The Cook's Decameron Part 12

No. 52. Merluzzo in Salamoia (Cod)

Ingredients: Cod, hake, whiting or red mullet, onions, parsley, mint, marjoram, turnips, mushrooms, chervil, cloves, salt, milk, cream, eggs.

Put a salt-spoonful of salt, two onions, a little parsley, marjoram, mint, chervil, a turnip, a mushroom, and the heads of two cloves into a stewpan and simmer in a cupful of milk for half an hour, then let all the ingredients settle at the bottom, and pa.s.s the broth through a hair sieve, and add to it an equal quant.i.ty of milk or cream, and in it cook your fish on a slow fire. When the fish is quite cooked, pour off the sauce, but leave a little on the fish to keep it warm; reduce the rest in a bain-marie; stir all the time, so that the milk may not curdle.

Thicken the sauce with the yolk of an egg, and when about to serve pour it over the fish.

No. 53. Baccala in Istufato (Haddock)

Ingredients: Haddock or lemon sole, carrots, anchovies, lemon, pepper, b.u.t.ter, onions, flour, white wine, stock.

Stuff a haddock (or filleted lemon sole) with some slices of carrot which have been masked with a paste made of pounded anchovies, very little chopped lemon peel, salt and pepper. Then fry an onion with two cuts across it in b.u.t.ter. Take out the onion as soon as it has become a golden colour, flour the fish and put it in the b.u.t.ter, and when it has been well fried on both sides pour a gla.s.s of Marsala over it, and when it is all absorbed add a cup of fowl or veal stock and let it simmer for half an hour, then skim and reduce the sauce, pour it over the fish and serve.

No. 54. Naselli con Piselli (Whiting)

Ingredients: Whiting, onions, parsley, peas, tomatoes, b.u.t.ter, Parmesan, Bechamel sauce.

Cut a big whiting into two or three pieces and fry them slightly in b.u.t.ter, add a small bit of onion, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley and fry for a few minutes more. Then add some peas which have been cooked in salted water, three tablespoonsful of Bechamel sauce (No. 3), and three of tomato puree, and cook all together on a moderate fire.

No. 55. Ostriche alla Livornese (Oysters)

Ingredients: Oysters, parsley, shallot, anchovies, fennel pepper, bread crumbs, cream, lemon.

Detach the oysters from their sh.e.l.ls and put then into china sh.e.l.ls with their own liquor. Have ready a dessert-spoonful of parsley, shallot, anchovy and very little fennel, add a tablespoonful of bread crumbs and a little pepper, and mix the whole with a little cream. Put some of this mixture on each oyster, and then bake them in a moderate fire for a quarter of an hour. At the last minute add a squeeze of lemon juice to each oyster and serve on a folded napkin.

No. 56. Ostriche alla Napolitana (Oysters)

Ingredients: Oysters, parsley, celery, thyme, pepper, garlic, oil, lemon.

Prepare the oysters as above, but rub each sh.e.l.l with a little garlic.

Put on each oyster a mixture made of chopped parsley, a little thyme, pepper, and bread crumbs. Then pour a few drops of oil on each sh.e.l.l, put them on the gridiron on an open fire, grill for a few minutes, and add a little lemon juice before serving.

No. 57. Ostriche alla Veneziana (Oysters)

Ingredients: Oysters, b.u.t.ter, shallots, truffles, lemon juice, forcemeat of fish.

Take several oysters out of their sh.e.l.ls and cook them in b.u.t.ter, a little chopped shallot, and their own liquor, add a little lemon juice and then put in each of the deeper sh.e.l.ls a layer of forcemeat made of fish and chopped truffles, then an oyster or two, and over this again another layer of the forcemeat, cover up with the top sh.e.l.l and put them in a fish kettle and steam them. Then remove the top sh.e.l.l and arrange the sh.e.l.ls with the oysters on a napkin and serve.

No. 58. Pesci diversi alla Casalinga (Fish)

Ingredients: Any sort of fish, celery, parsley, carrots, garlic, onion, anchovies, almonds, capers, mushrooms, b.u.t.ter, salt, pepper, flour, tomatoes.

Chop up a stick of celery, a sprig of parsley, a carrot, an onion. Pound up an anchovy in brine (well cleaned, boned, and scaled), four shredded almonds, three capers and two mushrooms. Put all this into a saucepan with one ounce of b.u.t.ter, salt and pepper, and fry for a few minutes, then add a few spoonsful of hot water and a tablespoonful of flour and boil gently for ten minutes, put in the fish and cook it until it is done. If you like, you may add a little tomato sauce.

No. 59. Pesce alla Genovese (Sole or Turbot)

Ingredients: Fish (sole, mullet, or turbot), b.u.t.ter, salt, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, parsley, nutmeg, pepper, spice, mushrooms, tomatoes, flour, anchovies.

Fry an onion slightly in one and a half ounces of b.u.t.ter, add a small cut-up carrot, half a stick of celery, a sprig of parsley, and a salt anchovy (scaled), which will dissolve in the b.u.t.ter. Into this put the fish cut up in pieces, a pinch of spice and pepper, and let it simmer for a few minutes, then add two cut-up mushrooms, a tomato mashed up, and a little flour. Mix all together, and cook for twenty minutes.

No. 60. Sogliole in Zimino (Sole)

Ingredients: Sole, onion, beetroot, b.u.t.ter, celery, tomato sauce or white wine.

Cut up a small onion and fry it slightly in one ounce of b.u.t.ter, then add some slices of beetroot (well-washed and drained), and a little celery cut up; to this add fillets of sole or haddock, salt and pepper.

Boil on a moderate on the fish kettle. When the beetroot is nearly cooked add two tablespoonsful of tomato puree and boil till all is well cooked. Instead of the tomato you may use half a gla.s.s of Chablis.

No. 61. Sogliole al tegame (Sole)

Ingredients: Sole (or mullet), b.u.t.ter, anchovies, parsley, garlic, capers, eggs.

Put an ounce of b.u.t.ter and an anchovy in a saucepan together with a sole or mullet. Fry lightly for a few minutes, then strew a little pepper and chopped parsley over it, put in a clove of garlic with one cut, and cook for half an hour, but turn the fish over when one side is sufficiently done. A few minutes before taking it off the fire add three capers and stir in the yolk of an egg at the last minute. Do not leave the garlic in more than five minutes.

No. 62. Sogliole alla Livornese (Sole)

Ingredients: Sole, b.u.t.ter, garlic, pepper, salt, tomatoes, fennel.