Simple Italian Cookery | Page 5

the spinach, drain, and chop up fine, add the curds, one egg, salt
and pepper, dash of nutmeg, and a little grated cheese. Add to the paste,
and boil as before.
SWEET RAVIOLI (_Ravioli Dolce_)
These ravioli can be used also as a dessert by preparing them as
follows:
Take 1/2 pound of flour 1 tablespoon of butter 2 tablespoons of lard
Work this into a paste and roll out thin.
Take one-half pound of curds, add one egg, and the yolk of a second
egg, two tablespoons of granulated sugar, a few drops of extract of
vanilla. Mix well together and add to the paste as before. Then fry in
lard until a golden brown. Serve with powdered sugar.
TIMBALE OF MACARONI
Take a small piece of ham fat, one-half of onion, piece of celery,
parsley, small piece of carrot. Chop up fine together. Put into a
saucepan, and when the vegetables are fried add two or three
mushrooms which have been chopped fine; after five minutes add two
tablespoons of tomato paste, thinned with five tablespoons of hot water
(or equal quantity of tomato sauce without water). When the sauce is
cooked take out the mushrooms and put them on one side.

Take one-half pound of macaroni. Boil in salted water for fifteen
minutes, drain, and add the sauce described above. Add two
tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated, and one tablespoon of butter.
Butter well a mold, then cover with a thin layer of bread crumbs the
bottom and sides. Pour into the mold one-half the macaroni, then place
on it a layer of mushrooms which you have taken out of the sauce. Now
add the other half of the macaroni, and then another thin layer of bread
crumbs. Put the mold into the oven without turning it over, and bake in
a slow oven until well browned. Then turn out and serve.
To this timbale, if desired for variety, cold meat of any kind cut up fine
may be added to the sauce; and one egg, hard boiled, and cut into four
pieces. Add the egg, and the pieces of meat which you have removed
from the sauce, to the timbale at the same time that you add the
mushrooms.

RICE TIMBALE
This timbale is made in the same way as the preceding one, only
substituting rice for macaroni. One-half cup of rice.
TIMBALE OF RIBBON MACARONI
This is prepared as the two preceding ones, using Ribbon Macaroni
instead of rice or ordinary macaroni.

RICE, ETC.
RICE WITH PEAS
1/2 cup of rice Grated Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons of butter 1 small
onion
Chop the onion up fine and put it into the saucepan with one-half the
butter (one tablespoon). Cook until the onion is brown, then pour on the

rice (raw) and fry until the rice is dry. Then add hot water, a ladleful at
a time, taking care not to let the rice boil too hard, as it will then
become hard in the middle and floury around the edges. When the rice
is cooked, put the saucepan at the back of the stove, and add the rest of
the butter. Before taking off the stove add a little grated Parmesan
cheese and the peas, which have been prepared as follows:
Take a small piece of ham fat, one-half small onion, and some parsley.
Chop together fine, add three tablespoons of olive-oil, salt and pepper,
and put into a saucepan on the fire. When the onion is colored add one
can of green peas (or fresh peas, according to season). When the peas
have absorbed all the olive-oil add a sufficient quantity of broth to
cover them (or water) and cook until peas are soft. Then mix the peas
with the rice, add one tablespoon of Parmesan cheese, and serve.
RICE "ALLA ROMANA" (_Risotto alla Romana_)
A small piece of ham fat 1 stalk of celery Parsley 1 onion 2 mushrooms
canned, or 1 fresh mushroom 1/3 pound of lean beef
Chop these ingredients together and put them into a large saucepan
with a small piece of butter. Cook until the meat is well browned. Then
add one tablespoon of red or white wine. Cook for a few minutes, then
add one tablespoon of tomato paste dissolved in a little hot water, or
two and one-half tablespoons of the other tomato sauce. Cook well,
adding from time to time a little water--one-half cup in all. Wash the
rice (a little less than a cupful), add it to the other ingredients in the
saucepan, and cook for about twenty minutes, until the rice is soft,
adding more water from time to time. Then add two tablespoons of
grated Parmesan cheese, mix well, and serve, with more cheese if
desired.
RISOTTO "ALLA NOSTRALE"
Take a small piece of