Pastes, Cheese, Etc.
Reading edition
MACARONI WITH CHEESE
(Italian)
Into 2½ quarts of boiling water, well salted, throw ½ lb. of macaroni broken up into pieces. Let it boil 25 minutes, then drain it upon a sieve; replace in a stewpan with 3 ozs. of fresh butter cut in small pieces, 2 ozs. of grated cheese, and a pinch of pepper; mix all with a fork. The macaroni must not be broken. Add ½ cup of cream. Serve hot.
Note:—Macaroni should be tender but not pasty; it should possess a certain crispness; obtain this by passing cold water over it when it is in the sieve and quickly returning it to the saucepan.
MACARONI
(Milanaise)
Break up ½ lb. macaroni into pieces about ¼ of an inch long. Boil in salted water 25 minutes. Drain on a sieve. Put it back in the stewpan with a cupful of tomato sauce and 2 oz. of ham cut into dice. Let it simmer a few minutes, then add 2½ oz. of butter and the same of grated cheese.
POLENTA WITH CHEESE
(Italian)
Add to 1½ pints of salted, boiling water, ½ lb. of Indian meal, sprinkling it in a little at a time. Let it cook until thick.
With a tablespoon form it into small lumps; arrange them on a dish, sprinkle them with grated cheese, and pour over them some butter cooked brown, but not burnt. Put the dish in the oven a few minutes to melt the cheese before serving.
LENTIL CROQUETTES
Put in cold water ½ a cup of dried beans or lentils and let soak overnight. Boil them 1½ hours or until tender. Pass them through a sieve; add ½ of a cup of fine bread-crumbs and 3 tablespoons of cream or butter, 1 egg, a grated onion, a pimento chopped, a little mace or nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of cayenne. Make into croquettes and roll in bread-crumbs, then beaten egg and bread-crumbs, and fry in oil or butter. If baked in the oven in a loaf, baste occasionally with oil or butter.
Serve with a tomato or horse-radish sauce.
This is a nourishing substitute for meat.
RISOTTO
Colour for an instant in butter a chopped onion, add to it ½ lb. of rice; stir an instant over the fire until it begins to frizzle, but do not colour; add stock to 3 times the quantity of rice, a cupful of tomato sauce, a pinch of saffron, one of pepper, let it boil, cover the saucepan, and let it cook by the side of the fire for 20 minutes. If the rice becomes dry before it is sufficiently tender add a little more stock. Place the saucepan on the corner of the stove away from the hot fire, then add to the rice 2 ozs. of grated Parmesan cheese and the same amount of butter. Arrange the rice on a dish and pour over it some good gravy and serve very hot.
The brown rice now procurable in most large cities is liked by gourmets cooked in this manner and served with partridge and other game.
RISOTTO MILANAISE
Fry a tablespoon of minced onion in a good bit of butter; when slightly browned, add 4 or 5 tomatoes and 1 pimento; after cooking pass through a sieve and replace in the casserole with pepper, salt, and a dash of cinnamon, 2 or 3 chicken livers, or some beef cut into small pieces. Add 1 cup of rice and 1 qt. of stock or, lacking stock, water will do; boil until the rice is tender, when add ¼ lb. of cheese grated.
RAVIOLI
Prepare a paste made of 4/5 of a lb. of flour, a pinch of salt, 5 eggs, 2 spoonfuls of water. Cover with a cloth and let stand at least 15 minutes. Make a farce with cooked chicken or veal minced—about 2 cups—1 tablespoonful of finely minced cooked ham, ½ of a calf's brain cooked, yolks of 2 eggs, a dash of nutmeg, 1 dessert-spoon of grated Parmesan cheese. Take ½ the paste, roll out thin into a large square; place a ball of the farce every 2½ inches apart about the size of a walnut, moisten with a brush the paste between the balls of farce. Roll the rest of the paste and place it over the farce; press edges together and between each ball. Cut with a round cutter or into squares as preferred and cook in boiling water 7 or 8 minutes, drain them and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Put on a dish and pour a tomato sauce around them.
EGG COQUILLES, WITH SPINACH
(French)
One-half lb. of prepared and seasoned spinach, 1 breakfastcupful of cream, 6 eggs, pepper, and salt.
Have 6 very small coquille or marmit pots, or china soufflé cases, butter them, and put 1 tablespoonful of spinach in each. Upon this put about 1 dessert-spoonful of cream. Break 1 egg in each, season with salt and pepper, and bake carefully in a moderately heated oven for 8 minutes. Serve quickly.
PIROG OF MUSHROOMS
Boil mushrooms until they are tender, chop them and mix them in the pan with butter, pepper and salt. Roll out the paste, put on one side of the dough cold boiled rice, then the mushrooms, hashed meat of boiled veal, chopped hard-boiled eggs, chopped onions, pepper, salt, and nutmeg. When filling is placed on half of the dough lap the other half over it, close the edges with the white of an egg, spread over some beaten egg, and bake in the oven light brown.
PASTE FOR RUSSIAN PIROG
One cup of milk, 3 eggs, 1½ cups of butter, a little salt mixed with flour to make a soft dough. Knead it thoroughly, first with hands and then half an hour more with a wooden spoon.
EGGS ROMANOFF
Cover hard-boiled eggs with a stiff mayonnaise. Put a little highly flavoured aspic jelly in the bottom of individual moulds. When the jelly is firm add a spoonful of caviare and place the mayonnaised egg on the top. Pour in more jelly. When it is cold turn from the mould and serve on a garniture of lettuce. This is good for a cold supper.
ŒUFS POCHÉS IVANHOE
Cook a piece of finnan haddie in milk, then add 2 tablespoons of sauce (a good cream sauce) with a few fresh mushrooms, salt, pepper, a bit of cayenne, and 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. Put this through a fine sieve, and in nests of this paste on slices of toast, slip poached eggs. Sprinkle with grated cheese and place for a moment in a hot oven to glaze.
CHEESE PUFFS
Bring to a boil 2/3 of a cup of water, 1½ oz. of butter, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, then add ¼ of a lb. of flour and stir to a smooth paste, then stir in, one at a time, 3 eggs, 3½ oz. of grated cheese (Parmesan preferred). Add ¼ teaspoon of English mustard; when all is well mixed, drop by tablespoonfuls on a baking tin and place on top of each a slice of Gruyère cheese. Put in a moderate oven increasing the heat gradually. Cook from 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.
MOSKVA CHEESECAKES
Line tartlet moulds with short paste. Take 2 tablespoons of thick white sauce, well seasoned, add a good pinch of cayenne pepper, bring it to a boil, add 2 yolks of eggs, 4 tablespoons of grated cheese. Again bring to a boil and remove from the fire, add 1 white of egg beaten stiff. Fill the tartlet moulds with this mixture, put in a hot oven for 10 minutes, serve immediately.
CHEESE FRITTERS
Boil ½ pint of water, 1 oz. of butter, pinch of salt, pepper. Remove from fire and add 3 oz. flour. Stir until a smooth paste is made, then add 3 oz. of grated cheese and 1 oz. chopped cooked ham; when the mixture is half cold add 3 eggs, one by one, stirring well.
Drop by spoonfuls into hot, not boiling fat; increase the temperature of the fat, turning the fritters often.
When golden brown drain and serve.
CHEESE PUDDING
(A simple and nutritious Welsh dish)
Chop ½ lb. of cheese. Toast and butter four slices of bread. Put two slices in the bottom of a dish, cover with half the cheese, sprinkle a little salt and pepper, put in the dish the other two slices of buttered bread and cover with the remaining cheese.
Pour over 1 pint of milk, let it stand for five minutes, then bake in a warm oven 20 minutes.
CHICORY OR ENDIVE
Chicory or endive is scalded the same as spinach, but needs a little longer time in the boiling water. It is prepared the same in brown butter, gravy, or cream.
STEWED COS LETTUCES
(French)
Take off the outer leaves; wash them carefully, keeping them as whole as possible; boil for ten minutes in boiling salted water; pour cold water through them; drain. Extract the water from them by pressing each lettuce lightly with two hands; split them in halves lengthwise; take off the stalk; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put them in a stew-pan, placing each half lettuce partly over the other round the pan. The latter must be well buttered before putting in the lettuces, or in place of butter some very good gravy from which all grease has been taken. Add stock to half the height of the lettuces; cover and cook them gently for an hour. The lettuces should be tender and the liquid much reduced.
Note.—Lettuces may be cooked in the same manner with a little lean bacon, ham, or sausage; in the latter case water may be used instead of stock. They can be served as a vegetable or for garnishing.
ASPARAGUS
(French)
One bundle or 100 heads of asparagus, 1 pint of milk (or equal quantities of milk and water), 1 head of lettuce finely shredded and cut into short lengths, 1 medium-sized onion par-boiled and finely chopped, 1 bay leaf, one sprig of thyme, 1½ oz. of butter, 2 tablespoonsful of flour, the yolks of 2 eggs, 1 teaspoonful of lemon-juice, salt and pepper, croûtes of buttered toast or fried bread, chopped parsley, strips of cucumber.
Wash and trim the asparagus, and tie it into 3 or 4 bundles. Bring the milk to boiling point, put in the asparagus, lettuce, onion, bay-leaf, thyme, and salt, and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Drain the asparagus well, cut off the points and the edible parts of the stalks, and keep them hot. Strain the milk and return it to the stew-pan, add the butter and flour previously kneaded together, and stir until a smooth sauce is obtained. Beat the yolks of eggs slightly, add them to the sauce, and stir until they thicken, but do not allow the sauce to boil, or the yolks may curdle. Season to taste, and add the lemon-juice. Pile the asparagus on the croûtes, cover with sauce, garnish with strips of cucumber, and a little chopped parsley, and serve as a vegetable entremet or as an entrée for a vegetarian dinner.
CELERY CROQUETTES
Two heads of celery, stock, 1 oz. of butter, 1 oz. of flour, 1 shallot, 1 gill of milk, seasoning, 2 yolks of eggs, egg and bread-crumbs, fat for frying.
Trim and wash the celery, and cut into short pieces, blanch them in salted water, and drain, then cook till tender in well-seasoned stock. Drain the cooked celery, and chop it rather finely. Melt the butter in a stew-pan, add the shallot (chopped), and fry a little, stir in the flour, blend these together, and gradually add a gill of milk. Stir till it boils, and put in the chopped celery. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for 15 minutes, add the egg-yolks at the last. Spread the mixture on a dish and let it get cold. Make up into croquettes—cork or ball shapes—egg and crumb them, fry in hot fat to a golden colour, drain them on a cloth or paper, and dish up.
RAGOÛT OF CELERY
Two or 3 heads of celery, 1 pint of white stock, ½ pint of milk, 2 tablespoonsful of cream, 1 medium-sized Spanish onion, 24 button onions, 1 dessert-spoonful of finely chopped parsley, 2 ozs. of butter, 2 ozs. of flour, salt, and pepper.
Wash and trim the celery, cut each stick into pieces about 2 inches long, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, and pour the water away. Put in the stock, the Spanish onion finely chopped, season with salt and pepper, and cook gently for about ½ an hour. Meanwhile, skin the onions, fry them in hot butter, but very slowly, to prevent them taking colour, drain well from fat, and keep them hot. Add the flour to the butter, and fry for a few minutes without browning. Take up the celery, add the strained stock to the milk, pour both on to the roux or mixture of flour and butter, and stir until boiling. Season to taste, add the cream and ½ the parsley, arrange the celery in a circle on a hot dish, pour over the sauce, pile the onions high in the centre, sprinkle over them the remainder of the parsley, and serve. The celery may also be served on croûtes of fried or toasted bread arranged in rows with the onions piled between them. A nice change may be made by substituting mushrooms for the onions.
STUFFED ONIONS
(Italian)
Remove from 6 onions the centres with an apple-corer and fill them up with the following stuffing: One tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese mixed with 2 hard-boiled eggs and chopped parsley. Boil them first, then roll them in flour and fry them in olive-oil or butter. Then put them in a baking-dish with ½ tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Put them in the oven and bake until golden.
ONIONS
(Venetian style)
Remove the centres of 6 small onions. Boil them for a few moments, drain them, and stuff them with the following: Take a piece of bread, dip it in milk, squeeze out the milk, and mix the bread with 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese, the yolks of 2 hard-boiled eggs. Mix well together, then add some fine-chopped parsley, a pinch of sugar, salt, and pepper, and the yolk of 1 raw egg; mix again well, and then stuff the onions with the mixture. Dip them in flour and in egg, and fry them in lard. Put them on a platter and serve with a piquante sauce made as follows: Chop up fine some pickles, capers, and peppers, and ½ cup of water. When these are cooked, add 1 tablespoon of butter and cook a little while longer, then pour over the onions and serve.
FRIED PUMPKIN OR SQUASH
(Italian)
Take a slice of pumpkin or squash, remove the rind and the seeds. Cut it into fine strips. Roll in flour and dip in egg, and fry in boiling lard or olive-oil.
If desired as garnishing for meat, cut the pumpkin exceedingly fine, roll in flour, but not in egg, and fry.
CUCUMBERS
(Italian)
Peel and boil 3 or 4 cucumbers in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain and cut them into pieces 1 inch thick and put them in a frying-pan with 1 ounce of butter, a little flour, and ½ pint of stock; stir well, and add some salt and pepper. Reduce for about 15 minutes, stirring until it boils; add 1 teaspoon of chopped parsley, ½ a teaspoon of grated nutmeg, ½ a cup of cream, and the beaten-up yolks of 2 eggs. Put on the fire again for 3 or 4 minutes. Do not let boil, and serve hot.
SARMA
(Serbian)
Put a cabbage in boiling water. Let it stand while preparing the rest of the dish.
Fry 4 onions in 1 tablespoon of lard. Mix 2 lbs. of chopped pork and 2 lbs. of chopped beef with the onions. Stir into this 4 raw eggs. Add ½ lb. of rice, salt and pepper.
Remove the cabbage from the water, tear off the leaves and put into each leaf two tablespoonsful of the meat and rice mixture, wrapping it so that the contents should not come out.
Put a little sauerkraut in a pot, then a layer of the filled cabbage leaves, continue doing this until the pot is filled. Cook slowly about 1 hour.
Make a sauce putting 1 tablespoon of lard in a saucepan on the fire, and add a chopped onion. When a golden brown, add 1 tablespoonful of browned flour and paprika to taste. Add a cup of water. Pour this sauce into the pot and cook about half an hour longer. Some sour cream may be added if liked on serving.
POLENTA PASTICCIATA
(Italian)
Three-quarters of a cup of Indian meal and 1 quart of milk.
Boil the milk, and add the Indian meal, a little at a time, when milk is boiling. Cook for one-half an hour, stirring constantly. Add salt just before taking off the fire. The Indian meal should be stiff when finished. Turn it onto the bread-board, and spread it out to the thickness of two fingers. While it is cooking prepare a meat sauce, and a Béchamel sauce as follows:
MEAT SAUCE
Take a small piece of beef, a small piece of ham, fat and lean, 1 tablespoon of butter, a small piece of onion, a small piece of carrot, a small piece of celery, a pinch of flour, ½ cup of bouillon (or water), pepper. Cut the meat into small dice; chop up fine together the ham, onion, carrot, and celery. Put these into a saucepan with the butter, and when the meat is brown, add the pinch of flour, and the bouillon a little at a time, and cook for about one-half an hour. This sauce should not be strained.
BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
Take 1 tablespoon of flour, and 1½ tablespoon of butter. Put them into a saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon until they have become a golden-brown colour. Then add, a little at a time, 1 pint milk; stir constantly until the sauce is as thick as custard, and is white in colour.
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 2 tablespoons), then on the top of this add a layer of Béchamel sauce. Then put another layer of the squares of Indian meal, sprinkle with grated cheese as before, add meat sauce, then Béchamel sauce, and continue in this way until the baking-dish is full, having for the top layer the Béchamel sauce. Put the dish into a moderate oven, and bake until a golden brown.
FRIED BREAD WITH RAISINS
(Italian)
Take some rather stale bread, cut it into slices, removing the crust. Fry the bread in lard, and then arrange it on a platter; meanwhile prepare the raisins as follows: Take a small saucepan and put into it 2 tablespoons of raisins, a slice of raw ham chopped into small pieces, and a leaf of sage, also chopped up, 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Put these ingredients on the fire, and as soon as you have a syrup pour the raisins on the pieces of fried bread, and the sauce around.
POLENTA CROQUETTES
(Italian)
Boil ½ cup of corn-meal, and before removing from the fire add a piece of butter and a little grated cheese and mix well. Take it then by spoonfuls and spread it on a marble-top table. These spoonfuls should form little balls about the size of a hen's egg. On each of these croquettes place a very thin slice of Gruyère cheese, so that the cheese will adhere to the corn-meal. Then allow them to cool, and when cold dip into egg; then into bread-crumbs, and fry in boiling lard.
RICE WITH MUSHROOMS
(Italian)
Five or six mushrooms and ¾ of a cup of rice.
Chop up a little onion, parsley, celery, and carrot together, and put them on the fire with 2 tablespoons of good olive-oil. When this sauce is coloured, add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, thinned with hot water. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the mushrooms into small pieces, and add them to the sauce. Cook for 20 minutes over a medium fire. Put on one side and prepare the rice as follows:
Fry the rice with a lump of butter until dry; then add hot water, a little at a time, and boil gently. When the rice is half cooked (after about 10 minutes) add the mushrooms and sauce, and cook for another 10 minutes. Add grated Parmesan cheese before serving.
TIMBALES OF BREAD WITH PARMESAN SAUCE
Soak half an hour 2 cups bread-crumbs in 1 cup thin cream (milk will do with butter added).
To this add grated rind half lemon; 1 tablespoon minced parsley; 1 tablespoon minced chives; 1 teaspoon salt; pepper; yolks two eggs.
Fill buttered timbale moulds or one large mould with this mixture, cover with buttered paper, and bake 20 minutes in moderate oven in a pan half filled with hot water.
Remove from moulds and pour cheese sauce around it.