the top). Widen

the leaves and insert a hash composed of bread crumbs, parsley, salt,

pepper and oil. Place the artichokes in the saucepan standing on their

stalk, one touching the other. Cover them with water and let them cook

for two hours or more. When the leaves are easily detached they are

cooked.

ARTICHOKES WITH BUTTER

(Carciofi al burro)

Wash, dry and cut out the top of the leaves of as many artichokes as are

needed. Cut them in two or four and boil them in salt water. When

tender, drain them, have them slightly browned in melted butter and

season with salt and pepper.

When served in a vegetable dish or placed in a pyramid on a round plate,

sprinkle with grated cheese.

FRIED SQUASH

(Zucchine fritte)

The squashes used by Italians for frying and other purposes are very

small, and for this reason they are called "Zucchine" or small squashes.

They can be bought at those shops kept by Italian vegetable dealers that

are now to be found in large number in most American cities and,

invariably, in Italian neighborhoods during the summer season. The

"Zucchine" are an extremely tasty vegetable and they are especially good

when fried.

Select the squashes that are long and thin: wash them cut them in little

strips less than half an inch thick. Take away the softer part of the

interior and salt moderately. Leave them aside for an hour or two, then

drain them but don't dry them. Put them in flour and rub gently in a

sieve to take away the superfluous flour: immediately after put them in

a saucepan where there is already oil, fat or butter boiling. At the

beginning don't touch them to avoid breaking, and only when they have

become a little hardened stir them and remove when they begin to be

browned.

LAMB OMELET

(Agnello in frittata)

Cut in little pieces a loin of lamb, which is the part that lends itself

best for this dish, and fry in lard: a little quantity of lard is

sufficient, because the meat of the loins is rather fat. When half

cooked season with salt and pepper and when fully cooked pour over four

or five whole eggs slightly beaten also seasoned moderately with salt

and pepper. Mix, taking care that the eggs do not harden.

FRIED CHICKEN

(Pollo fritto)

Wash a spring chicken and keep in boiling water for one minute. Cut into

pieces at the joints, roll them in flour, season with salt and pepper

and dip in two whole beaten eggs. After leaving the pieces of chicken

for half an hour, roll them in bread crumbs, repeating the operation

twice if necessary. Put into a saucepan with boiling oil or fat, seeing

that the pieces of chicken are well browned on both sides. Keep the fire

low. Serve hot with lemon.

CHICKEN ALLA CACCIATORA

(Pollo alla cacciatora)

Chop one large onion and keep it for more than half an hour in cold

water, then dry it and brown it aside. Cut up a chicken, sprinkle the

pieces with flour, salt and pepper and sauté, in the fat which remains

in the frying pan. When the chicken is brown add one pint fresh or

canned tomatoes and half a dozen sweet green peppers and put back the

onion. When the gravy is thick enough add hot water to prevent the

burning of the vegetables. Cover the pan tightly and simmer until the

chicken is very tender. This is an excellent way to cook tough chickens.

Fowls which have been boiled may be cooked in this way, but of course

young and tender chickens will have the finer flavor.

CORN MEAL WITH SAUSAGES

(Polenta con salsicce)

Cook in water one cup of yellow cornmeal making a stiff mush. Salt it

well and when it is cooked spread out to cool on a bread board about

half an inch thick. Then cut the mush into small squares.

Put in a saucepan several whole sausages with a little water, and when

they are cooked skin and crush them and add some brown stock or tomato

sauce.

Put the polenta (or cornmeal mush) in a fireproof receptacle, season

with grated cheese, the crushed sausages and a piece of butter. Put it

in the oven and serve when hot.

POLENTA PIE

(Polenta Pasticciata)

Make a very stiff mush of cornmeal cooked in milk. Salt it well and

spread out on the bread board in a sheet about one inch thick. When

cold, cut in little diamonds or squares and place these in a buttered

baking dish. Prepare the =Bolognese sauce= according to the following

recipe: Chop 1/4 lb. round steak, a slice of pork or bacon, one small

carrot 1/4 onion, one large piece celery. Put the meat and vegetables

over the fire with a piece of butter. When the meat has browned add half

a tablespoon of flour and wet the mixture with hot water or broth,

allowing it to simmer from half an hour to an hour. It is done when it

is the consistency of a thick gravy.

Make a smooth white sauce with milk cornstarch and butter. Over a layer

of the polenta, cut as above and placed in the baking dish sprinkle

some grated cheese and a few tablespoons each of the white sauce and the

meat sauce. Repeat until the dish is full. Bake until the top is nicely

browned. This dish seems very elaborate, but it is very delicious and a

meal in itself.

The Bolognese sauce is also used to season macaroni or spaghetti in lieu

of the tomato sauce or the brown stock.

STUFFED ROLLS

(Pagnottelle ripiene)

Take some rolls, and by means of a round opening on the top, as large as

a half dollar piece or less, extract nearly all the crumb, leaving the

crust intact, but not too thin. Wet inside and outside with hot milk,

and when they are fairly soaked, dip in beaten eggs and fry them in lard

or oil. When beginning to brown, fill them with meat that has been

previously chopped and cooked. This chopped meat ought to be made with

breast of chicken, chicken giblets, liver etc., brown stock and some

flour to hold it together.

STEWED VEAL

(Stracotto di vitella)

The stock from this dish may very well be used to season macaroni or

boiled rice. Care must be taken, however, not to draw away all the

juice of the meat in order to have a sauce too rich at the expense of

the principal dish.

Place in a saucepan one pound of veal or more, bone included, a piece of

butter or some olive oil (or the two together) half a medium sized

onion, one small carrot, two celery stalks cut in small pieces. Season

with salt and pepper. Put it on a low fire, turn the meat over often and

when browned add a pinch of flour and some tomato paste, bringing it to

full cooking with water poured little by little. The flour is used to

keep the sauce together and give it color, but care must be taken not to

burn it, because in that case the sauce would have an unpleasant taste

and a black, instead of a reddish color. The addition of dried

mushrooms, previously softened in the water and slightly boiled in the

sauce will add greatly to its taste.

As has been said the sauce can well be used to season spaghetti or

risotto. The stewed veal can be served with some vegetable.

CHICKEN BONED AND STUFFED

(Pollo dissossato ripieno)

To remove the bones from a chicken the following instructions will be

found useful.

Wash and singe the fowl: take off the head and legs, and remove the

tendons. When a fowl is to be boned it is not drawn. The work of boning

is not difficult, but it requires practice. The skin must not be broken.

Use a small pointed knife cut the skin down the full length of the back;

then, beginning at the neck, carefully scrape the meat away from the

bone, keeping the knife close to the bone. When the joints of the wings

and legs are met, break them back and proceed to free the meat from the

carcass. When one side is free, turn the fowl and do the same on the

other side. The skin is drawn tightly over the breast-bone, and care

must be used to detach it without piercing the skin. When the meat is

free from the carcass, remove the bones from the legs and wings, turning

the meat down or inside out, as the bones are exposed, and using care

not to break the skin at the joints. The end bones of the wing cannot be

removed, and the whole end joint may be cut off or left as it is.

Now that the fowl is boned make the following stuffing, regulating the

quantity on the size of the chicken. Chop half a pound or more, of lean

veal, and grind it afterwards, so that it may make a paste. Add a large

piece of bread crumb soaked in broth, a tablespoon of grated cheese,

three yolks of egg, salt, pepper and, if desired, just a taste of

nutmeg. Finally mix also one or two slices of ham and tongue, cut in

small pieces. Stuff the boned chicken with this filling, sew up the

opening, wrap it tightly in a cloth and put to cook in water on a low

fire. When taken from the water, remove the wrapping and brown it, first

with butter, then in a sauce made in the following way: Break all the

bones that have been extracted from the chicken, the head and neck

included, and put them on the fire with dried meat cut in little pieces,

butter, onion, celery and carrot, seasoned with salt and pepper. Make

the sauce with the water in which the chicken has been boiled, which has

naturally become a good chicken broth.

Before sending to the table, remove the thread with which the chicken

has been sewed.

CHICKEN WITH TOMATOES

(Pollo alla contadina)

Take a young chicken and make some little holes in the skin in which you

will put some sprigs of rosemary and a clove of garlic cut into five or

six pieces. Put it on the fire with chopped lard and season with salt

and pepper inside and outside. When it is well browned on all parts add

tomatoes cut in pieces, taking care to remove previously all the seeds.

Moisten with broth or water. Brown some potatoes in oil, fat or butter,

previously cutting them into sections. When browned dip in the sauce of

the chicken and serve the whole together.

CHICKEN WITH SHERRY

(Pollo al marsala)

Cut the chicken in big pieces and put it in the saucepan with one medium

sized onion chopped fine and a piece of butter. Season with salt and

pepper and, when it is well browned, add some broth and complete the

cooking. Remove the excessive fat from the sauce by sifting through a

sieve or otherwise, and put the chicken back on the fire with a glass of

Sherry or Marsala wine, removing it from the fire as soon as the sauce

begins to boil.

CHICKEN WITH SAUSAGES

(Pollo colle salsicce)

Chop fine half an onion and put it in a saucepan with a piece of butter

and four or five slices of ham, half an inch wide. Over these

ingredients place a whole chicken, season with pepper and a little salt

and place on the fire. Brown it on all sides and, when the onion is all

melted, add water or broth and three or four sausages freshly made. Let

it cook on a low fire, seeing that the sauce remains liquid and does not

dry up.

CHICKEN WITH EGG SAUCE

(Pollo in salsa d'uova)

Break into pieces a young chicken and put it in the saucepan with a

piece of butter. Season with salt and pepper. When it is half browned

sprinkle with a pinch of flour to give it color, then complete the

cooking with broth. Remove it from the same and put it on a plate. Beat

the yolk of one egg with the piece of half a lemon and pour it on the

sauce of the chicken, allowing it to simmer for some minutes. Then pour

on the chicken and serve hot.

CHICKEN BREASTS SAUTÉS

(Petti di pollo alla sauté)

Cut the breast of a fowl in very thin slices, give them the best

possible shape and make a whole piece from the little pieces that will

remain, cleaning well the breast-bone, crushing and mixing these. Season

with salt and pepper and dip the slices in beaten eggs, leaving them for

a few hours. Sprinkle with bread crumbs ground fine and sauté in butter.

Serve with lemon.

If you want this dish more elaborate prepare a sauce in the following

way: Put some good olive oil in a frying pan, just enough to cover the

bottom, and cover the oil with a layer of dry mushrooms. Sprinkle over

a small quantity of grated cheese and some bread crumbs. Repeat the same

operation three or four times, according to the quantity, and finally

season with olive oil, salt and pepper and small pieces of butter. Put

the pan over the fire and when it has begun to boil pour a small cup of

brown stock or broth and a little lemon juice. Remove the same from the

fire and pour it on the chicken breast that have been browned as

described above.

WILD DUCK

(Anitra selvatica)

Clean the duck, putting aside the giblets, and cut off the head and

legs. Chop fine a thick slice of ham with both lean and fat together,

with a moderate amount of celery, parsley, carrot and half medium sized

onion. Put the chopped ham and vegetables in a saucepan and lay the duck

on the whole, seasoning with salt and pepper. Brown on all sides and add

water to complete the cooking.

Cabbage or lentils, cooked in water and afterward allowed to complete

the cooking in the sauce obtained from the duck, form a good addition.

To remove the "gamey" taste from the wild duck, either wash it in

vinegar before cooking or scald it in boiling water.

STEWED SQUABS

(Piccioni in umido)

Garnish the squabs with whole sage leaves and place them in a saucepan

over a bed of small slices of ham containing both lean and fat, season

with salt, pepper and olive oil. Place on the fire and when they begin

to be browned, add a piece of butter and complete the cooking by pouring

in some good broth. Before removing from the fire squeeze one lemon over

them and garnish with squares or diamonds of toasted bread. Take care

not to add too much salt on account of the ham and the broth both

containing salt.

=Note=--Many of these dishes, it will be noticed, are made with broth.

When meat broth is not available, it can be prepared with bouillon cubes

or with Liebig or Armour Extracts. It is, however, always preferable to

use broth made with fresh meat.

RAGOUT OF SQUABS

(Manicaretto di piccione)

Cut two or more squabs at the joints, preferably in four parts each, and

put them on the fire with a slice of ham, a piece of butter, and a bunch

of parsley. When they begin to dry, add some broth and--before they are

completely cooked--their giblets and fresh mushrooms cut in slices.

Continue pouring in broth and allow the whole to simmer on a low fire.

Add another piece of butter over which some flour has been sprinkled, or

flour alone. Before serving, remove the ham and the bunch of greens and

squeeze some lemon juice over the squabs.

Some sweetbread may be added with good effect, but it must be first

scalded and the skin removed.

SQUAB TIMBALE

(Timballo di piccioni)

Chop together some ham, onion, celery and carrot, add a piece of butter

and place on the fire with one or two squabs, according to the number of

guests. Add the giblets from the squabs and some more of chicken, if at

hand. Season with salt and pepper, and when the pigeons are browned,

pour over some broth to complete the cooking, taking care, however, that

the sauce does not become too liquid. Remove the latter and place in it

some macaroni that has been half cooked and drained. Keep the macaroni

in the sauce on the fire, stirring them. Make a well reduced Béchamel

sauce, then cut the squabs at the joints, removing the neck, the legs

and the bones of the back, when you would not bone them entirely, which

would be better. Cut the giblets in small pieces and remove the soft

part of the onion.

When the macaroni have absorbed the sauce, season them with grated

cheese, pieces of butter, diamonds or squares of ham, a taste of nutmeg

and some truffles or dry mushrooms previously softened in water. Add

finally the Béchamel sauce and mix the whole.

Take a sufficiently large mold, butter it and line it with soft pastry.

Put everything in the mold, or timbale, cover it with the same pastry

and put in the oven. Take out of the mold and serve hot. Three quarters

of a pound of macaroni and two pigeons are enough for ten persons.

SALMI OF GAME

(Uccelli in salmi)

Roast the game completely, seasoning with salt and pepper. If the game

be small birds, leave them whole, if big cut them in four parts. Remove

all the heads and grind them together with some pieces of birds, or some

whole little birds. Put in a saucepan one tablespoonful of butter one

half pound of bacon or ham cut into dice, brown stock or broth, one

tablespoonful each of chopped onion and carrot, one tablespoonful each

of salt, thyme and sage. Allow the sauce to simmer for half an hour

then rub it through a sieve and place in it the roasted game. Make it

boil until the cooking is completed and serve with toasted diamonds of

bread.

STEWED HARE

(Stufato di lepre)

Take half of a good sized hare and, after cutting it in pieces, chop

fine one medium sized onion, one clove of garlic, a stalk of celery and

several leaves of rosemary. Put on the fire with some pieces of butter,

two tablespoonfuls of olive oil and four or five strips of bacon or salt

pork, when the whole has been browning for four or five minutes, put the

pieces of hare inside the saucepan and season them with salt, pepper and

spices. When it is browned, put a wineglass of white wine, some fresh

mushrooms, or dry mushrooms previously softened in water. Complete the

cooking with broth and tomato sauce and, if necessary, add another piece

of butter.

STEWED RABBIT

(Coniglio in umido)

After washing the rabbit, cut it in rather large pieces and put it on

the fire to drive away the water that is to be drained. When quite dry,

put in the saucepan a piece of butter, a little oil, and a hash

composed of the liver of the rabbit itself, a small piece of corned beef

and some onion, celery, carrot and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir often and when it is browned add some tomato sauce and another

piece of butter.

GREEN SAUCE

(Salsa verde)

Chop all together some capers that have been in vinegar, one anchovy, a

small slice of onion and just a taste of garlic. Crush the resulting

hash with the blade of a knife to make it very fine. Add a sprig of

parsley, chopped together with some leaves of basil and dissolve the

whole in very good olive oil and lemon juice.

This sauce is excellent to season boiled chicken or cold boiled fish or

hard boiled eggs.

Green Peppers can take the place of capers, if these are not at hand.

WHITE SAUCE

(Salsa bianca)

This sauce can be served with boiled asparagus or with cauliflower. The

ingredients are 1/4 lb. of butter, a tablespoonful of flour, a

tablespoonful vinegar, one yolk of egg, salt and pepper, broth or water

in sufficient quantity.

Put first on the fire the flour with half the butter and when it begins

to be browned pour over it the broth or the water little by little,

stirring with the wooden spoon and adding the rest of the butter and the

vinegar without making the water boil too much. When taken off the fire

add the yolk of the egg, stir and serve.

YELLOW SAUCE

(Salsa gialla)

This sauce is especially good for boiled fish, and the quantities

indicated below are sufficient for a piece of fish or a whole fish

weighing about a pound.

Put on the fire in a little saucepan one teaspoonful of flour and two

ounces of butter, and when the flour begins to be browned, pour over it

little by little one cup of the broth of the fish, that is to say of the

water in which the fish has been boiled. When you see that the flour

does not rise in the boiling water, take away the sauce from the flour

and pour over two tablespoonfuls of olive oil and the yolk of an egg,

stirring and mixing everything well. Squeeze in the sauce half a lemon

and season generously with salt and pepper. Let it cool and then pour

over the fish that is to be served with a sprig of parsley.

This sauce must have the appearance of a cream and must not be too

liquid, in order that it may remain attached to the fish.

SAUCE FOR BROILED FISH

(Salsa per pesce in gratella)

This sauce is composed of yolks of eggs, salted anchovies, olive oil and

lemon juice. Boil the eggs in their shell for ten minutes and for every

hard yolk take one large anchovy or two small. Bone the anchovies and

rub them on the sieve together with the hard (or semi-hard) yolks, and

dissolve all with oil and lemon juice to reduce it like a cream. Cover

with this sauce the broiled fish before sending to the table, or serve

aside in a gravy boat.

CAPER SAUCE

(Salsa con capperi)

This sauce is especially adapted for boiled fish and the quantities are

for a little more than one pound of fish. The ingredients are two ounces

of butter, two ounces of capers soaked in vinegar one teaspoonful of

flour, salt, pepper and vinegar.

Boil the fish and, when it is left warm in its broth, prepare the sauce.

Put on the fire the flour with half of the butter, mix it and when it

begins to take color, add the remaining butter.

Let boil a little and then pour one half cup of the broth of the fish:

season generously with salt and pepper and take the saucepan from the

fire. Then throw in it the capers, half whole, half chopped, and some

drops of vinegar, but taste it to dose the sauce so that it is pleasant

to the taste and as thick as liquid cream.

It is well to observe here that these sauces in which butter is used

together with acids, such as vinegar, are not for weak stomachs and

should be partaken of sparingly.

GENOVESE SAUCE

(Salsa genovese)

Chop fine a sprig of parsley and half a clove of garlic. Then mix with

some capers soaked in vinegar, one anchovy, one hard yolk of egg, three

pitless olives, a crumb of bread as big as an egg, soaked in vinegar.

Grind all these ingredients, rub through a sieve and dissolve in olive

oil, dosing right by tasting.

BALSAMELLA SAUCE

(Salsa balsamella)

This sauce resembles the famous French Béchamel Sauce, but it is simpler

in its composition.

Put in a saucepan one tablespoonful of flour and a piece of butter as

big as an egg. Stir the flour and the butter together while keeping them

over the fire. When the flour begins to be browned, pour over a pint of

milk, continually stirring with a wooden spoon until you see the liquid

condensed like a cream. This is the =Balsamella=. If it is too thick add

some milk, if too liquid put back on the fire with another piece of

butter dipped in flour.

A good =Balsamella= and some well prepared brown stock are the base and

the principal secret of many savory dishes.

CURLED OMELET

(Frittata in riccioli)

The Italian Cook Book The Art of Eating Well; Practical Recipes of the Italian Cuisine, Pastries, Sweets, Frozen Delicacies, and Syrups · 第 1 / 6 段