<h2>PASTE</h2>
<h4>SPAGHETTI, MACARONI ETC.</h4>
<h4>(Pasta Asciutta)</h4>
<p>The Italians serve the spaghetti or macaroni at the beginning of the
meal, in place of soup, and they give it the name of <b>Minestra Asciutta</b>
or "dry" soup. Besides the familiar spaghetti, the paste is served in
many other forms and with different seasoning. This is by far the most
popular Italian dish, and it seems to have pleased the taste of all the
peoples of the earth. The highly nutritive qualities of spaghetti and of
cheese, their indispensable condiment, have been recognized by all diet
authorities and, as for its palatableness, the lovers of spaghetti are
just as enthusiastic and numerous outside of Italy as within the
boundaries of that blessed country. The most popular seasoning for
spaghetti, are tomato sauce, brown stock and anchovy sauce. The
description of these three condiments follows:<span class='pagenum'><SPAN name="Page_14" id="Page_14"></SPAN></span></p>
<h4>12</h4>
<h4>TOMATO SAUCE</h4>
<h4>(Salsa di Pomidoro)</h4>
<p>Chop together, fine, one quarter of an onion, a clove of garlic, a piece
of celery as long as your finger, a few bay leaves and just enough
parsley. Season with a little oil, salt and pepper, cut up seven or
eight tomatoes and put everything over the fire together. Stir it from
time to time and when you see the juice condensing into a thin custard
strain through a sieve, and it is ready for use.</p>
<p>When fresh tomatoes are not available the tomato paste may be used. This
is a concentrated paste made from tomatoes and spices which is to be
had, at all Italian grocers', now so numerous in all American cities.
Thinned with water, it is a much used ingredient in Italian recipes.
Catsup and concentrated tomato soup do not make satisfactory substitutes
as they are too sweet in flavor. Of course canned tomatoes seasoned with
salt and a bit of bay leaf, can always be used instead of fresh
tomatoes.</p>
<p>This sauce serves many purposes. It is good on boiled meat; excellent to
dress macaroni, spaghetti or other pastes which have been seasoned with
butter and cheese, or on boiled rice seasoned in the same way (see
Risotto). Mushrooms are a fine addition to it.<span class='pagenum'><SPAN name="Page_15" id="Page_15"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>When using concentrated paste the following recipes will be found to
give good results:</p>
<p>Chop one onion, one carrot and a celery stalk: form a little bunch of
parsley and other aromatic greens and put everything to brown in a
saucepan together with a piece of butter. Add a reasonable portion of
tomato paste while cooking, stir and keep on a low fire until the sauce
assumes the necessary consistency.</p>
<h4>13</h4>
<h4>BROWN STOCK</h4>
<h4>(Sugo di Carne)</h4>
<p>Cover the bottom of a saucepan with thin slices of beef taken from a
juicy cut and small pieces of salt pork. Place over a large onion, one
carrot, and a stalk of celery, all chopped in small pieces. Add some
butter and cover the whole with any trimmings from steaks or roasts and
any bit of left over cooked meat. Season with salt and cloves. Put over
the fire without stirring. When you smell the onions getting very brown,
turn the meat and when everything is quite brown add a cup of water,
renewing the latter three times. Finally add a certain quantity of
boiling water or, better still, of broth, and let it boil gently five or
six hours. Strain, cool and skim off the fat which will form a cake on
top of the liquid.<span class='pagenum'><SPAN name="Page_16" id="Page_16"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>The meat can be used afterward for meat balls or <b>Croquettes</b>. The stock
may be kept for some days and forms the basis for many dishes.</p>
<h4>14</h4>
<h4>ANCHOVY SAUCE</h4>
<h4>(Salsa d'Acciughe)</h4>
<p>This recipe does not call for the filets of anchovies prepared for <b>hors
d'œuvre</b>, but the less expensive and larger whole anchovies in salt to
be had in bulk or cans at large dealers. Wash them thoroughly in plenty
of water. Remove head, tail, backbone and skin and they are ready for
use.</p>
<p>Put five or six anchovies into a colander and dip quickly into boiling
water to loosen the skins, remove the salt, skin and bone them. Chop
them and put over the fire in a saucepan with a generous quantity of oil
and some pepper. Do not let them boil, but when they are hot add two
tablespoons of butter and three or four tablespoons of concentrated
tomato juice made by cooking down canned tomatoes and rubbing through a
sieve. When this sauce is used to season spaghetti, these must be boiled
in water that is only slightly salted and care must be taken not to let
them become too soft. The quantities above mentioned ought to be
sufficient for about one pound of spaghetti.<span class='pagenum'><SPAN name="Page_17" id="Page_17"></SPAN></span></p>
<h4>15</h4>
<h4>SPAGHETTI OR MACARONI WITH BUTTER AND CHEESE</h4>
<h4>(Pasta al burro e formaggio)</h4>
<p>This is the simplest form in which the spaghetti may be served, and it
is generally reserved for the thickest paste. The spaghetti are to be
boiled until tender in salted water, taking care to remove them when
tender, and not cooked until they lose form. They should not be put into
the water until this is at a boiling point.</p>
<p>Take as much macaroni as will half fill the dish in which it is to be
served. Break into pieces two and a half to three inches long if you so
desire. The Italians leave them unbroken, but their skill in turning
them around the fork and eating them <b>is not the privilege of everybody</b>.
Put the macaroni into salted boiling water, and boil twelve to fifteen
minutes, or until the macaroni is perfectly soft. Stir frequently to
prevent the macaroni from adhering to the bottom. Turn it into a
colander to drain; then put it into a pudding-dish with a generous
quantity of butter and grated cheese. If more cheese is liked, it can be
brought to the table so that the guests can help themselves to it.</p>
<p>The macaroni called "Mezzani" which is a name designating size, not
quality, is the preferable kind for macaroni dishes made with butter and
cheese.<span class='pagenum'><SPAN name="Page_18" id="Page_18"></SPAN></span></p>
<h4>16</h4>
<h4>MACARONI WITH SAUCE</h4>
<h4>(Maccheroni al sugo)</h4>
<p>The most appreciated kind of macaroni are those seasoned with tomato
sauce or with brown stock (see nos. 12 and 13). The macaroni are boiled
as above, then drained in a colander, returned to the saucepan and mixed
with the sauce and grated cheese. For those who like it some butter may
be added in the mixing.</p>
<h4>17</h4>
<h4>MACARONI WITH ANCHOVY SAUCE</h4>
<h4>(Maccheroni con salsa d'acciughe)</h4>
<p>After the paste is drained thoroughly it is to be put into the hot dish
in which it is to be served and the anchovy sauce poured over it and
well mixed with two silver forks until the sauce has gone all through
it. Some olive oil may be added, but grated cheese is not generally used
with the anchovy sauce.</p>
<h4>18</h4>
<h4>MACARONI A LA CORINNA</h4>
<h4>(Maccheroni alla Corinna)</h4>
<p>Put on the fire a pot with two quarts of salted water to which add a
small piece of butter. When it begins to boil put in it ¾ lb.
macaroni. Let<span class='pagenum'><SPAN name="Page_19" id="Page_19"></SPAN></span> it boil for five minutes, then drain them in a colander.
Put them again in new boiling water, prepared as above and let them cook
on a slow fire. Drain them again. Cover the bottom of a plate with
macaroni and cover this first layer with grated cheese and with some
vegetables in macédoine, that is, chopped fine and fried brown with
butter. Repeat the draining, moisten the macaroni with the water in
which they have previously cooked and keep on a low fire for ten minutes
more.</p>
<p>The <b>Macédoine</b> of vegetables can be made with a dozen Bruxelles sprouts
or one cabbage, half a dozen big asparagus cut in little pieces, a
carrot cut in thin slices, a dozen small onions, some turnips and half a
dozen mushrooms. The mushrooms and the asparagus can be omitted. Melt
some butter in a saucepan and when the turnips, the carrots and the
onions are half cooked, add the cabbage or sprouts. Put in some water
and some more butter, boil for ten minutes and then add the mushrooms
and the asparagus, adding salt and pepper, and a little sugar if this is
desired.</p>
<h4>19</h4>
<h4>MACARONI "AU GRATIN"</h4>
<h4>(Maccheroni al gratin)</h4>
<p>Boil the macaroni in salted water until tender and drain them. Butter
slightly a fireproof casse<span class='pagenum'><SPAN name="Page_20" id="Page_20"></SPAN></span>role and lay on the bottom some grated cheese
and grated bread. Alternate the layers of cheese with macaroni and on
the top layer of macaroni put more cheese and bread grated. Over the
whole pour some melted butter, cover the casserole, (or <b>pyrex</b> plate) and
put it in the oven with a low fire. Keep for ten minutes or more, until
the top appears browned.</p>
<h4>20</h4>
<h4>MACARONI NAPOLITAINE</h4>
<h4>(Maccheroni alla Napoletana)</h4>
<p>Grind ¼ lb. salt pork or bacon and fry it out in a saucepan. While it
is frying put one small onion through the grinder. As soon as the pork
begins to brown add the onion, the parsley chopped, a clove (or small
section) of garlic shredded fine, and a few dried mushrooms which have
been softened by soaking in warm water. When the vegetables are very
brown (great care must be taken not to burn the onion, which scorches
very easily) add ½ lb. round steak ground coarsely or cut up in little
cubes. When the meat is a good brown color, add some fresh or canned
tomatoes or half a tablespoonful of tomato paste and simmer slowly until
all has cooked down to a thick creamy sauce. It will probably take ¾
hour. The sauce may be bound together with a little flour if it shows a
tendency to separate.<span class='pagenum'><SPAN name="Page_21" id="Page_21"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>This sauce is used to dress all kinds of macaroni and spaghetti, also
for boiled rice (see Risotto). The macaroni or spaghetti should be left
unbroken when cooked. If they are too long to fit in the kettle immerse
one end in the boiling salted water and in a very few minutes the ends
of the spaghetti under the water will become softened so that the rest
can be pushed down into the kettle. Be careful not to overcook it, and
it will not be pasty, but firm and tender. Drain it carefully and put in
a hot soup tureen. Sprinkle a handful of grated cheese over it and pour
on the sauce. Lift with two forks until thoroughly mixed.</p>
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