1375. - Pate De Macaroni

Stew some macaroni in butter and water, or broth, strain it, cut it into pieces, and lay it at the bottom of the dish, adding ham balls, made of ham, pounded in a mortar, and blended with butter; then have ready any kind of game, boned and filleted, cock's-combs or ox-palates, previously blanched and stewed, sweetbread cut into dice, and mushrooms, all stewed in good rich sauce; place a layer upon the macaroni, then another layer of meat, and, until the pie is filled, add to it equal quantities of cream and gravy, cover it with a paste, and bake it, or omit the paste, and stew it before the fire in a Dutch oven. The macaroni may be mixed with grated cheese.

1376. - Vermicelli

Is of the same substance as macaroni, but made much smaller, and frequently put into meat soups as giving them additional richness; but it is often too sparingly used. To be well made the soup should be thickened with it, and for that purpose it is preferable to macaroni.

Semolina is of the same material, but made into small grains, which more easily thicken the soup in which it is mixed; it can also be made into an excellent pudding with eggs and milk, using it instead of flour.

It should be observed, as a general rule, that in using any of the Italian pastes - unless they should be sweetened - Parmesan cheese should always form part of the dish, in the proportion of one-half the quantity to that of the paste.

1377. - Polenta

Is, in Italy, made from the flour of Indian corn, but in England generally of semolina, thus:- Put a little salt and four ounces of semolina into a quart of milk when it is beginning to boil, and let it continue to simmer for about ten minutes, stirring it occasionally to guard it from burning. "When well thickened pour it into a dish to cool, and when quite cold it will be very solid: then cut it into slices of less than an inch thick, upon which put a large grating of good Parmesan cheese, for no other kind will answer the purpose; nor should any spices be used, except a little mace; nor even that, unless it be made (as sometimes done) with veal broth. Clarify a few ounces of fresh butter - though in Italy oil is always used - put a layer of the paste, powdered with the Parmesan, mixed with a little of the butter; bake it for . half an hour in a moderately heated oven, and serve it up quite hot, with a separate plate of the grated cheese.

Rice

For savory dishes rice should be stewed in good gravy, seasoned with mace, cayenne, and salt, with the addition of fried onions, shalot, garlic, and pot-herbs, strained and used at pleasure.

For Meet Dishes

Boil it with lemon-peel, cinnamon, or bay-leaves, and, when done to a proper consistency, add powdered sugar and cold butter, stirring it all the time till melted; then pour in a little cream, and use it either as a covering for stewed fruits, or, if made thick enough, it may be placed round the sides of a dish, leaving the middle hollow for the sweets. The same plan may be adopted for all sorts of meat, poultry, fish, fruit, and sweetmeats. The sugar should not be added until the rice is done, as it has a tendency to harden the grains.

Plain rice pudding can be made with brown sugar, and milk baked slowly a long time; a richer one by boiling a tea-cupful of rice, and when boiled, adding milk and fine sugar, with four beaten eggs, and baking it.