One of the beneficial results of the Great War has been the teaching ofthrift to the American housewife. For patriotic reasons and for reasonsof economy, more attention has been bestowed upon the preparing andcooking of food that is to be at once palatable, nourishing andeconomical.
In the Italian cuisine we find in the highest degree these threequalities. That it is palatable, all those who have partaken of food inan Italian trattoria or at the home of an Italian family can testify,that it is healthy the splendid manhood and womanhood of Italy is aproof more than sufficient. And who could deny, knowing the thriftinessof the Italian race, that it is economical?
It has therefore been thought that a book of PRACTICAL RECIPES OF THEITALIAN CUISINE could be offered to the American public with hope ofsuccess. It is not a pretentious book, and the recipes have been made asclear and simple as possible. Some of the dishes described are notpeculiar to Italy. All, however, are representative of the CucinaCasalinga of the peninsular Kingdom, which is not the least product of alovable and simple people, among whom the art of living well and gettingthe most out of life at a moderate expense has been attained to a very[Pg 4]
[Pg 5]high degree.
To obtain good broth the meat must be put in cold water, and thenallowed to boil slowly. Add to the meat some pieces of bones and "soupgreens" as, for instance, celery, carrots and parsley. To give a browncolor to the broth, some sugar, first browned at the fire, then dilutedin cold water, may be added.
While it is not considered that the broth has much nutritive power, itis excellent to promote the digestion. Nearly all the Italian soups aremade on a basis of broth.
A good recipe for substantial broth to be used for invalids is thefollowing: Cut some beef in thin slices and place them in a largesaucepan; add some salt. Pour cold water upon them, so that they areentirely covered. Cover the saucepan so that it is hermetically closedand place on the cover a receptacle containing water, which must beconstantly renewed. Keep on a low fire for six hours, then on a strong[Pg 6]fire for ten minutes. Strain the liquid in cheese cloth.
The soup stock, besides being used for soups, is a necessary ingredientin hundreds of Italian dishes.
This Soup is called of "Cappelletti" or "little hats" on account of theshape of the "Cappelletti".
First a thin sheet of paste is made according to the followingdirections:
The best and most tender paste is made simply of eggs, flour and salt,water may be substituted for part of the eggs, for economy, or when aless rich paste is needed. Allow about a cup of flour to an egg. Put theflour on a bread board, make a hollow in the middle and break in theegg. Use any extra whites that are on hand. Knead it thoroughly, addingmore flour if necessary, until you have a paste you can roll out. Rollit as thin as an eighth of an inch. A long rolling pin is necessary, butany stick, well scrubbed and sand papered, will serve in lieu of thelong Italian rolling pin.