SAVORY MACARONI

After baking; some flour to a pale fawn color pass it through a sieve or strainer to remove its gritty particles. Break half a pound of macaroni into short pieces, boil them in salted water until fairly tender, then drain.

In a little butter in a saucepan brown a level tablespoon of very finely chopped onion, then add three or four sliced tomatoes, a half teaspoon of powdered mixed herbs, a little nutmeg, salt and pepper. When the tomatoes are reduced to a pulp add one pint of milk and allow it to come to the boiling point before mixing with it two tablespoons of the browned flour moistened with water.

Stir and boil till smooth, press the whole through a strainer and return to the saucepan. When boiling, add the macaroni and a few minutes later stir in two tablespoons of grated or finely chopped cheese.

It may be served at once, but is vastly improved by keeping the pan for half an hour by the side of the fire in an outer vessel of water. Or the macaroni may be turned into a casserole and finished off in the oven.

For a meat meal the onions may be browned in sweet drippings or olive oil and soup stock substituted for the milk.

BAKED MACARONI WITH CHEESE

Cook one cup of broken macaroni in two quarts of boiling salted water for twenty or thirty minutes, drain and pour cold water through the colander. Put the macaroni in a pudding-dish in layers, covering each layer with cream sauce and grated cheese, one cup will be sufficient, and on the top layers sprinkle one cup of buttered bread crumbs. Bake in oven until the crumbs are brown.

CAULIFLOWER CROQUETTES

Finely chop cold cooked cauliflower, mix in one small, finely chopped onion, one small bunch of parsley finely chopped, one-half cup of bread crumbs and one well-beaten egg. Carefully mix and mold into croquette forms, dip in cracker dust and fry in deep, smoking fat until a light brown.

RICE CROQUETTES

Put on with cold water one cup of rice, and let boil until tender.
Drain, and mix with the rice, one tablespoon of butter, yolks of three eggs, and pinch of salt. About one tablespoon of flour may be added to hold the croquettes together. Beat the whites of the three eggs to a stiff froth, reserving some of the beaten white for egging croquettes, mix this in last, shape into croquettes and fry in hot oil or butter substitute. Place on platter and serve with a lump of jelly on each croquette.

FIG SAUCE

Stew figs slowly for two hours, until soft; sweeten with loaf sugar, about two tablespoons to a pound of fruit; add a glass of port or other wine and a little lemon juice. Serve when cold.

MACARONI AND CHEESE

Break three ounces of macaroni--noodles or spaghetti answer equally well--into small pieces, boil in rapidly boiling salted water; when tender drain off the water and add half a pint of milk; cook slowly till the macaroni has absorbed most of the milk. To half a pint of thick white sauce add two ounces of grated cheese and mix with the macaroni; last of all add two well-beaten eggs. Butter a pudding mold, sprinkle it
with browned bread crumbs and pour in the macaroni mixture; steam gently for about half an hour, turn out and fill the centre with stewed tomatoes and mushrooms.

VEAL SALAD

Cut cold veal in half-inch slices, season with two tablespoons of vinegar, pinch of salt and pepper. Make a dressing using the yolks of three hard-boiled eggs, mashed smooth, add gradually two tablespoons of melted cold chicken or turkey grease, stir until smooth and thick, then add one teaspoon of prepared mustard, large pinch of salt and pepper, one teaspoon of sugar, one teaspoon each of mustard and celery seed, and
five tablespoons of white vinegar. Mix the dressing well with the veal, and serve with or without lettuce leaves.

NEAPOLITAN SALAD

Take some white meat of a turkey, cut up fine, cut up a few pickles the same way, a few beets, one or two carrots, a few potatoes (the carrots and potatoes must be parboiled), also a few stalks of asparagus; chop up a bunch of crisp, white celery; a whole celery root (parboiled), sprinkle all with fine salt and pour a mayonnaise dressing over it. Line the salad bowl with lettuce leaves or white cabbage leaves. Add a few hard-boiled eggs and capers; garnish with sprigs of fresh parsley.

CHICKEN A LA ITALIENNE

Cut the remains of cold chicken (or turkey) into pieces about an inch long and marinate them in a bowl containing one tablespoon of olive oil; one teaspoon of tarragon vinegar or lemon juice, a few drops of onion juice, salt and pepper. At the end of half an hour sprinkle with finely chopped parsley, dip them in fritter batter, and fry in boiling fat. Drain on a brown paper, and serve with or without tomato or brown sauce.

In some parts of Italy this dish is made of several kinds of cold meats, poultry, brains, etc. (the greater the variety the better), served on the same platter, and in Spain all kinds of cold vegetables are fried in batter and served together.

CHICKEN WITH SPAGHETTI EN CASSEROLE

Prepare and truss a young chicken, as if for roasting. Put it in a casserole; and pour over it two tablespoons of olive oil, a cup of white wine, a cup of bouillon, salt and cayenne to taste, one spoon of dried mushrooms soaked in one cup of water and chopped fine, and one-half can of mushrooms. Cover tightly and simmer in the oven for about an hour, turning the chicken occasionally; add a dozen olives and a tablespoon of
chicken-fat, smoothed with one tablespoon of flour, and bring to a boil. Remove the chicken and add about a pint of boiled spaghetti to the sauce. Place the chicken on a platter, surround with the spaghetti, and serve.

LAMB STEW

Brown slices of leek or young onions in one tablespoon of drippings, add neck or breast of lamb, cut in small pieces; season with white pepper, salt and parsley; cook until tender, just before serving season with dill.

LAMB AND MACARONI

Dilute one can of concentrated tomato sauce with one quart of water; mince two medium-sized onions very fine and fry slowly in olive oil or drippings until they are a golden brown, and add to tomatoes. Fry one and one-half pounds of lean neck of lamb in a little drippings until the meat is nicely browned all over and add to the tomatoes, season with one clove of garlic, two bay leaves, two teaspoons of sugar, pepper and
salt, and let it simmer for about one and one-half hours, or until the meat is tender and the sauce has become the consistency of thick cream.
Have ready some boiled macaroni, put in with the meat and stir well.
Serve hot.

Short ribs of beef may be cooked in the same manner.

POLENTA

Place one cup of yellow cornmeal and three cups of cold water in a double boiler, add one teaspoon of salt, one-half teaspoon of pepper and cook for forty minutes. While still hot add one and one-half cups of grated cheese to the mixture and heat until it melts. Turn the mixture into a greased bowl and allow it to set. The meal may be sliced an inch thick or cut with a biscuit cutter and then fried in hot vegetable oil.
Serve with white or tomato sauce as desired.

Italian Veal and Macaroni

Season tender veal cutlets with salt and red pepper and saute in hot olive-oil; then cover and simmer until tender. Boil macaroni until tender; drain. Add the macaroni to the veal with 1 cup of stock, and 3 tablespoonfuls of chopped cheese. Let all simmer ten minutes. Put on a platter and cover with bread-crumbs fried in butter. Serve hot.

Italian Salad

Cut 1 pound of cooked veal in very small pieces; add 1 herring that has been soaked in milk, 3 cooked potatoes, 2 pickles, 3 boiled beets, 3 apples, 2 stalks of celery, 1 cooked carrot. Pour over a mayonnaise dressing and garnish with sliced hard-boiled eggs, olives and capers.

Italian Macaroni

Boil macaroni in salted water until tender. Drain. Then heat 2 tablespoonfuls of butter in a saucepan; add the macaroni, 1/2 cup of chopped boiled tongue, 1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms, 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Cover, let get very hot. Then mix a highly seasoned tomato-sauce with a small glass of wine; let boil up and pour over the macaroni. Serve hot with roast veal.

Milanese Vegetable Soup

Cut bacon and ham into small pieces; put in a saucepan with 1 tablespoonful of hot butter. Add all kinds of vegetables, cut into very small pieces and let fry a few minutes. Then fill the pan with 1 quart of beef stock; let all cook slowly for half an hour; add some boiled rice and 1 cup of tomato-sauce and cook until done. Serve hot.

Italian Baked Fish

Clean and season a blue fish with salt, pepper and cloves. Lay the fish in a baking-pan with 1 onion chopped fine and 2 tablespoonfuls of chopped carrot and parsley. Pour over 1 glass of wine; sprinkle with flour. Put flakes of butter over the fish and let bake until brown. Serve with macaroni.

Italian Cutlets

Take tender veal cutlets; season highly with pepper and salt. Dip in beaten egg and fine bread-crumbs and fry in boiling lard until a light brown. Have ready some boiled macaroni well seasoned. Put on a platter with the cutlets and pour over all a highly seasoned tomato-sauce.

Italian Veal Pates

Chop cooked veal with some onion, parsley, thyme and 1 clove of garlic; season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add some chopped ham, lemon-juice and 2 eggs. Mix with bread-crumbs and melted butter. Fill into small pate shells; rub with butter and beaten egg. Place a paper over the top and let bake in a moderate oven. Serve with tomato-sauce.