Banquets of the nations

Soak half a pound of rice for three hours ; drain thoroughly. Put four ounces of oil in a pan ; when boiling add the rice with a teaspoonful of saffron, and fry lightly. When cooked spread it in a thick layer over the meats, and put into a quick oven to brown. Conijo Estofado. (Rabbit Stew.) Joint a large young rabbit, cut the back into three pieces, blanch in boiling water for two or three minutes, drain thoroughly, and fry lightly in boiling oil. Chop a large onion and fry till lightly browned in oil, after which place it in a pan along with the fried pieces of rabbit, a bouquet of fine herbs, a large breakfastcupful of good brown stock, a wineglassful of port wine, some salt, and a good dash of cayenne pepper. Stew slowly for an hour and a half, remove fine herbs, and dish. Grouse, partridges, pheasants, hare, and wild pigeons may be cooked in the same way. Alondras Cocidas en Marmita. (Braised Larks.) Bone the required number of larks, and stuff them with chicken forcemeat, putting a truffle turned to a ball in the middle. Tie each lark up in a small piece of muslin cloth, so that they may keep a good shape, and braise in Madeira and a little herb and vegetable essence generally known as Mirepoix. Put a layer of mashed potatoes on a hot dish, take the cloths off the larks, arrange them on the top of the potatoes, reduce some Madeira sauce with essence of larks, pour over, and serve. Essence of Vegetables and Herbs. Take two carrots, two onions, two shallots, two bay leaves, a sprig of thyme, a clove of garlic, and mince them together with a half pound each of fat bacon and raw ham. Toss these in a saute-pan with two ounces of butter and salt to season. Stew with a half pint of red or white wine, and add to stock or sauce as required. Gazpacho. (Bread Salad.) Put in a bowl (the bottom of which you have rubbed with a piece of garlic) a large cupful of breadcrumbs, three sliced tomatoes, one cucumber sliced, one shallot minced, and a little minced tarragon. Pour over this a dressing made of one tablespoonful of water, one tablespoonful of oil, half that quantity of vinegar, half a teaspoonful of salt, and a good pinch of pepper. Mix all well together and serve as a separate dish. SPAIN (South) Cabellos de Angel. (Angel's Hair.) Take an equal quantity of citron and white cane sugar ; wipe the fruit and cut in halves, remove all the pips, and squeeze all the juice and as much of the flesh as possible into a pan. Boil the skins until tender, and remove all the white pith from them. Cut into thin strips and boil with the sugar and juice till it is a firm jelly. Eaten by itself, or may be used with pastry or puddings. Tartinas. (Tartlets.) Cut, off a common French dinner roll, a few crusts of oblong shape, an eighth of an inch thick ; sprinkle over fine sugar, let them glaze in the oven, mask them with a layer of apricot marmalade, and arrange them in a circular order on a dish. Now fill the hollow of this circle with a garnish of half-preserved chestnuts mixed up with a few tablespoonfuls of Smyrna raisins, mask them with curacoa liqueur, and sprinkle over minced pistachios. Send up some punch sauce, likewise prepared with curafoa. Punch Sauce.