Foods of the Foreign-born/Chapter 4

by Bertha M. Wood

ITALIANS

Italy has a climate much like that of California, which gives the people a long farming season, but in the hottest part of the summer, in Southern Italy, very little work is done during the middle of the day. Wheat, corn, and other cereals, vegetables, fruit, chickens, sheeps' and goats' milk constitute the food products of the farm. Some have a greater variety than others, depending on the ambition and aggressiveness of the farmer.

The Italians make their own cheese from goats' milk; they lay in a store of dried peppers and strings of garlic for the winter, and they make enough tomato paste to last during the season. Here and there one finds olives raised for family use. These are pickled, both ripe and green, and are used not only as a relish, but cooked with macaroni or, in Northern Italy, with corn meal.

The Italians who come to America are the peasants or land workers. They are heavily taxed at home, and almost no educational opportunities are provided for their children. Taxes are heavy, ready money is scarce, and saving is a slow process. The needs of the family are supplied from the farms direct, or by exchange with neighbors.

Italians may be divided into three groups: those from Northern Italy; those from Central Italy; and the sea-coast group—the Sicilians and those living on the shores of the Adriatic.

The northern group know as little about the foods of the central and seacoast groups as they do of their dialects, and vice versa.

The Italians from the northern provinces use stronger drinks than wine, both at and between meals. Their diet consists of black coffee for adults, goats' milk for children, and bread without butter for breakfast. The bread is heavy and made of wheat, which is home grown and ground. It is dark in color, because the wheat is not put through any refining process. The bread is made in large, round loaves, or in oblong pieces, and is baked on the bottom of the oven, without being placed in tins. Oftentimes it is baked on the stones in one side of an open fireplace, or out-of-doors on heated stones. This gives a heavy crust on all sides.

The midday meal is not considered an important one, as the men are out in the fields during the farming season, which lasts from early spring till late fall. Often the women are with them, helping with the work. Sometimes they take along bread, cheese, and coffee; sometimes a piece of sausage. If they return to the house they have bread, fried eggs, and black coffee.

The important meal is served at the end of the day, preparation for which is generally started early in the morning. The black pot is put over the fire, and into this is put a small amount of meat or some beans. Their variety of the latter is so great, they can use a different kind each day if they wish. Later they add vegetables, then macaroni, and last fat, either lard or olive oil.

Polenta may be started in this same black iron pot. This to us is a thick corn meal mush, to which is added tomato paste or ripe tomatoes. Sometimes they change it by adding grated cheese, or bits of pork and garlic. It is eaten hot; or, if allowed to cool, is then sliced and fried in olive oil. This is eaten with bread and butter.

Proceeding south in Italy, one finds the use of alcohol decreasing and more wine used at meals and on social occasions, accompanied by cakes.

The food produced in Central Italy is not very different from that of the north. It is raised more abundantly, however, as the farming season is longer. Fruits and vegetables are produced in quantity, and the poorest people have them in abundance. Very little meat is used; it is served not more than once a week in some families, and in others on festive occasions only. Here again we find the many kinds of pasta, or macaroni, used in combination with different vegetables, garlic, and oil. When bread is eaten with it, no butter accompanies it.

The peasants use very little pastry or cake except on feast days; then they are elaborate—such as Gateau Margherita, made with ten eggs and the whites of five more, butter, flour, and almond flavoring. In the frosting of cakes the Italians exercise all their artistic ability, beautifying and ornamenting them. It is because of the expense and the unusual amount of time and work required to make them that pastries are not used oftener. Fruit takes their place in the everyday diet of the people.

Goats furnish milk for the family. The children drink it, and the surplus is used for cheeses of various kinds.

Thus we see that the people of Northern and Central Italy have a very well-balanced diet in their own country, with protein from milk, cheese, eggs, and meat; carbohydrates from macaroni in various forms and from bread; mineral matter from fruits and vegetables; and fat from olive oil, lard, and pork. From the milk, vegetables, and egg yolks they derive vitamines to promote growth and repair tissue.

It is difficult to measure their daily food in calories, as they generally have a one-dish meal, prepared in a large kettle from which each one helps himself, eating until he is satisfied.

The occupation of the southern Italians outside the cities is fishing. Some are engaged in the sponge fisheries, others in coral fishing, while the largest proportion are fishing for food. As a result, the seacoast people have a more varied diet than the other two groups. Fish of many kinds, including shellfish, are added to their daily menus; these ranging from snails—the smallest variety — to ink fish, one of the largest.

Snails are sometimes combined with rice or macaroni. They are put into cold water and left to soak out of their shells, then the shells are taken out and the water turned off, leaving the snail meats in the bottom of the dish. These are scooped out and mixed with the macaroni to which may have been added garlic, green or red peppers or tomatoes, for the southern Italians are fond of more highly seasoned food than the other two groups. All small fish are boiled, baked or fried in olive oil, and served with a tomato sauce to which garlic and green peppers have been added.

Generally one can tell from what part of Italy a family have come if one knows the foods they are using.

The diet of the Italians in the cities is more expensive and varied than that of the people in the rural districts. Incomes are larger and transportation brings food materials from all parts of Italy, from Northern Africa, and even from America. These people use more pastry and cake. Afternoon tea is always accompanied by cakes, and light wine is served with small cakes.

Throughout Italy the variety of foods is more limited in the winter than in the summer, as the people have little knowledge of preserving fruits and vegetables, except the making of tomato paste, the pickling of peppers, cucumbers and olives, and the drying of peppers and garlic.

On the arrival of the Italians in the United States, they readily find friends and neighbors from their own section of the home country. They establish their homes near; and from the different foods carried in the markets, it may be determined from what locality the people came. Macaroni is not only imported, but is also manufactured in this country. There are Indian meal for their polenta, meat and fish in abundance, and plenty of vegetables and fruits of various kinds, but everything is much more expensive than at home. The Italian laborer here is paid larger wages; he handles more money than in Italy, but with the joy of this comes the realization that it costs more to live. At home he had a garden and never had to count the cost of vegetables or fruit; here he has no garden and is amazed at market prices.

The most important food that is missing from the Italian diet in this country is milk. Herds of goats and cows, with their calves, are not driven around our streets from door to door to furnish the day's supply of milk for a few cents, as is done in some cities of Italy. No great effort was necessary there to have milk; goats were inexpensive, both in first cost and in their maintenance; cows were always kept on a farm if goats were not, and the more well-to-do often have both. These animals were considered as much a part of the place as the grapevines and fruit trees.

In this country it is an effort to get milk, and it has to be planned for. As it is usually considered a drink rather than a food, the food is bought first, then if any money is left, and usually there is not much, it is used for milk. More meat can be had than in the old country, and the Italian enjoys it. Moreover, he feels better satisfied when he has it in larger proportion with his macaroni and olive oil. Whereas it was used only once or twice a week in Italy, now it becomes a part of the daily dietary.

The family like vegetables, but to get from them the amount of satisfaction and bulk to which they are accustomed would incur too great an expense. Either they leave out both milk and meat and live largely on starches—bread, macaroni, and potatoes—and vegetables, or meat is used at the sacrifice of vegetables and milk. When the health of the family suffers through this great change in diet, one often hears, "My man no like his work; he sick," or "My child, he no good since he came here," always attributing the difficulty to the wrong cause. Eggs are another staple in the diet in Italy which is almost prohibited here because of the high prices, unless the family keep hens. Many of their soups require a large number of eggs, eggless soup being almost unknown to them.

These conditions and changes help to indicate the hard problem which the woman in the Italian family has to meet in this country. Doubtless she was unaccustomed to marketing in Italy, and generally has no one who has solved the problem to help her in this country; so she quite naturally follows in the footsteps of others who have known no more than she the way out into a dietary suited to the new needs of her family and to American supplies. The result is that a readjustment takes place without really making any plan for an adequate diet.

The raw food materials of the Italian diet, many of which were easily procured from their own farms, when combined in their home country ways furnished a cheap, well-balanced diet. In this country, because of greater cost and more difficulty in securing, the Italians otten have a poorly-balanced diet and run short in some of the most important food elements.

The Italian children are given the adult's diet as soon as they are out of swaddling clothes. The larger the abdomen, the stronger and healthier the mother considers the child. A diet of milk, strained cereal, and fruit juices is unknown to an Italian mother. Too large an amount of macaroni or rice and lard are usually included in the diet, and often the children suffer from constipation because of this excess of starch, with few vegetables and little fruit.

The children learn to take tea and black coffee, and bread without butter, for breakfast. Usually this means a meal of 200 to 250 calories, composed of carbohydrates, instead of one of 500 calories, such as they should have obtained from a combination of protein, carbohydrates, mineral matter, and fats. At noon the meal often consists again of bread with a piece of bologna, and more tea or coffee.

At night, or supper time, comes the big meal of the day, which, as in their native country, is started in the morning and cooked either in one large kettle or in several small ones, the contents being put into one in the last process of preparation.

The Italian woman, when she does cook a meal, spends much time and care, and the results are very appetizing. This fact gives encouragement, showing what an apt pupil she would be if taught early on her arrival how to market, what raw food materials like those of her home country can be secured, what substitutes can be used, and what a day's dietary—breakfast, dinner, and supper—should contain, and why.

In attempting to furnish this instruction, native dishes and raw food materials should be recognized and preserved as far as possible. If olive oil is a luxury, other vegetable oils, of which we have several, may be introduced. Soups may be given that will have the Italian flavor of tomato, or garlic, or both. To them may have been added macaroni in one of its various forms, rice, or fava (horse beans), and this will furnish thickening in the place of eggs. Milk soups will be acceptable only when highly flavored, or after the family have learned to like white sauces. Gnocchi is their milk soup. Vegetables the Italians have always cared for, and when their value is explained, they are often willing to substitute more of them for meat. Cheese is used more sparingly here, because the people cannot make it themselves and must therefore buy it. This adds another expense, with the result that less is used.

The Italians have as many good combinations of food to select from as can be found in American cook books, when special diets must be given to those who are not well. The following are prescribed for undernourished children:

Zuppa alia Provinciale (Potato Soup)

• 2 large potatoes
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 4 cups soup stock
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon salt

Boil potatoes; rub through sieve. Put in saucepan with butter, salt, and milk. Simmer until thick, then add egg yolks to form it into paste. Turn onto bread board, cut into small dice, and throw into soup stock which must be boiling.

Zuppa di Lettuga (Lettuce Soup)

• 1 head lettuce
• 2 potatoes
• 1 head of celery
• 2 tablespoons green peas
• 1 heaping tablespn. flour
• 4 cups soup stock

Cook all together for one hour and a half, and serve with toasted squares of bread.

Zuppa di Zucca (Pumpkin Soup)

• 3 pounds sliced pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup water
• 1½ cups milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Peel pumpkin, cut into pieces; cook slowly in water with butter, sugar, and salt for two hours on the back of the stove. Drain and add to milk, which has been heated. Bring to a boil before serving.

Brodo di Lenticchio (Lentil Soup)

• 3 tablespns. dried lentils
• ½ tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 4 cups soup stock

Cover lentils with water and simmer until soft; put through sieve. Melt butter in saucepan, add lentils and milk; mix well. Add a cup of stock, and this to three cups hot stock.

Some of the Italian soups more nearly resembling our own are minestrone alia Milanese, or vegetable chowder, brodo di capone, or chicken soup, and brodo di came, or vegetable and beef soup.

Milk may be given plain or in custards, as in gnocchi of milk, or in zabione.

Gnocchi of Milk

• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespn. cornstarch
• 3 drops vanilla
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Put all these ingredients together in a saucepan. Mix well, then put on stove and let cook slowly until thick. When cold serve with milk or cream.

Zabione

• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 drops vanilla, or
• 2 tablespoons fruit juice
• 2 eggs

Put all together in saucepan and beat well. Put on back of stove; let it heat and cook slowly, stirring often until thick. Serve hot or cold.

Other recipes which may be used for children are as follows:

Spinagi

• ½ peck spinach
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 5 tablespoons cream
• ⅓ tablespoon butter
• ¾ tablespoon flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 egg whites

Wash and cook spinach in salt and one tablespoon water for twenty minutes; chop fine. Put butter and flour into saucepan. Stir while heating, then add chopped spinach. Cook for five minutes, and add cream. Add yolk of egg, well beaten; when cool add well-beaten whites, then place mixture in a buttered dish and bake for ten or fifteen minutes. Italian cooked vegetables are best for children in this form. They are more easily digested than when cooked in olive oil or other fats.

Lettuga Informata (Lettuce Baked in Oven)

Take off wilted outside leaves, wash and tie up heads, and place in baking pan with two cups of soup stock. Bake one-half hour. Place fork under heads, remove, and serve with stock for gravy.

Polenta (Corn Meal Mush)

This is usually eaten with meat gravy instead of milk. It would not be difficult to teach children to eat it with milk.

Gnocchi di Semolina (Indian Meal)

Often called farina by the Italians, cooked in milk.

Canestrelli (Tea Cakes or Cookies)

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup butter
• ½ cup flour
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Cream together sugar and butter; add well-beaten egg yolk and vanilla; then enough flour to make a firm dough, probably one-half cup. Roll out thin and cut into fancy shapes.

Italian children do not need to be encouraged to eat macaroni, vermicelli, or spaghetti, which are usually well cooked. They are quite ready to eat oat meal or rolled oats if these are cooked in milk and raisins added.

A constipation diet includes vegetables served in the many different ways of cooking and combining, and fresh fruit or fruit juices. When constipation is found among the Italians, it is usually due to the fact that they have been financially unable to secure vegetables, fruit, and olive oil, and have lived exclusively on macaroni, rice, and lentils.

An Italian patient with nephritis finds it very hard to leave cheese out of his diet. He does not miss the other forms of proteins so much. A very little meat is used at any time; eggs are used as thickening, and would not be missed if another thickening were used, but cheese furnishes flavor for many dishes. Therefore, if any protein is to be allowed, cheese should be selected.

Tuberculous patients may be given milk in the same forms as are prescribed for undernourished children, and eggs in soups. The Italian people are not in the habit of using soft eggs, but have many recipes for using hardboiled eggs. Patients can be taught to poach or drop them, and serve a little grated cheese on them. In this way they may learn to eat them. Sugar may be prescribed in fruit compotes—stewed fruits, made of either fresh or dried fruits. Raisins and almond paste are other forms of sweets.

Diabetic patients find it very hard to adjust themselves to a diet without any pasta, or macaroni. Among their people it has always been the staple at every meal. Vegetables used by them in many combinations are prescribed for this disease. Tomatoes may be scooped out and an egg dropped in each. Then the tomatoes are placed in a small dish, and baked until the eggs are set. Mushrooms are often chopped and baked in tomatoes. Beans of all kinds are used in their dietaries, and must be removed. Often the use of mushrooms may be encouraged in their place. Endive is enjoyed as well as dandelions, spinach, and many other leafy vegetables.

If the Italians can secure their preferred diet, it is usually well-balanced. Naturally they are painstaking, good cooks. It is not, therefore, at all impossible for a person who knows their native dietaries to help them adjust themselves to the conditions in this country and to the needs in their local environment. An understanding of their dietary background is absolutely essential to successful results.

RECIPES

Spaghetti alia Napolitana

• ½ pound spaghetti
• ½ pound round steak
• ½ pound salt pork or bacon
• 1 small onion
• ½ cup grated cheese
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 sprigs of parsley
• 2 cups canned tomatoes
• 6 dried mushrooms

Grind the salt pork and try out in a saucepan. When it begins to brown, add the onion, ground; parsley, chopped; shredded garlic and the mushrooms, previously soaked. When the vegetables are brown, add the meat, coarsely ground; and when that is brown, add the tomatoes. Simmer slowly till of a creamy consistency.

Cook spaghetti, without breaking it, and drain carefully. Put into a hot serving dish, sprinkle one-half cup grated cheese over it, then pour the hot sauce over it. Lift with two forks till thoroughly mixed.

Codfish with Green Peppers

• ½ salt codfish
• ¼ cup oil
• 1 onion
• 2 large green peppers
• 2 large fresh tomatoes, or
• 2 cups thick canned tomatoes
• 1 tablespn. chopped parsley

Wash and soak the codfish, then remove the bones and cut into squares, or slice. Roll in flour and fry in lard or oil. Roast the peppers so as to blister the skin, which may then be easily removed. Cut and remove the seeds, then cut Into narrow strips. Thinly slice the onion and fry slowly in oil till yellowed. Add the tomatoes, cut in pieces, or thick canned tomatoes, and the green peppers. When the peppers are partly cooked, add the codfish and parsley. Cook slowly till the peppers are done. If the sauce is too thick, add a little water or tomato juice.

Neapolitan Sandwiches

Grind three tablespoons of blanched pistachio nuts to a paste, or chop very fine. Cut three tablespoons of cherries into tiny pieces and mix with a soft icing, honey or melted fondant, to make a consistency fit for spreading. Butter four good slices of bread. Spread the nuts over one slice, some jam on the next, and cherries on the third. Pile them up in the same order and place the remaining slice on top. With a sharp knife cut down through the center, making the slices one-quarter of an inch thick, each of which shows the layer of color. A sandwich similar to this may be made of brown and white bread, alternating the colors. Any filling to suit the taste may be used.

Risotto

• 1 cup rice
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups tomatoes
• 1 cup stock

This may be the means of using up any bits of meat that the housekeeper has on hand, or it may be made with cheese and tomato only. Wash one cup of rice and turn it into a frying pan containing two tablespoons of melted butter. Stir over a moderate heat until it begins to take on a golden tinge, and then add two cups of canned tomatoes, which have been pressed through a sieve, and one cup of strained stock. Cover and cook slowly until the rice is tender and has absorbed nearly all the liquid, which will take about forty minutes. When half done add salt and paprika to taste. If necessary to stir, use a fork, so as not to break the grains. Just before removing from the fire add a tablespoon of butter, cut in bits, and half a cup of grated cheese. Half a cup of any minced meat or poultry can be substituted for the cheese, both ham and sausage being particularly good.

Spaghetti—Italian Style

First, put one-quarter pound salt pork, sliced, in a small pan; try out, and then strain it. Put fat back in pan, cut some garlic; if you like, one onion, too; stir a little and then put in two pork chops. Cook for about ten minutes, then add one cup strained tomato and cook for about half an hour to an hour, according to meat.

Second, put enough water in a good-sized pan and let come to a boil; then put in one-half pound spaghetti and cook. Strain spaghetti in a colander, and spread in a platter; over spaghetti spread grated cheese and sauce. Put meat in a dish, separate.

Italian Prupetti (Meat Balls)

• 1 pound chopped meat
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• ¼ cup grated cheese
• 1 teaspn. black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• Parsley

Mix together well; if a little too dry, add a little water. Roll in small balls and fry in olive oil.

Minestra del Paradise (Paradise Soup)

• 4 tablespns. sifted breadcrumbs
• 4 tablespns. grated cheese
• 3 eggs
• Nutmeg
• Salt, pepper
• 1 quart white soup stock or clear broth

Beat the whites of the eggs, then beat in the yolks. Add the bread crumbs gradually; then the grated cheese, a pinch of salt, and a grating of nutmeg. These ingredients should form a thin batter.

Have the broth boiling and drop the batter into it by spoonfuls. Let it boil three or four minutes and serve in the clear soup.

This soup is much used as a delicacy for invalids. In this case, the cheese may be scant or omitted entirely. By way of variety, a tablespoon of finely chopped parsley may be added to the batter, or half a cup of spinach, drained and rubbed through a sieve, may be substituted for half of the bread crumbs.

When stock or broth is not available, it may be made from bouillon cubes and a lump of butter, dissolved in boiling water, and seasoned with celery salt, onion, salt, and pepper.

Zuppa di Piselli (Pea Soup)

• 2 tablespns. oil or butter substitute
• 1 small carrot
• 1 small onion
• Sprig of parsley
• 2 ounces ham, fat and lean
• Stalk of celery
• Bay leaf
• Salt, pepper
• 1 pint peas: fresh peas, canned peas, or dried peas soaked over night

Chop fine or put through a meat grinder the ham, onion, carrot, and celery; add the parsley, chopped or clipped fine with scissors, and the bay leaf. Fry all this in the oil until it is golden brown, but not at all scorched. Add one pint of boiling water and the peas. If this cooks away, add more water as needed until the peas are tender. Rub through a sieve. Serve this soup garnished with croutons or toast triangles, and send a dish of grated cheese to the table with it, to be added according to individual taste.

Cappelletti all' uso di Romagna (Soup with Little Hats)

• Grated cheese
• 1 egg
• Grated lemon peel
• Nutmeg, allspice, salt
• Equal parts curds or cottage cheese and cooked meat (chicken, pork, or veal)

Grind the meat very fine and make a highly seasoned mixture of it and all the other ingredients. The ground meat may be sauted in a little butter or drippings before it is mixed with the other ingredients to improve the flavor. Cut rounds measuring about three inches in diameter from a thin sheet of paste, made according to the recipe for Noodles or Home-Made Paste. Place a spoonful of the filling in the middle of each circle of paste. Fold over and moisten the edge of the paste with the finger dipped in water to make it stay securely closed. These cappelletti should be cooked in chicken or turkey broth until the paste is tender, and served with this broth as a soup.

This is a time-honored Christmas dainty in Italy.

Fagiuolini in Salsa d'Uovo (String Beans with Egg Sauce)

• 1 pound green or wax beans
• Butter, salt, and pepper
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch or flour
• Juice of ¼ lemon
• Yolk of 1 egg
• ¾ cup soup stock

String the beans and parboil them in salted, boiling water. Drain, cut into inch pieces, and season with butter, salt, and pepper. Beat the egg yolk in a saucepan. Beat in the flour and lemon juice, add the stock (cold water will do), and cook the mixture over a moderate fire until it thickens. Pour over the hot beans and let remain over the fire a moment, so that they will absorb the flavor of the sauce, but not long enough to curdle the egg.

Sformato di Fagiuolini o Piselli (Mold of Peas or Beans)

• 1 pound green or wax beans
• ¼ onion Sprig of parsley
• Piece of celery
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• Grated cheese
• 2 tablespoons oil or butter substitute

String the beans. Blanch them by throwing them into boiling water. As soon as the water has boiled again, drain the beans and plunge them into cold water. Fry the finely-chopped onion, parsley, and celery in a tablespoon of oil. When the onion is a golden color, add the beans and let them absorb the oil. Add just enough water to keep them from burning until the beans have simmered tender.

Make a white sauce of the milk, flour, and one tablespoon of oil. Beat the eggs. Let the beans and sauce cool a little. Then add the eggs, beans, and a few tablespoons of grated cheese to the white sauce. Pour into a buttered mold. Bake or steam as a custard until firm, and serve hot.

Peas are good cooked in the same way. Canned peas and beans may be used. This makes a very satisfactory luncheon dish.

Pasticcio di Polenta (Corn Meal Loaf)

• 1 cup yellow corn meal
• 4 dried mushrooms
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon cream
• 2 tablespoons salt

The day before this dish is to be served, cook corn meal very thoroughly with only enough water to make it very stiff. Turn out to cool in deep dish.

Next day turn the mold out upside down; take this same dish, butter it, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Cut the mold of corn meal in horizontal slices about one-quarter inch thick. Lay the top slice in the bottom of the dish where it fits. Dot with two or three small pieces of butter and three or four dried mushrooms, which have had boiling water poured over them and soaked some time. Moisten with cream and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Repeat, slice by slice, until the shape is complete. On the last slice put only two dots of butter.

Put in a moderate oven and bake three hours. If at the end of this time there should be too much liquid on top, pour this off to use for the seasoning of some other dish, such as spaghetti, rice, or noodles, and continue cooking until the liquid ceases to ooze.

Gnocchi alia Romana (Gnocchi of Farina or Corn Meal)

• ½ cup farina or corn meal
• Butter and grated cheese
• 1 egg
• Salt
• 1 pint of milk, or half milk and half water

Let the milk come to a boil; salt it and add the farina gradually, stirring constantly, so it will not become lumpy. Take from the fire and add a tablespoon of butter and several tablespoons of grated cheese, also the egg, slightly beaten. Mix well and spread out on a molding board in a sheet about three-quarters inch thick. When it is cold, cut in squares or diamonds. Put a layer of these on a shallow baking dish or platter that has been buttered. Sprinkle with cheese and dot with butter. Make another layer, and so on, until the dish is filled. Bake in the oven until the crust is well browned.

Tagliatelli o Pasta Fatta in Casa (Noodles or Home-Made Paste)

The best and most tender paste is made simply of eggs and flour and salt. Water may be substituted for part of the eggs, for economy, or when a less rich paste is needed. Allow about a cup of flour to an egg. Put the flour on a bread board, make a hole in the middle, and break in the egg. Use any extra whites that are on hand. Work it with a fork until it is firm enough to work with the hands. Knead it thoroughly, adding more flour if necessary, until you have a paste you can roll out. Roll it as thin as a ten-cent piece. If the sheet of paste is too large to handle with an ordinary rolling pin, a broom handle, which has been sawed off, scrubbed, and sandpapered, will serve in lieu of the long, Italian rolling pin.

This paste may be cut in ribbons, to be cooked in soup as Tagliatelli, or cut in squares or circles and filled with various mixtures to make Cappelletti, Ravioli, etc.

Any bits that are left or become too dry to work may be made into a ball and kept for some time to be grated into soup, in which it makes an excellent thickening.

Budino di Cioccolata (Chocolate Pudding)

• 2 cups milk
• 3 eggs
• ¼ cup sugar
• 3 ounces ground macaroons
• 1½ squares unsweetened chocolate

Make a custard of the eggs, milk, sugar, and chocolate. Cook in a double boiler until it thickens. Take from the fire and add the finely-ground macaroons, stirring and beating the mixture until it is smooth. Pour into a buttered mold and chill thoroughly on the ice.

Zabaione

• ¼ cup fruit juice
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Beat the eggs; beat in the sugar; add the fruit juice. Cook over a slow fire, beating constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. Take from the fire and continue to beat a moment, so the mixture will not cook to the side of the hot vessel. It should be a smooth, frothy cream. It is eaten hot, poured over sponge cake or served in tall glasses. A scant teaspoon of cinnamon may be added by way of variety.

Bigné

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup butter
• 3 eggs
• Little salt

Boil the water and melt the butter in it. Salt it, add the flour, and let it cook a little while. Cool and add the beaten eggs. Form this into twelve bigné (little cakes or cookies), and bake them in the oven. When they are baked, split them open and fill with a custard, flavored with vanilla, and sprinkle them with powdered sugar.