The Cook's Decameron Part 11

Cut off the stalk and all the hard outside leaves of a cabbage, wash it and cut it up, but not too small, then drain and cook it in good stock and add two ounces of boiled rice. This minestre is improved by adding a little chopped ham and a few spoonsful of tomato sauce.

No. 42. Minestra of Rice and Celery

Ingredients: Celery, rice, stock.

Cut up a head of celery and remove all the green parts, then boil it in good stock and add two ounces of rice, and boil till it is well cooked.

Fish

No. 43. Anguilla alla Milanese (Eels).

Ingredients: Eels, b.u.t.ter, flour, stock, bay leaves, salt, pepper, Chablis, a macedoine of vegetables.

Cut up a big eel and fry it in two ounces of b.u.t.ter, and when it is a good colour add a tablespoonful of flour, about half a pint of stock, a gla.s.s of Chablis, a bay leaf, pepper, and salt, and boil till it is well cooked. In the meantime boil separately all sorts of vegetables, such as carrots, cauliflower, celery, beans, tomatoes, &c. Take out the pieces of eel, but keep them hot, whilst you pa.s.s the liquor which forms the sauce through a sieve and add the vegetables to this. Let them boil a little longer and arrange them in a dish; place the pieces of eel on them and cover with the sauce. It is most important that the eels should be served very hot.

Any sort of fish will do as well for this dish.

No. 44. Filletti di Pesce alla Villeroy (Fillets of Fish)

Ingredients: Fish, flour, b.u.t.ter, Villeroy.

Any sort of fish will do, turbot, sole, trout, &c. Cut it into fillets, flour them over and cook them in b.u.t.ter in a covered stewpan; then make a Villeroy (No. 18), dip the fillets into it and fry them in clarified b.u.t.ter.

No. 45. Astachi all'Italiana (Lobster)

Ingredients: Lobsters, Velute sauce, Marsala, b.u.t.ter, forcemeat of fish, olives, anchovy b.u.t.ter, b.u.t.ton mushrooms, truffles, lemon, crayfish, Italian sauce.

Two boiled lobsters are necessary. Cut all the flesh of one of the lobsters into fillets and put them into a saucepan with half a cup of Velute sauce (No. 2) and half a gla.s.s of Marsala, and boil for a few minutes. Put a crouton of fried bread on an oval dish and cover it with a forcemeat of fish, and on this place the whole lobster, cover it with b.u.t.tered paper, and put it in a moderate oven just long enough to cook the forcemeat. Then make some quenelles of anchovy b.u.t.ter, olives, and b.u.t.ton mushrooms, mix them with Italian sauce (No. 6), and garnish the dish with them, and round the crouton arrange the fillets of lobster with a garnish of slices of truffle. Add a dessert-spoonful of crayfish b.u.t.ter and a good squeeze of lemon juice to the sauce, and serve.

No. 46. Baccala alla Giardiniera (Cod)

Ingredients: Cod or hake, carrots, turnips, b.u.t.ter, herbs.

Boil a piece of cod or hake and break it up into flakes, then cut up two carrots and a turnip; boil them gently, and when they are half boiled drain and put them into a stewpan with an ounce of b.u.t.ter, half a teacup of boiling water, salt, and herbs. When they are well cooked add the fish and serve. Fillets of lemon soles may also be cooked this way.

No. 47. Triglie alla Marinara (Mullet)

Ingredients: Mullet, salt, pepper, onions, parsley, oil, water.

Cut a mullet into pieces and put it into a stewpan (with the lid on), with salt, pepper, a cut-up onion, some chopped parsley, half a winegla.s.s of the finest olive oil and half a pint of water, and in this cook the fish gently. Arrange the fillets on a dish, pour a little of the broth over them, and add the onion and parsley. Instead of mullet you can use cod, hake, whiting, lemon sole, &c.

No. 48. Mullet alla Tolosa

Ingredients: Mullet, b.u.t.ter, salt, onions, parsley, almonds, anchovies, b.u.t.ton mushrooms, tomatoes.

Cut off the fins and gills of a mullet, put it in a fireproof dish with two ounces of b.u.t.ter and salt. Cut up a small bit of onion, a sprig of parsley, a few blanched almonds, one anchovy, and a few b.u.t.ton mushrooms, previously softened in hot water, and put them over the fish and bake for twenty minutes Then add two tablespoonsful of tomato sauce or puree, and when cooked serve. If you like, use sole instead of mullet.

No. 49. Mullet alla Triestina

Ingredients: Mullet (or sole or turbot), b.u.t.ter, salt half a lemon, Chablis.

Put the fish in a fireproof dish with one and a half ounces of b.u.t.ter, salt, a squeeze of lemon juice, and half a gla.s.s of Chablis. Put it on a very, slow fire and turn the fish when necessary. When it is cooked serve in the dish.

No. 50. Whiting alla Genovese

Ingredients: Whiting, b.u.t.ter, pepper, salt, bay leaf claret, parsley, onions, garlic capers, vinegar, Espagnole sauce, mushrooms, anchovies.

Put one or two whiting into a stewpan with two ounces of b.u.t.ter, salt, pepper, two bay leaves, and a gla.s.s of claret or Burgundy; cook on a hot fire and turn the fish when necessary. Have ready beforehand a remoulade sauce made in the following manner: Put in a saucepan 1 1/2 ounces of b.u.t.ter, half a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, half an onion, a clove of garlic (with one cut), four capers, one anchovy, all chopped up except the garlic. Then add three tablespoonsful of vinegar and reduce the sauce. Add two gla.s.ses of Espagnole sauce (No. 1) and a little good stock; boil it all up (take out the garlic and bay leaves) and pa.s.s through a sieve, then pour it over the whiting. Boil it all again for a few minutes, and before serving garnish with a few b.u.t.ton mushrooms cooked separately. The remoulade sauce will be much better if made some hours beforehand.

No. 51. Merluzzo in Bianco (Cod)

Ingredients: Cod or whiting, salt, onions, parsley, cloves, turnips, marjoram, chervil, milk.

Boil gently in a big cupful of salted water two onions, one turnip, a pinch of chopped parsley, chervil, and marjoram and four cloves. After half an hour pa.s.s this through a sieve (but first take out the cloves), and add an equal quant.i.ty of milk and a little cream, and in this cook the fish and serve with the sauce over it.