The Italian Cook Book Part 6

52

STEWED RABBIT

(Coniglio in umido)

After washing the rabbit, cut it in rather large pieces and put it on the fire to drive away the water that is to be drained. When quite dry, put in the saucepan a piece of b.u.t.ter, a little oil, and a hash composed of the liver of the rabbit itself, a small piece of corned beef and some onion, celery, carrot and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir often and when it is browned add some tomato sauce and another piece of b.u.t.ter.

53

GREEN SAUCE

(Salsa verde)

Chop all together some capers that have been in vinegar, one anchovy, a small slice of onion and just a taste of garlic. Crush the resulting hash with the blade of a knife to make it very fine. Add a sprig of parsley, chopped together with some leaves of basil and dissolve the whole in very good olive oil and lemon juice.

This sauce is excellent to season boiled chicken or cold boiled fish or hard boiled eggs.

Green Peppers can take the place of capers, if these are not at hand.

54

WHITE SAUCE

(Salsa bianca)

This sauce can be served with boiled asparagus or with cauliflower. The ingredients are 1/4 lb. of b.u.t.ter, a tablespoonful of flour, a tablespoonful vinegar, one yolk of egg, salt and pepper, broth or water in sufficient quant.i.ty.

Put first on the fire the flour with half the b.u.t.ter and when it begins to be browned pour over it the broth or the water little by little, stirring with the wooden spoon and adding the rest of the b.u.t.ter and the vinegar without making the water boil too much. When taken off the fire add the yolk of the egg, stir and serve.

55

YELLOW SAUCE

(Salsa gialla)

This sauce is especially good for boiled fish, and the quant.i.ties indicated below are sufficient for a piece of fish or a whole fish weighing about a pound.

Put on the fire in a little saucepan one teaspoonful of flour and two ounces of b.u.t.ter, and when the flour begins to be browned, pour over it little by little one cup of the broth of the fish, that is to say of the water in which the fish has been boiled. When you see that the flour does not rise in the boiling water, take away the sauce from the flour and pour over two tablespoonfuls of olive oil and the yolk of an egg, stirring and mixing everything well. Squeeze in the sauce half a lemon and season generously with salt and pepper. Let it cool and then pour over the fish that is to be served with a sprig of parsley.

This sauce must have the appearance of a cream and must not be too liquid, in order that it may remain attached to the fish.

56

SAUCE FOR BROILED FISH

(Salsa per pesce in gratella)

This sauce is composed of yolks of eggs, salted anchovies, olive oil and lemon juice. Boil the eggs in their sh.e.l.l for ten minutes and for every hard yolk take one large anchovy or two small. Bone the anchovies and rub them on the sieve together with the hard (or semi-hard) yolks, and dissolve all with oil and lemon juice to reduce it like a cream. Cover with this sauce the broiled fish before sending to the table, or serve aside in a gravy boat.

57

CAPER SAUCE

(Salsa con capperi)

This sauce is especially adapted for boiled fish and the quant.i.ties are for a little more than one pound of fish. The ingredients are two ounces of b.u.t.ter, two ounces of capers soaked in vinegar one teaspoonful of flour, salt, pepper and vinegar.

Boil the fish and, when it is left warm in its broth, prepare the sauce.

Put on the fire the flour with half of the b.u.t.ter, mix it and when it begins to take color, add the remaining b.u.t.ter.

Let boil a little and then pour one half cup of the broth of the fish: season generously with salt and pepper and take the saucepan from the fire. Then throw in it the capers, half whole, half chopped, and some drops of vinegar, but taste it to dose the sauce so that it is pleasant to the taste and as thick as liquid cream.

It is well to observe here that these sauces in which b.u.t.ter is used together with acids, such as vinegar, are not for weak stomachs and should be partaken of sparingly.

58

GENOVESE SAUCE

(Salsa genovese)

Chop fine a sprig of parsley and half a clove of garlic. Then mix with some capers soaked in vinegar, one anchovy, one hard yolk of egg, three pitless olives, a crumb of bread as big as an egg, soaked in vinegar.

Grind all these ingredients, rub through a sieve and dissolve in olive oil, dosing right by tasting.

59

BALSAMELLA SAUCE

(Salsa balsamella)

This sauce resembles the famous French Bechamel Sauce, but it is simpler in its composition.

Put in a saucepan one tablespoonful of flour and a piece of b.u.t.ter as big as an egg. Stir the flour and the b.u.t.ter together while keeping them over the fire. When the flour begins to be browned, pour over a pint of milk, continually stirring with a wooden spoon until you see the liquid condensed like a cream. This is the =Balsamella=. If it is too thick add some milk, if too liquid put back on the fire with another piece of b.u.t.ter dipped in flour.

A good =Balsamella= and some well prepared brown stock are the base and the princ.i.p.al secret of many savory dishes.

60

CURLED OMELET

(Frittata in riccioli)