The Italian Cook Book Part 8

Now take some wafers, not too thin and cut them in squares similar to those used by druggists. Beat one egg and the white from the other egg, then take a wafer, dip it in the egg and place it on a layer of bread crumbs ground fine. On the wafer put a little ball of the compound above, then dip another wafer in the egg, make it touch the bread crumbs only from the part that remains outside, and with this cover the compound attaching it to the lower wafer. Sprinkle again with bread crumbs if necessary and put the piece aside repeating the operation until all the meat is disposed of. Cook in oil or fat and serve with lemon.

With half a pound of meat about twenty filled wafers should be obtained.

69

ROMAN FRY

II.

This can be made when you happen to have some breast of roast chicken left over. Some chicken breast, two or three slices of tongue and ham, one tablespoonful of grated cheese, a taste of nutmeg, are the ingredients used. Remove the skin of the chicken and cut it as well as the tongue and the ham, into little cubes. Make a =Balsamella= (see No.

54) in sufficient quant.i.ty and when it is cooked add the above ingredients and let it cool well to fry using the wafer as in the preceding.

70

RICE PANCAKE

(Frittelle di riso)

Cook thoroughly 1/4 lb. of rice in about a pint of water giving it taste with a little piece of sugar and a taste of lemon peel. Leave it cool and then add three yolks of eggs and a little flour. Mix well and let the whole rest for several hours. When you are going to fry beat the white of an egg to a froth, add it to the rice and throw into the frying pan one tablespoonful at a time.

Serve hot sprinkled with confectionery sugar.

71

KIDNEY SAUTe

(Rognoni saltati)

Take one large kidney, or two or three small kidneys, open them and remove all the fat. Cut lengthwise in thin slices, salt and pour as much boiling water as is needed to cover them. When the water is thoroughly cooled, drain it and wipe well the slices with a cloth, then put them in a frying pan with a small piece of b.u.t.ter. Turn them often and when they have cooked for five minutes put in a pinch of flour and season with salt and pepper. Leave them on the fire until thoroughly cooked and when you are going to take them away add another piece of b.u.t.ter, a sprig of chopped parsley and a little broth if needed. The kidney must not be kept too much on the fire, because in that case it hardens.

72

LEG OF MUTTON IN Ca.s.sEROLE

(Cosciotto di castrato in cazzaruola)

Take a shoulder or a leg of mutton and after having boned it, lard it with small pieces of bacon dipped in salt and pepper. Salt moderately the meat then tie it tight and put it on the fire in a pan that contains a piece of b.u.t.ter and one large onion larded with clover. When it begins to brown, take it away from the fire and add a cup of broth, or of water, a little bunch of greens and some tomatoes cut in pieces. Put again on a low fire and let it simmer for three hours, keeping the saucepan closed, but opening from time to time to turn the meat. When it is cooked, throw away the onion, rub the sauce through a sieve, remove its fat and put it with the meat when served. The mutton must not be overdone, for in this case it cannot be sliced.

73

STEWED CUTLETS

(Scaloppine alla Livornese)

Take some slices of tender beef, beat them well and put them in a saucepan with a piece of b.u.t.ter. When this is all melted, put one or two tablespoonfuls of broth to complete the cooking, season with salt and pepper, add a pinch of flour and before taking them from the fire put in a pinch of chopped parsley.

74

CUTLETS OF CHOPPED MEAT

(Scaloppine di carne battuta)

Take some good lean beef, clean it well, removing all little skins and tendons, then first chop and after grind the meat fine in the grinder.

Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of grated cheese. Mix well and give the meat the form of a ball then with bread crumbs over and beneath flatten it with the rolling pin on the bread board making a sheet of meat as thick as a silver dollar. Cut it in square pieces, as large as the palm of the hand and cook in a saucepan with b.u.t.ter. When these cutlets are browned, pour over some tomato sauce and serve.

If you prefer, use your hands instead of the rolling pin and then you can give them the shapes you like.

If you have some left over meat this can perfectly well be mixed with the raw meat and chopped and ground together.

75

VEAL CUTLETS STEWED

(Scaloppine alla Genovese)

Cut some lean veal meat into slices and, supposing it be a pound or a little more, without bones, chop one fourth of a middle-sized onion and put it in a saucepan with oil and a little piece of b.u.t.ter. Put over the cutlets, one layer over the other, season with salt and b.u.t.ter and put on the fire. When the meat which is below is browned put in a teaspoonful of flour and after a while a hash of parsley with half a clove of garlic. Then detach the cutlets the one from the other, mix them, let them drink in the sauce, then pour hot water and a little tomato sauce. Make it boil slowly and not much to complete the cooking and serve with abundant sauce and with little diamonds of toast.

76

STUFFED CUTLET

(Braciuoline ripiene)

Slice from a piece of veal (about one pound) seven or eight cutlets and beat them well with a knife blade to flatten them. Then chop some tender veal meat and one or two slices of ham and add a small quant.i.ty of marrow bone (of veal) and grated cheese. The marrow and the grated cheese must be reduced to a paste with the blade of a knife. One egg is then added to tie up the hash and a pinch of pepper, but no salt on account of the ham and the cheese that already contain it. Spread the cutlets and put the hash in the middle, then roll them up and tie them with strong thread.

Now prepare a small hash with a little onion, a piece of celery a piece of carrot and a small quant.i.ty of corned beef and put it in the fire in a saucepan with a small piece of b.u.t.ter, at the same time that you put the cutlets. Season with salt and pepper and when they begin to brown pour some tomato sauce and complete the cooking with water. Before serving, remove the thread with which the cutlets have been tied.

77

MEAT OMELETTE

(Polpettone)

Take one pound of veal, without bones, clean it well taking away all skins and tendons and then chop it together with a slice of ham. Season moderately with salt pepper and spices, add one whole egg then with moistened hands make a ball of the chopped meat and sprinkle with flour.

Make a hash with two or three slices of onion (not more) parsley, celery, and carrot, put it on the fire with a piece of b.u.t.ter and when it is browned throw in the =Polpettone=. Brown well on all sides and then pour in the saucepan half a tumbler of water in which half a tablespoonful of flour has been previously diluted. Cover and make it simmer on a very low fire, seeing that it doesn't burn. When you serve with the gravy squeeze the juice of half a lemon over it.

If desired a hard boiled egg can be put sh.e.l.led in the center of the meat ball, so that it gives it a better appearance when sliced.