The Italian Cook Book Part 19

(Sedano al sugo)

Select nine or ten heads, neither too hard nor too soft, and cut them about four inches from the root. Remove the green and hard branches and trim the root, cutting the latter to a point. Scald the celery, after was.h.i.+ng well, in salted boiling water. Ten minutes will be sufficient.

Dip in cold water, open well the leaves and wash again carefully. Drain and make bunches of two or three heads each that you will put in a saucepan with a pint of broth or water and half a cup of good fat, onion and carrot chopped, salt and pepper. Cover and let it simmer for about two hour. Then remove the celery, drain and serve.

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SAUCE FOR CELERY AU JUS

(Salsa per sedani al sugo)

The celery, prepared as above, are seasoned with the following sauce: Make a =roux= melting a piece of b.u.t.ter and browning an equal weight of flour; stir for about three minutes on the fire, after which thin the roux with a little brown stock or with bouillon cubes diluted in water.

Continue stirring and reduce the sauce. Then rub through a sieve, pour over the celery and serve very hot.

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FRIED CELERY

(Sedani fritti)

This is a convenient way to prepare left-over celery that is still too good to be thrown away.

Clean the left-over celery removing as best you can the sauce in which they were served, dip in frying paste (flour and egg) fry and serve with lemon.

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PUReE OF CELERY

(Macco di sedani)

Take some big roots of celery, prepare as usual and wash in running water. Boil in salted water, crush and rub through a sieve. Put in a saucepan this puree, with a piece of b.u.t.ter, salt, flour and a little cream or milk. The milk may be subst.i.tuted with good soup stock or brown stock. Just before serving add a little powdered sugar.

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STEW

(Stufato)

The Italian =stufato= is somewhat different from the stewed meat that is known under the name of "Irish stew". It corresponds to the French =daube= and is prepared in Italy in many different ways.

An excellent =stufato= can be made in the following way: Chop fine two bunches of parsley, a small carrot, half a medium sized onion, a little piece of scallion and two bay-leaves. Brown with a good piece of b.u.t.ter in a saucepan in which one and a half tablespoonful of oil have been previously poured.

The meat must have been prepared beforehand, that is to say washed, trimmed and larded. When half cooked, season moderately with salt and pepper. If necessary, moisten with broth or water. During the cooking the saucepan must be covered with its cover and with a sheet of paper greased with fat or oil. The stufato will be ready after about three hours' cooking on a low fire.

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SOUTHERN STEW

(Stufato Meridionale)

Put the piece of meat in a saucepan of such a size that it remains completely filled, moisten with two cups of water and two of white wine, season with salt and pepper and cook for five hours on a low fire.

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STEW MILANAISE

(Stufato alla milanese)

Beat and flatten a good piece of meat and lard with bacon or ham cut in small pieces. Season with salt, pepper and a taste of cinnamon. Sprinkle flour over the meat.

Place in a saucepan a little fat of beef chopped with a middle sized onion and brown with a piece of b.u.t.ter. When the onion is browned, remove it and place the meat over the melted b.u.t.ter. Brown with melted b.u.t.ter. Then fill the saucepan with half water, half red wine, but only when the meat is browned from all sides. Cover the saucepan the best you can, with cover and greased paper and let it simmer for five or six hours on a very low fire.

After removing the stew, let it cool, rub the gravy through a sieve, put again on the fire and serve hot.

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FRENCH STEW

(Stufato alla francese)

Prepare on the bottom of the saucepan a layer of thin slices of ham, on which place several little cubes also of bacon. In the middle place a bunch of parsley, and around this some cloves, half an onion sliced, a few carrots in little cubes several young onions, bay-leaf, salt, and pepper.

On this bed lay the meat that may be larded with bacon or ham and seasoned with salt, pepper and a taste of cinnamon. Pour on the meat two cups of soup stock or water and one cup of white wine. Cover the saucepan hermetically and cook on a very low fire for five hours.

When the stufato is to be served cold, the gravy is to be rubbed through a sieve before it gets cold.

=Note.=--In these and similar dishes we have indicated the use of wine, which is a common ingredient, in small quant.i.ties in Italian and French cooking. This, however, can always be dispensed with if its taste is not appreciated, or for any other reason.

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TROUT ALPINE

(Trota all'alpigiana)

These are many ways to prepare this delicious fish, found in abundance in the many streams of clear water that run from the Alps and the Apennine mountains. Often the trout is cooked in wine, but, of course, this part many be changed.

For the =trota all'alpigiana=, so called because it is the favorite dish of Piedmont, the trout must be cleaned, scaled, washed, wiped then salted and left under the action of the salt for about an hour.

Pour in a fish-kettle one quart of white wine to which will be added three medium sized onions a few cloves, two sections of garlic and a little bunch made of thyme, bay-leaf, basil or mint; finally a piece of b.u.t.ter as large as an egg, dipped in flour. Then put the trout in the fish-kettle and place on a strong fire. When the liquid has boiled the trout is cooked. Remove the onions and the bunch of greens and serve the trout with its gravy and some parsley.

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