Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book

Macaroni à l'Italienne, — Sir Henry Thompson recommends this to persons who can digest cheese and butter. Whilst the Macaroni is in the hot pan stir into it an ounce of butter, and two ounces of grated Parmesan cheese. The Macaroni should be well worked about, and should “ spin ” — that is, delicate threads should extend from piece to piece. Italians stir in at last a breakfastcupful of tomato puree, but a tablespoonful will be enough for most English people. If the flavour of tomato is not liked it can be omitted altogether. Macaroni a la Napolitaine. — Boil three ounces of Macaroni, and when drained and in the hot pan stir in an ounce of grated Parmesan and shake it well amongst the Macaroni. Then add a second ounce of Parmesan, and finally stir in an ounce of butter. Season with salt, grind black pepper over, and serve the Macaroni steaming hot in a very hot dish. A nine-inch fire-proof china dish should be used. It is quite large enough for three ounces of dressed Macaroni. Macaroni alia Napolitana. — ( Italian Recipe.)— Boil twelve ounces of Macaroni in salted water. Drain it well, lay it on a hot dish, and mix into it four ounces of butter. Stir in gradually six ounces of grated cheese. This should be done with two forks, and the Macaroni made to “ spin ” well. Put the Macaroni in layers on a very hot dish, sprinkle grated cheese between each layer, and sprinkle plenty of cheese over the top. Macaroni au Gratin. — Everybody is familiar with the time-honoured stand-by of the English cook, the indigestible mass called Macaroni Cheese, which, heavy enough when it left the kitchen, becomes still more sodden by waiting and cooling in the dining-room. All Macaroni should be served as hot as possible, and Macaroni au Gratin is best sent in a hot dish with a spirit-lamp underneath, so that it keeps bubbling whilst being helped. Prepare the three ounces of Macaroni by boiling it in boiling water till tender. Drain it thoroughly. Turn the Macaroni out into a hot fire-proof china dish, dust over it half an ounce of cheese with a dessertspoonful of raspings. Dry Cheddar cheese answers well. Pour over it half an ounce of butter which has been thoroughly melted, and set the dish in the MACARONI AU GRATIN oven till lightly coloured. Take it out, put the Macaroni into the silver dish with spirit-lamp, shake an ounce of cheese over it, and brown the surface by passing a red-hot glazing-iron half an inch above it. Or serve in the fire-proof dish. Butter is the right thing to use for moistening Macaroni, but in England milk is often preferred. Wyvern's is an excellent recipe for Macaroni au Gratin. — (English Fashion.) — Well butter a pie-dish, arrange three ounces of Macaroni neatly in it, give it a dusting of black pepper and salt, pour round it a large cupful of good sauce blonde (page 130) or milk, in which you have mixed two ounces of grated cheese. Let this run well in amongst the bed of Macaroni, moistening it thoroughly, and shake over the surface half an ounce of grated cheese, with a dessertspoonful of raspings. Make all thoroughly hot in the oven, and brown the surface of the cheese with a red-hot iron.