Take one tablespoon of flour, and one tablespoon of butter. Put them
into a saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon until they have become a
golden-brown color. Then add, a little at a time, one pint of milk;
stir constantly until the sauce is as thick as custard, and is white
in color. If it grows too thick, a little more milk may be added; or
if it is too thin, a tiny lump of butter rolled in flour will thicken
it.
Now take the cold Indian meal and cut it into squares about two inches
across. Take a baking-dish of medium depth, butter well, then put in a
layer of squares of Indian meal close together, to entirely cover the
bottom of the dish. Sprinkle over it grated cheese; then pour on the
top enough meat sauce to cover the layer (about two tablespoons), then
on the top of this add a layer of Bechamel sauce. Then put another
layer of the squares of Indian meal, sprinkle with grated cheese as
before, add meat sauce, then Bechamel sauce, and continue in this way
until the baking-dish is full, having for the top layer the Bechamel
sauce. Put the dish into a moderate oven, and bake until it is a
golden brown on top.
POLENTA CAKE
(_Migliaccio di Farina Gialla_)
2 cups of coarse Indian meal
1/2 cup of raisins
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 teaspoons of sugar (granulated)
3 tablespoons of lard
Mix the salt, sugar, and raisins with the Indian meal in a bowl, then
pour in boiling water, a little at a time, and stir well with a wooden
spoon until you have a stiff paste and no dry meal remains sticking to
the bottom of the bowl.
Then take a cake-tin and grease it well with one-half of the lard.
Then turn out the Indian meal into the pan, and even it out with the
wooden spoon. Spread on the top of this the rest of the lard, softened
slightly so as you can spread it easily. Cook in a slow oven until a
golden brown. Serve hot.
GNOCCHI OF FARINA
(_Gnocchi di Semolina_)
1 pint of milk
1 egg
1/2 cup of farina
Butter and cheese
Put the milk on, and when it boils add salt. Take a wooden spoon and,
stirring constantly, add the farina little by little. Cook for ten
minutes, stirring constantly. Take off the fire and break into the
farina one egg; mix very quickly, so that the egg will not have time
to set. Spread the farina onto the breadboard about the height of a
finger. Allow it to cool, then cut it into squares or diamonds about
two or three inches across. Butter well a baking-dish, and put in the
bottom a layer of the squares of farina; sprinkle over a little grated
Parmesan cheese (or Gruyere), and put here and there a small dab of
butter. Then put in another layer of the squares of farina; add cheese
and butter as before. Continue in this way until your baking-dish is
full, having on the top layer butter and cheese.
Bake in a hot oven until a brown crust forms. Serve in the
baking-dish.