Part 6

Put several peeled mushrooms into a sauce-pan with two or four ounces of butter (according to the quantity of mushrooms used), add a small bunch of parsley and two or three small onions. Put them on the fire, mix with a little flour, a tumbler of soup, half a tumbler of white wine, the same of clear gravy, and boil for an hour. Then skim off the grease, add a little more gravy if required, dust with flour, and put back to cook with salt and pepper to taste. Serve up hot.

_Mushrooms (Prugnuoli[12]) ‘alla Spagnuola.’_

[12] Agaricus Georgii (or Tricholoma Georgii).

Wash and clean one pound of prugnuoli and put them into a sauté-pan with two ounces of butter, a little flour, salt and pepper, and cook over a brisk fire for ten minutes. Moisten well with chicken broth, and add a little sauce ‘Suprema’ (see Sauces, p. 125) (made with chicken broth). Prepare croûtons (fried bread) on a hot dish, and after sprinkling the juice of half a lemon over the mushrooms, put them on the bread and serve.

_Mushrooms (Dormienti[13]) ‘al Sugo.’_

[13] Hygrophorus Marzuolus.

Clean and wash well one pound of dormienti, put them into a sauté-pan with two ounces of butter, a little flour, salt and pepper; boil for a quarter of an hour, and add three tablespoonfuls of veal broth. Prepare croûtons (fried bread) on a hot dish, squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the mushrooms, place them on the bread and serve.

_Mushrooms (Pratajuoli[14]) on Toast._

[14] Agaricus campestris.

Choose large fresh mushrooms, peel, and break the stalks off level; sprinkle pepper and salt on them and place a small piece of butter on each. Melt some butter in a frying-pan and put the mushrooms in, covering the pan closely with buttered paper. Fry slowly for ten minutes, then place the mushrooms on buttered toast, and serve at once.

_Mushrooms (Porcini[15]) with Tomato Sauce._

[15] Boletus edulis.

Clean and cut the porcini into small pieces, wash, dry, and put them into a sauce-pan with one clove of garlic (or a little onion), and a little salt, adding some tomato conserve or the pulp of two raw tomatoes without skin or seeds, after pounding it well. Serve up hot.

_Mushrooms (Ovoli[16]) ‘Trippati.’_

[16] Amanita Caesarea.

Choose the ovoli young whilst still closed and of the form of an egg. Clean and wash them and cut them into thin slices. Fry in good butter, and season with salt, pepper, and grated Parmesan cheese. A little gravy is an improvement. Serve hot with croûtons (fried bread).

* * * * *

_Onions ‘Farcite.’_

Boil six large onions for an hour in their skins. After draining, peel them and cut out their centres. Meanwhile prepare the following stuffing: Chop up fine four ounces of ham, or tongue, add grated bread, some melted butter, one or two tablespoonfuls of cream, a little salt and pepper. Mix well into a paste and fill the centre of the onions with it, then put them into a frying-pan, sprinkle them with a Butter sauce, and grated bread, and cook them with fire above and below, or in the oven. Just before serving pour ‘Alla Panna’ sauce over them (see Sauces, pp. 122, 125).

_Onions Fried._

Peel and slice four medium-sized onions and put them into milk for a short time, then dip them in flour and fry them in very hot fat for eight or ten minutes. Strain, put them on a napkin to dry, and serve on a hot dish garnished with fried parsley.

_Onions ‘Glacées.’_

Peel twelve large onions and put them into boiling water for about twenty minutes. Then drain, throw them into cold water, remove the two outer skins, and cut out their centres. Stand the onions in a frying-pan and put a teaspoonful of sugar into the centre of each, add four ounces of butter and cook them slowly until soft and slightly browned. Add some strong broth, a little at a time, and let it cook until it becomes reduced, keeping the frying-pan covered. Sprinkle the onions with the sauce and they will be well glacées.

_Onions (Small White)._

Boil three-quarters of a pound of small white onions, then put them into a sauce-pan with two ounces of butter and a little flour, and cook them till they turn a good colour. Add about a quarter or half a pint of white wine or broth, and before they have finished cooking add some pepper and grated nutmeg. When the liquid is reduced, serve at once.

The onions can also be put into the oven, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and melted butter, and browned.

_Onions ‘in Stufato.’_

Peel two pounds of onions and, after putting them into cold water, place them in a sauce-pan and cover them with good broth, letting them cook slowly. If young, one hour will suffice, if old, allow two hours. When soft, strain, and put them on a dish. Melt two ounces of butter in a frying-pan, add a spoonful of flour, and three-quarters of a pint of broth, mixing well until it boils, then add a little salt and pepper, and pour it over the onions. Serve hot.

* * * * *

_Parsnips ‘alla Crema.’_

If the parsnips are young and tender they must be put into cold water immediately after being scraped, to keep them white. If old they must be peeled and cut lengthwise into four pieces. Boil young parsnips three-quarters of an hour, old ones one and a quarter hours. Then drain, arrange on a hot dish, and pour a sauce ‘Alla Panna’ over them (see Sauces, p. 125).

_Parsnips ‘al Forno.’_

Wash and peel six large parsnips, cut them in two and put them into a sauce-pan with enough boiling water to cover them, for one hour. Then drain, and place them on a hot dish. Meantime melt two ounces of butter in a frying-pan with three or four tablespoonfuls of flour, and stir to prevent browning. Add half a pint of hot water and boil for five minutes, stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste, pour the sauce over the parsnips, sprinkle them with bread-crumbs and grated cheese, and bake for a quarter of an hour in a slow oven.

_Parsnips ‘Fritte.’_

Boil the parsnips till tender; drain, sprinkle with salt and pepper, dip them into butter, then into flour, and then sprinkle with sugar. Melt two or three tablespoonfuls of dripping in a frying-pan, put in the parsnips, and fry until browned on both sides.

_Parsnips ‘Sautés.’_

Mash six or seven parsnips, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir in one tablespoonful of flour and one egg. Make them up into small round cakes and fry in dripping, turning occasionally, until browned on both sides.

* * * * *

_Peas ‘all’ Antica.’_

Shell carefully three quarts of young peas and wrap them in a wet cloth until wanted. Wash and tie up a lettuce head, and put it with the peas into a sauce-pan, adding one tumbler of water, a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, and a pinch of salt. Cook for a quarter of an hour, take out the lettuce, and before serving put in three tablespoonfuls of cream, mixed with the yolk of one egg, a spoonful of powdered sugar, and half a saltspoonful of white pepper. Boil for five minutes and serve hot.

_Peas ‘alla Borghese.’_

Put one quart of young shelled peas into a sauce-pan with a little browned onion, one or two slices of ham chopped up fine, one ounce of fresh butter, a bunch of sweet herbs, and a sprinkling of flour. Add a large ladleful of good stock and cook slowly. When done, mix in a cupful of milk, a little powdered sugar, and thicken with two yolks of eggs. Serve up hot.

_Peas ‘al Burro.’_

Put one quart of shelled peas into a sauce-pan with a little cold water and four ounces of fresh butter. Place them on a hot fire, add a cupful of boiling water, salt and pepper to taste, a spoonful of sugar, and a bunch of parsley. When reduced take out the parsley, add one or two ounces of fresh butter, and serve hot.

_Peas ‘alla Consommé.’_

Boil one and a half quarts of peas, and two carrots cut into small square pieces, in good broth, with a tablespoonful of powdered sugar, for about an hour. Just before serving put the peas on to croûtons (fried bread) fried in fresh butter.

_Peas ‘alla Crema.’_

Cook one pint of shelled peas in an earthen pot of salted boiling water for a quarter of an hour, then drain. Put two ounces of fresh butter into a sauce-pan with one tablespoonful of flour, then add half a pint of milk and mix until it boils. Add salt and pepper to taste, and then put in the peas. Cook in a Bain-marie for a quarter of an hour, and serve as a garnish to any baked meat.

_Peas ‘alla Francese.’ No. 1._

Take two young onions, cut them in half lengthwise, tie them up with a bunch of parsley leaves, and put them into a sauce-pan with one ounce of butter. When browned, pour a large cupful of broth over them and boil. As soon as the onions are quite soft rub them through a sieve together with the broth, and put them into a sauce-pan with one quart of peas and two heads of lettuce. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and boil slowly. When half done add one ounce more of butter mixed with a dessert-spoonful of flour, and a little more broth, if needed. Before serving take out the lettuce and thicken with two yolks of eggs mixed in a little broth.

_Peas ‘alla Francese.’ No. 2._

Cut two young onions into fine slices, and put them in a sauce-pan with one ounce of butter. When browned, mix in a sprinkling of flour, pour in one or two cupfuls of broth and let the flour cook. Put in one quart of young peas, season with salt and pepper, and when half-cooked add two heads of lettuce. Boil slowly, taking care that the gravy does not get too thick, and before serving take out the lettuce. Sugar can be added, but only in small quantities.

_Peas ‘al Buon Gusto.’_

Make a cross cut in an onion and put it into a sauce-pan with one ounce of butter; when browned, take it out and add a little flour to the butter. Mix and put in one quart of boiled peas, sprinkling them with salt and allspice. As soon as they have taken up the butter pour in a cupful of stock to finish the cooking, and serve.

_Peas ‘all’ Inglese.’_

Boil the peas in salted water with a bunch of parsley, drain when done. Just before serving turn them into the dish adding a few slices of fresh butter.

_Pea Omelette._

Boil one quart of shelled peas in salted water for fifteen minutes, then strain and keep them hot while preparing the omelette. Beat up four eggs, and add four tablespoonfuls of hot water, three-quarters of an ounce of fresh butter, and three or four drops of onion juice. Then put four ounces of butter into a frying-pan, brown it well and put in the eggs. Stir over a brisk fire till the eggs have set, then tilt the pan so that the butter passes under the omelette, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put two spoonfuls of the boiled peas into the middle of the omelette, turn one half of it over the peas, and put it on a very hot dish. Add a spoonful of Butter sauce to the rest of the peas and put them round the omelette. Serve up very hot.

_Pease-pudding._

Melt two ounces of fresh butter in a sauce-pan, when browned put in one quart of shelled peas, add salt to taste, and mix for three minutes. Then moisten with strong stock (for _maigre_ use fish soup) and add a little cinnamon and allspice. When the peas are soft to the touch rub them through a sieve. Meanwhile cook two ounces of butter in a sauce-pan, put in the purée of peas, stir, and add a tablespoonful of flour, and then (stirring all the time) two pounded maccaroons, and three yolks of eggs. Take the peas off the fire and let them cool before mixing lightly with them three whites of eggs well beaten up. Butter a shape, put in the peas, and cook in a Bain-marie with fire above and below.

_Peas in their Pods._

Take two pounds of very young peas in their pods and boil them in an earthen pot in salted boiling water for about half an hour. When cooked put them into a hot dish and pour sauce ‘Alla Panna’ over them (see Sauces, p. 125), or melted butter, salt, and pepper. Serve hot.

_Peas ‘allo Stufato.’_

Take one and a half or two pounds of shelled peas, and put them into a sauce-pan with some ham, two ounces of butter, a bunch of sweet herbs, and a little fried onion. Simmer gently till they are done, then blend with the yolks of two or three eggs. Serve hot.

_Peas ‘allo Zucchero.’_

Take one pound of shelled peas, put them into a sauce-pan with two ounces of butter, one tumbler of water, one ounce of sugar, and a sprinkling of salt. Cook them over a sharp fire for a quarter of an hour; when tender, take them off the fire and add the yolks of four eggs well beaten up with half a tumbler of cream. Put them on the fire again and stir continually to prevent them from boiling. As soon as the eggs are set serve at once.

* * * * *

_Polenta ‘Dabs.’_

Scald one pint of Indian corn flour in boiling water. Mix together one dessert-spoonful of butter, two lightly beaten-up eggs, one wine-glassful of cream and a little salt, add this to the corn flour, and drop the paste from a spoon into a well-buttered pan. Bake in a moderate oven.[17]

[17] This is an American recipe.

_Polenta ‘alla Parmigiana.’_

Stir one pound of Indian corn flour, a little at a time, into one pint of boiling salted water until smooth, then turn out into a dish to cool, in a layer about half an inch thick. When quite cold, cut into pieces of one inch long, and pile in layers in a baking-dish, sprinkling each layer well with grated Parmesan cheese and some melted butter. Bake in a slow oven and serve hot.

_Polenta with Sausages._

Make a polenta as above (alla Parmigiana) and while cooling boil two or three sausages in an earthen pot with very little water. When done, skin them, break them into small pieces, and add a little stock and tomato conserve. Lay the polenta in a baking dish, putting some sausage and grated Parmesan cheese between each layer with some bits of butter here and there. Then cook with fire above and below, or in the oven, and serve very hot.

* * * * *

_Potatoes Boiled._

Wash the potatoes well and peel off a piece of skin round each potato about half an inch wide to make them mealy. Put them in a sauce-pan, and cover them with cold water; add half a handful of salt, cover the sauce-pan, boil for forty-five minutes. Drain them well, place them in a napkin on a hot dish, and serve hot.

_Potatoes ‘alla Borghese.’_

Boil two pounds of potatoes, and put them in a covered dish to drain. When dry, peel and cut them into slices, then put them into a sauce-pan with four ounces of butter, some chopped parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Let them simmer over a slow fire, then squeeze the juice of two lemons over them and serve up hot.

_Potatoes ‘alla Campagnuola.’_

Boil two pounds of potatoes, peel, slice fine, and brown them slightly in a frying-pan with four ounces of butter. Toss them now and then, adding a little salt and grated nutmeg, and mix Béchamel sauce with them before serving hot (see Sauces, p. 119).

_Potatoes ‘in Casseruola.’_

Mix one pound of mashed potatoes, the yolks of four eggs, half a pint of cream, and two ounces of butter in a sauce-pan. Cook until hot, stir constantly until the paste is flaky and light, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the paste in a circle round a dish and set it in the oven to colour. Then fill the circle with a fricassee of chicken or rabbit, or any kind of stew, mushrooms, or any cooked vegetables (peas, French beans, etc.) left over from the day before, or half a bottle of tomato conserve, or the pulp of six or seven fresh tomatoes.

_Potatoes ‘alla Crema.’_

Boil six or eight potatoes, and cut them into small pieces. Put four ounces of butter, a little flour, salt, pepper, half an onion, some parsley chopped up fine, and a pinch of grated nutmeg, into a sauce-pan. Mix well until it boils, then add a tumbler of cream. Stir constantly over a slow fire until it boils, and then add the potatoes. Stand the sauce-pan by the fire for a few minutes, and serve up very hot.

_Potato Croquettes. No. 1._

Boil two pounds of potatoes in salted water, when cool pound in a mortar, and mix with two or three eggs, and various sweet herbs chopped up (parsley, thyme, marjoram, chervil, etc.). Moisten with half a cup of cream and stir into a thick paste. Roll this into croquettes and fry in fresh butter. When they have taken a good colour serve up hot.

_Potato Croquettes. No. 2._

Put one pound of mashed potatoes, the beaten-up yolks of two eggs, a little onion juice, grated nutmeg, salt, two tablespoonfuls of cream, a pinch of cinnamon, one dessert-spoonful of minced parsley, and two ounces of butter, into a sauce-pan over a moderate fire. Cook until it comes away from the sides, then remove it from the fire. When cold it will break up into small pieces. Meanwhile beat up an egg with a little hot water, dip the pieces of potato into it, and then into grated bread-crumbs. Fry in boiling fat and serve hot with fried parsley.

_Potato ‘Farcite.’_

Wash and peel six or seven large potatoes, cut them in two lengthwise, scoop out the centres (leaving just enough of the potato to support the skin), and fill with forcemeat made of fresh pork minced, salt and pepper to taste, a pinch of grated nutmeg, and a little powdered thyme. Arrange the potatoes in a well-buttered baking-dish, and cook for half an hour in a slow oven until well browned.

_Potatoes ‘al Forno.’ No. 1._

Mash six or seven boiled potatoes and beat them up while hot with three tablespoonfuls of cream, two tablespoonfuls of butter, one raw egg, and salt to taste. Put a layer into a well-buttered baking-dish, then put a layer of thin slices of yolk of hard-boiled eggs, sprinkled with salt and pepper; put layers of potatoes and eggs until the dish is full. The top layer must be potato, over which strew bread-crumbs thickly. Cover the dish and bake until hot, then brown quickly, and serve in the baking-dish.

_Potatoes ‘al Forno.’ No. 2._

Roast six large potatoes in the oven with their skins on, cut them in two, remove the inside with a spoon, but take care to leave enough substance to preserve the shape of the potato. Put the inside of the potato in a dish and add two ounces of butter, half a pint of hot milk, salt and pepper to taste. Mix together until the paste is light, and then add the well-beaten whites of two eggs, and beat up the whole well. Fill the potato skins with the paste, first rolling it in the yolk of egg, then cook in the oven and serve as soon as the top is well coloured.

_Potatoes ‘in Frittata’ (Omelette)._

Mince up two boiled, cold, potatoes, sprinkle with pepper and salt, and put them into a frying-pan in which two ounces of butter have been melted. Spread the potatoes one-third of an inch deep in the pan, and cook slowly over a moderate fire for about a quarter of an hour. Then turn over (as you would any other omelette), and cook the other side. Serve hot.

_Potatoes ‘alla Semplicità.’_

Boil and peel eight large potatoes, and pound them in a mortar with two spoonfuls of chopped parsley, a little powdered cinnamon, and some salt. When fairly thick and consistent, make up the paste into fritters and fry in butter, turning them continually until they are a rich brown colour. If a richer dish is desired, add four eggs and two ounces of butter to the potato paste.

_Potatoes ‘Fritti alla Francese.’_

Wash thoroughly six large peeled potatoes, then cut them into small balls, and put them in boiling water to cook for five or six minutes. Drain, then fry them, a few at a time, in good roast-meat dripping until they are of a golden colour. When cooked, drain them, sprinkle with salt, and serve as a garnish to fish or meat.

_Potatoes ‘in Frittura.’_

Pound four or six cold, boiled potatoes in a mortar with two tablespoonfuls of chopped parsley, a little powdered cinnamon, and some salt. When the paste is well mixed and smooth, make it up into small round cakes and put them into fried fresh butter, turning them until they take a good yellow colour. Serve hot.

_Potato ‘Gnocchi.’_

Boil eight or ten potatoes for a few minutes, then peel; place them in the oven until they are quite soft, then pound them in a mortar with three-quarters of an ounce of grated cheese, five or six dessert-spoonfuls of flour, salt to taste, and three eggs. Knead well and make little rolls, cover them with flour, and put them into a large sauce-pan with salted boiling water. Boil for five or six minutes, then take them carefully out, and place them on a dish, sprinkle them with cheese, and pour some browned melted fresh butter over them with a taste of onion in it (if liked).

_Potatoes ‘all’ Italiana.’_

Wash eight potatoes thoroughly, peel off a strip of skin round each (to make them mealy), put them in a sauce-pan and cover them with cold salted water, put on the lid and boil for forty-five minutes. Then peel and mash them, put them in a sauce-pan, add one ounce of butter and a piece of fresh crumb of bread (about the size of a roll) which has been soaked in milk. Put in two tablespoonfuls of milk, three yolks of fresh eggs with their whites beaten to a froth, salt and pepper to taste, and a little grated nutmeg. Mix well together and pile it high in a baking-dish, pour a little melted butter over it, and sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese, then put it in the oven for about ten minutes. Serve as soon as it is of a good golden colour.

_Potatoes ‘alla Gran Duchessa.’_

Take one pound of mashed potatoes, add two ounces of butter, and salt to taste, one tablespoonful of powdered white sugar, and work up into a light paste, adding two well-beaten eggs. Make the paste into oval balls, roll them in melted fresh butter, and place them in the oven on greased paper until well cooked. They make a nice garnish.

_Potatoes ‘alla Lionese.’_

Boil two large potatoes, and when cold cut them into slices. Melt two ounces of butter in a frying-pan, add a sliced onion, and stir till well browned. Put in the potatoes and simmer gently until they are coloured, then sprinkle with a little salt. Place them on a hot dish and serve very hot.

_Potatoes ‘alla Maître d’Hôtel.’_

Boil four large potatoes and cut them into dice. Put them into a sauce-pan, add about one pint of stock, and cook slowly for a quarter of an hour, sprinkling with salt and pepper to taste, and then place them on a hot dish. Meanwhile fry two ounces of butter, one tablespoonful of chopped parsley, and the juice of one lemon, when done, pour over the potatoes and serve immediately.

_Potatoes ‘all’ Olandese.’_

Peel six large, cold, boiled potatoes, cut them into dice, and throw them into boiling water for five minutes. After draining, place them in a sauce-pan with two ounces of butter on a moderate fire, or in a slow oven, and shake them occasionally, until the potatoes have absorbed the butter and are soft. Serve on a hot dish with sauce ‘Olandese’ (see Sauces, p. 124).

_Potatoes ‘alla Panna.’_

Boil eight or ten large potatoes, and cut them up when cold into small dice. Melt four ounces of butter in an earthen dish with one tablespoonful of flour, then mix in one pint of fresh cream (or milk), a little salt and pepper, and a small pinch of nutmeg. Stir well together until it boils, then put in the potatoes, add some grated bread-crumbs and bits of fresh butter, and cook over a brisk fire until they have turned a good yellow colour. Serve up hot in the earthen dish.

_Potato Pudding._

Mash twelve large boiled potatoes in a sauce-pan with four ounces of butter, two tumblers of cream, a pinch of salt, and a tablespoonful of flour. Then rub through a sieve, adding four ounces of white powdered sugar, a little cinnamon, the yolks of four eggs, with their whites beaten to a froth. Mix well, put into a well-buttered mould thickly sprinkled with bread-crumbs, and bake for three-quarters of an hour until browned.

_Potato Pudding with Mushrooms (Budino con Prugnuoli)._