crush them well with the blade of a knife and rub through a sieve adding
good olive oil in abundance little by little, and squeeze in one whole
lemon, so that the sauce should remain liquid. Finally mix in some
capers soaked in vinegar.
Serve the veal cold, in thin slices, with the sauce.
The stock of the veal can be rubbed through a sieve and used for
risotto.
91
STUFFED ITALIAN SQUASH
(Zucchini ripieni)
For a description of the =Zucchini= see No. 32.
To make the stuffed zucchini first cut them lengthwise in two halves and
remove the interior pulp, leaving space enough for the filling.
Take some lean veal (quantity in proportion to the squashes) cut it into
pieces and place it on the fire in a saucepan with a hash of onion,
parsley, celery, carrot, a little corned beef cut in little pieces, a
little oil, salt and pepper. Stir it often with a spoon and when the
meat is brown pour in a cup of water and then another after a while.
Then rub the gravy through a sieve and put it aside.
Chop the cooked meat fine and grind it in the grinder and make a hash of
it and one egg, a little grated cheese, a crumb of bread boiled in milk
or in soup stock and just a taste of nutmeg. Put this hash inside each
half squash and put them to brown in butter, completing the cooking with
the gravy set aside.
92
STRING BEANS AND SQUASHES SAUTÉ
(Fagiolini e zucchini sauté)
Brown in butter some string beans, that have been previously half cooked
in water and some raw squashes cut in cubes. Put the squashes in only
when the butter is beginning to brown. Season moderately with salt and
butter and add some brown stock or good tomato sauce.
93
STRING BEANS WITH EGG SAUCE
(Fagiuolini in salsa d'uovo)
Take less than a pound of string beans, cutting off the two points and
removing all the strings, and then cook them partially in water
moderately salted. Take them from the kettle, drain, and brown with
butter, salt and pepper. Beat one yolk with a teaspoonful of flour and
the juice of half a small lemon, dilute with half a cup of cold broth
from which the fat has been removed and put this liquid on the fire in a
small saucepan stirring continually. When the liquid has become, through
the cooking, like a cream, pour it on the string beans that you will
keep on the fire a little longer, with the sauce. The string beans so
prepared can be served with boiled beef.
94
STRING BEANS IN MOLD
(Sformato di fagiolini)
Take one pound of string beans, seeing that they are quite tender. Cut
off the ends and remove the strings. Throw them into boiling water with
a pinch of salt and when they are half cooked take them away and put
them in cold water. If you have brown stock complete the cooking with
this and with butter, otherwise brown a piece of onion, some parsley, a
piece of celery and olive oil. When the onion is browned put in the
string beans and complete the cooking with a little water if necessary.
Prepare a =Balsamella= sauce (No. 54) with a small piece of butter,
half a teaspoonful of flour and half a cup of milk. With this, a
tablespoonful of grated cheese and four beaten eggs bind the string
beans when they are cold, mix and put in a mold, evenly greased with
butter and the bottom covered with paper. Cook in a double boiler and
serve hot.
95
CAULIFLOWER IN MOLD
(Sformato di cavolfiore)
Take a good sized cauliflower, remove the stalk and outside leaves, half
cook it in water and then cut it into small pieces. Salt them and put
them to brown with a little piece of butter and then complete the
cooking with a cup of milk. Then rub them through a sieve. Prepare a
=Balsamella= (No. 54) and add it to the cauliflower with 3 beaten eggs
and a tablespoonful of grated cheese.
Cook in a greased mold and serve hot.
96
ARTICHOKES IN MOLD
(Sformato di carciofi)
Remove the outside leaves of the artichokes, the harder part of all
leaves, and clean the stalks without removing them.
Cut each artichoke into four parts and put them to boil in salt water
for only five minutes. If left longer on the fire they become too soaked
in water and lose their taste. Remove from the water, drain them, grind
or pound and rub them through a sieve. Season the pulp so obtained with
two or three beaten eggs, two or three tablespoonfuls of =Balsamella=
(No. 54) grated cheese, salt and a taste of nutmeg, but taste the
seasoning several times to see that it is correctly dosed.
Place in a mold with brown stock or meat gravy (in that case use a mold
with a hole) and cook in double boiler.
97
FRIED MUSHROOMS
(Funghi fritti)
Choose middle-sized mushrooms, which are also of the right ripeness:
when they are too big they are too soft and if small they are too hard.
Scrape the stems, wash them carefully but do not keep in water, for then
they would lose their pleasant odor. Then cut them in rather large
slices and dip them in flour before putting in the frying pan. Olive oil
is best for frying mushrooms and the seasoning is composed exclusively
of salt and pepper to be applied when they are frying. They can also be
dipped in beaten eggs after being sprinkled with flour, but this is
superfluous.
98
STEWED MUSHROOMS
(Funghi in umido)
For a stew the mushrooms ought to be below middle-size. Clean, wash and
cut as for the preceding. Put a saucepan on the fire with olive oil, one
or two cloves of oil and some mint leaves. When the oil begins to
splutter, put the mushrooms in without dipping in flour, season with
salt and pepper and when they are half cooked pour in some tomato sauce.
Be sparing however, with the seasoning, in order that the mushrooms do
not absorb it too much and so lose some of their own delicate flavor.
99
DRIED MUSHROOMS
(Funghi secchi)
Mushrooms are an excellent condiment of various dishes and for this
reason it is well to have some always at hand. Since, however, it is
not always possible to have them fresh, the following recipe to prepare
dried mushrooms will be found useful.
First of all wait until there is a sunny day. Choose young mushrooms
middle sized or big, but not too soft. Scrape the stem, clean them well
in order to remove the earth and, without washing cut them in big
pieces. This because when dried they diminish considerably in size. Keep
these pieces exposed in the sun for two or three days, then thread them
on a string (practising a hole in them) and keep in a well ventilated
room or in the sun until they become quite dry. Then put them away well
closed in a paper bag, but don't fail to look at them from time to time
to see if it is necessary to expose them some more to sun and
ventilation.
To use them soften in warm water, but keep them in as little as
possible, so that they do not lose their delicate flavor. The best time
to dry the mushrooms is June or July.
100
FRIED EGG-PLANTS
(Melanzane fritte)
Egg-plant or, as they are also called, mad-apples are an excellent
vegetable which may be used as dressing or as a dish by itself. Small or
middle-sized egg-plants are to be preferred, as the big ones have
sometimes a slightly bitter taste.
Remove the skin, cut into cubes, salt and leave them in a plate for a
few hours. Then wipe them to remove the juice that they have thrown out,
dip in flour and fry in oil.
101
STEWED EGG-PLANTS
(Melanzane in umido)
Remove the skin, cut them into cubes and place on the fire with a piece
of butter. When this is all absorbed, complete the cooking with tomato
sauce (No. 12).
102
EGG-PLANTS IN THE OVEN
(Melanzane al forno)
Skin five or six egg-plants, cut them in round slices and salt them so
that they throw out the water that they contain. After a few hours dip
in flour and frying oil.
Take a fireproof vase or baking tin and place the slices in layers, with
grated cheese between each layer, abundantly seasoned with tomato sauce
(No. 12).
Beat one egg with a pinch of salt, a tablespoonful of tomato sauce, a
teaspoonful of grated cheese and two of crumbs of bread, and cover the
upper layer with this sauce. Put the vase in the oven and when the egg
is coagulated, serve hot.
103
DRESSING OF CELERY
(Sedano per contorno)
The following are three ways to prepare celery to be served as seasoning
or seasoning for meat dishes. For the first two make the pieces about
four inches long, and two inches for the third. The stalk must be
skinned, cut crosswise and left attached to the rib of the celery. Boil
it in water moderately salted not over five minutes and remove dry.
1. Put the celery to brown in butter, then complete the cooking with
brown stock (No. 13) and sprinkle with grated cheese when serving.
2. Put in saucepan a piece of butter and a hash made with ham and a
middle sized onion, chopped fine. Add two cloves and make it boil. When
the onion is browned add soup stock or hot water with bouillon cubes and
complete the cooking. Then rub everything through a sieve and put the
gravy in a plate with the celery, seasoning with pepper only, as the
salt is already in the ham and serve with the gravy.
3. Dip the celery in flour and in the paste for frying (No. 58) and fry
in fat or oil. Or else dip in flour and then in beaten egg, wrap in
bread crumbs and fry.
104
ARTICHOKES WITH SAUCE
(Carciofi in salsa)
Remove the hard leaves of the artichokes, cut the points and skin the
stalk. Divide each artichoke into four parts or six if they are big, and
put them on the fire with butter in proportion, seasoning with salt and
pepper. Shake the saucepan to turn them and when they have absorbed a
good part of the melted butter, pour in some broth to complete the
cooking. Remove them dry, and in the gravy that remains put a pinch of
chopped parsley, one or two teaspoonfuls of cheese grated fine, lemon
juice, more salt and pepper if needed, and, mixing the whole, make it
simmer for a while. Then remove the sauce from the fire and add one or
two yolks of egg, according to the quantity and put back on the fire
with more broth to make the sauce loose. Put the artichokes in the sauce
this second time to heat them and serve especially as a side-dish for
boiled meat.
105
STUFFED ARTICHOKES
(Carciofi ripieni)
Cut the stalk at the base, remove the small outside leaves and wash the
artichokes. Then cut the top and open the internal leaves so that you
can cut the bottom with a small knife and remove the hairy part if it is
there. Keep aside the small interior leaves to put them with the
stuffing. This, if to be used, for example, for six artichokes, must be
composed of the above small leaves, 1/8 lb. of ham more lean than fat,
one fourth of a small onion, just a taste of garlic, some leaves of
celery or parsley, a pinch of dry mushrooms, softened in water, a crumb
of bread and a pinch of pepper, but no salt.
First chop the ham, then grind everything together and with the hash
fill the artichokes, and put them to cook standing on their stalks in a
saucepan with some oil, salt and pepper. Some prefer to give the
artichokes a half cooking in water before stuffing it, but it is hardly
advisable, because in this way they lose part of their special flavor.
106
ARTICHOKES STUFFED WITH MEAT
(Carciofi ripieni di carne)
For six artichokes, make the following stuffing:
1/4 lb. lean veal.
Two slices of ham, more fat than lean.
The interior part of the artichokes.
One fourth of onion (small).
Some leaves of parsley.
One pinch of softened dried mushrooms.
One small crumb of bread rolled and sifted.
One pinch of grated cheese.
When the artichokes have been browned with oil alone, pour a little
water and cover with a moistened cloth kept in place by the cover. The
steam that surrounds the artichokes cooks them better.
107
PEAS WITH ONION SAUCE
(Piselli alla francese)
The following recipe is good for one of fresh peas. Take two young
onions, cut them in half, put some stems of parsley in the middle and
tie them. Then put them into the fire with a piece of butter and when
they are browned, pour over a cup of soup stock. Make it boil and when
the onions are softened rub them through a sieve together with the gravy
that you will then put on the fire with the peas and two whole hearts of
lettuce. Season with salt and pepper and let it simmer. When the peas
are half cooked add another piece of butter dipped in a scant
tablespoonful of flour and pour in some broth, if necessary. Before
sending to the table put in two yolks of eggs dissolved in a little
broth.
II
The following recipe is simpler than the preceding, but not so delicate.
Cut an onion in very thin slices and put it on the fire in a saucepan
with a little butter. When it is well browned add a pinch of flour, mix
and then add according to the quantity, a cup or two of soup stock or
water with bouillon cubes and allow the flour to cook. Put in the peas,
season with salt and pepper and add, when they are half cooked, one or
two whole hearts of lettuce. Let it simmer, seeing that the gravy is not
too thick.
Before serving remove the lettuce.
108
PEAS WITH HAM
(Piselli col prosciutto)
Cut in two one or two young onions, according to the quantity of the
peas and put them on the fire with oil and one thick slice of ham cut
into small cubes. Brown until the ham is shrivelled; then put the peas
in, season with a pinch of pepper and very little salt, mix and complete
the cooking with broth, adding a little butter.
Before serving, throw the onion away.
109
PEAS WITH CORNED BEEF
(Piselli con la carne secca)
Put on the fire a hash of corned beef, garlic, parsley and oil, season
with a little salt and pepper and when the garlic is browned, put the
peas in. When they have absorbed the sauce, complete the cooking with
broth or, failing that, with water.
110
STUFFED TOMATOES
(Pomodori ripieni)
Select ripe middle-sized tomatoes, cut them in two equal parts and scoop
out the inside seeds. Season with salt and pepper and fill the tomatoes
with the following hash, in such a way as to make the stuffing come over
the edge of the half tomato:
Make a hash with onion, parsley and celery, put it on the fire with a
piece of butter and when it is browned, put in a small handful of dried
mushrooms previously softened in water and chopped very fine: add a
tablespoonful of bread crumbs soaked in milk, season with salt and
pepper and let the compound simmer, moistening with water if necessary.
When you take from the fire add, when it is still lukewarm, grated
cheese and a beaten yolk (or two) of egg, but seeing that the compound
does not become too liquid.
When the tomatoes are filled, take them in the oven with a little butter
and oil mixed together and serve them as a side-dish for roast beef or
steak.
The stuffed tomatoes can be made simpler with a hash of garlic and
parsley mixed with bread crumbs, salt and pepper and seasoned with oil
when they are in the saucepan.
111
CAULIFLOWER WITH BALSAMELLA
(Cavolfiore colla balsamella)
Remove from a good sized cauliflower the external leaves and the green
ribs, make a deep cut crosswise in the stalk and cook it in salted
water. Then cut it in sections and brown with butter, salt and pepper.
Put it in a baking tin, throw over a small pinch of grated cheese, cover
with the =balsamella= (No. 54) and brown the surface.
Serve this cauliflower as an =entremets= or as a side-dish with boiled
chicken or a stew.
112
STUFFED CABBAGE
(Cavolo ripieno)
Take a big cabbage, remove the hard outside leaves, cut the stem off
even with the leaves and give it half cooking in salt water. Put it
upside down to drain, then open the leaves one by one until the heart is
exposed and on this put the stuffing. Bring up all the leaves, close
them and tie with thread crosswise.
The stuffing can be made with milk veal stewed alone, or with sweetbread
or chicken liver, all chopped fine. To make it more delicate, add some
=balsamella= (No 54) a pinch of grated cheese, one yolk of egg and a
taste of nutmeg. Complete the cooking of the cabbage in the sauce of
this stew, adding a little butter, on a low fire or in the oven kept
low.
Instead of filling the whole cabbage, the larger leaves may be filled
one by one, rolling and tying them.
113
SIDE-DISH OF SPINACH
(Spinaci per contorno)
After cooking the spinach in boiling water and chopping them fine, the
spinach can be cooked in different ways:
1. With butter, salt and pepper, adding a little brown stock, if you
have it, or a few tablespoonfuls of broth, or milk.
2. With onion sauce (onion chopped very fine) and butter.
3. With butter salt and pepper, adding a very small pinch of grated
cheese.
4. With butter, a drop of olive oil and tomato sauce (No. 12) or tomato
paste diluted with soup stock or water.
114
ASPARAGUS
(Sparagi)
Asparagus can be prepared in many different ways, but the simplest and
best is that of boiling them and serving them seasoned with olive oil
and vinegar or lemon juice. However there are other ways as, for
instance, the following: Put them whole to brown a little with the green
part in butter and, after seasoning them with salt, pepper and a pinch
of grated cheese, pour over the melted butter when it is browned. Or
else divide the white from the green part and place them as follows in a
fireproof plate: Dust the bottom with grated cheese and dispose over the
points of the asparagus one near the other; season with salt, pepper,
grated cheese and little pieces of butter. Make another layer of
asparagus and, seasoning in the same way, continue until you have them.
Be moderate in the seasoning. Cross the layers of asparagus like a
trestle, put on the oven and keep until the seasoning, is melted. Serve
hot.
If you have some brown stock, parboil them first and complete the
cooking with brown stock, adding a little bust and dusting moderately
with grated cheese.
115
FISH WITH BREAD CRUMBS
(Pesce col pane grattato)
This, which can also be served as a side-dish, is made especially when
you have boiled fish of good quality left over.
Cut it into little pieces, remove carefully all the bones, then put it
in the =balsamella= (No. 54) and season with enough salt, grated cheese
and some mushrooms chopped fine. If dried mushrooms soften in water
first. Then take a fireproof plate, grease it evenly with butter and
dust with bread crumbs ground fine; pour into it the fish prepared as
above and cover with a thin layer of bread crumbs. Finally put over a
piece of butter, brown in the oven and serve hot.
116
STEWED FISH CUTLETS
(Pesce a taglio in umido)
The fish that can be used for this dish are the tunny, the umber or
grayling, the sword fish and any piece of fish of large size and good
savor. A pound may be sufficient for four or five persons.
Remove the scales, clean and dry well, dip in flour and put to brown in
a little oil. Remove dry, throw away the oil that remains and clean the
saucepan. Make a hash, chopped very fine, with half a middle sized
onion, a piece of white celery and a good pinch of parsley. Put this to
brown on the fire with sufficient oil and season with salt, pepper and
one whole clove. When it is browned put abundant tomato sauce (No 12) or
tomato paste diluted in broth or water. Let it simmer for a while, then
place the fish to complete the cooking, turning it over frequently. The
fish must be served with this thick gravy that ought to be abundant.
117
WHITING WITH ANCHOVY SAUCE
(Merluzzo alla Palermitana)
Take one whiting, one pound or a little more, and trim all the fins,
leaving the tail and the head. Split it to remove the bone, and season
with a little salt and pepper. Turn it on the back, grease with oil,
season with salt and pepper, dust with bread crumbs then lay it with two
tablespoonfuls of oil on a fireproof plate or baking tin.
Take three or four good sized anchovies, bone and clean them, chop them
and put on the fire with two tablespoonfuls of oil, but do not allow it
to boil. With this sauce cover the back of the fish and dust it all with
bread crumbs, putting also some leaves of rosemary. Bake in the oven,
allowing a little crust to form over, but see that it doesn't dry up,
pouring over to this purpose more oil. Before removing from the tin
squeeze half a lemon over.
This dish can be served surrounded by little toast with caviar, or
anchovies and butter.
118
STEWED EEL
(Anguille in umido)
For this dish it is preferable to have good sized eels that must not be
skinned, but cut in small pieces.
Chop some onion and parsley, put it on the fire with oil, salt, and
pepper, and when the onion is browned, add the pieces of eel. Wait until
it has absorbed the taste of the onion sauce and then complete the
cooking with tomato sauce (No. 12).
See that there is plenty of gravy and serve with little squares or
diamonds of toast.
119
EELS WITH PEAS
(Anguille coi piselli)
Cook the eels as above with the onion sauce and when it is cooked remove
it dry to cook the green peas in the sauce. The pieces of eel should be
put back in the sauce to be warmed. No tomato sauce is necessary here.
120
MUSSELS WITH EGG SAUCE
(Arselle in salsa d'uovo)
A good washing with fresh water is sufficient for mussels that do not
have any sand to be cleaned away. Put them on the fire with a sauce of
oil, garlic, parsley and a pinch of pepper. Shake them and keep the
saucepan covered seeing that they do not absorb all of the sauce. Take
them out when they are open and prepare the following sauce: one or more
yolks of egg, according to the quantity, lemon juice, one teaspoonful of
flour, broth and some of their own juice. Cook this sauce until it
becomes a smooth cream and pour it on the mussels when they are served.
121
MUSSELS WITH TOMATO SAUCE
(Arselle alla livornese)
Chop fine half an onion and put it on the fire with oil and a pinch of
pepper. When the onion begins to brown add a pinch of parsley chopped
not very fine and after put in the mussels with tomato sauce (No. 12)
or tomato paste diluted in water. Shake them often and when they are
open, put them over slices of toast prepared beforehand and arranged on
a plate.
122
CODFISH
(Baccalá)
I
Freshen and soak the codfish in cold water, changing the water two or
three times, or, better, keeping it for some time in a vase under
running cold water. Then cut it into pieces as large as the palm of the
hand and dip them in flour until they are well covered. Then put a
kettle or a saucepan on the fire with plenty of oil and two or three
cloves of garlic, whole but a little crushed. When the garlic begins to
brown put in the codfish and brown it on both sides, stirring it often,
so that it doesn't burn. Salt is not necessary, or at least only a
little after tasting, but a little pepper will not be amiss. Finally
pour over some tomato sauce (No. 12) or tomato paste diluted in water,
let it boil a little more and serve.
123
II
The following is another way to prepare the codfish, slightly different
from the preceding. Cut the codfish as above, then put it as it is in
saucepan with some olive oil. Spread over it a hash of garlic and
parsley and season with a pinch of pepper, oil and little pieces of
butter. Cook on a good fire and turn it with care, because, not being
sprinkled with flour, it breaks easily. When it is cooked, squeeze a
lemon over and serve.
124
FRIED CODFISH
(Baccalá fritto)
Place the codfish on the fire--after washing as explained in No. 107--in
a kettle with cold water and as salt, and as soon as the water boils,
remove the codfish.
After boiling cut it in little pieces and remove all the bones. Sprinkle
some flour and dip in a frying paste composed of water, flour and a
little oil. Fry in oil and serve hot.
125
CODFISH CROQUETTES
(Cotolette di baccalá)
Boil as explained above and, if the quantity is one pound or a little
more put together two anchovies and some parsley, chopping everything
together very fine. Add some pepper, a tablespoonful of grated cheese,
three or four tablespoonfuls of pap, composed of bread crumbs in large
pieces, water and butter, and two eggs. Give the compound the form of
several flat cutlets, dip them in beaten egg and in ground bread crumbs.
Fry in oil and serve with lemon, or tomato sauce.
126
FRIED DOG-FISH
(Palombo fritto)
Cut the dog-fish in slices, not very thick, and place it in a plate with
beaten eggs somewhat salted. Leave for some hours until half an hour
before frying, dip the slices in a mixture of bread crumbs, grated
cheese, garlic and parsley chopped fine, salt and pepper. A clove of
garlic is sufficient for one pound of fish. Fry in oil and serve with
lemon.
127
STEWED DOG-FISH
(Palombo in umido)
Cut the dog-fish in rather big pieces and then make a hash of garlic,
parsley and very little onion. Put this hash on the fire with oil and
when it is sufficiently browned, put the pieces of dog-fish and season
with salt and pepper. When the fish is cooked pour over some tomato
sauce (No. 12), let this simmer for a while, then serve.
128
ROAST-BEEF
(Arrosto)