The European cookbook for American homes (from Italy, Spain, Portugal and France)

Pile ingredients, except sauce and lettuce, like a stack of pancakes in the order given, each layer being very thin, and all of the same circumference except the egg half which crowns the pile, white side up. With needle and strong thread, make a gathering around the edge of the beef. Stretch and work edges of beef upward, at the same time pressing the pile down in the center until beef surrounds other ingredients like the calyx of a flower enfolding its petals. Draw thread tight and tie. This forms a ball the size of an orange, with the white of the egg showing in the exact center of the top. Lay as many of these balls as desired in a saucepan, add boiling Portuguese cooking sauce made without tomato (see recipe) to half the height of the balls. Simmer, turning occasionally. Take up, remove thread and serve on lettuce with egg next to lettuce. With a very sharp knife, cut meat ball down to the level of the egg yolk in 6 equal sections. Gently open the sections and a flower of many colored petals will be formed by the contrasting layers of beef, sorrel, omelet, tongue and white meat. The egg half holds these petals together at the base and its yolk makes a daisy-like center for the flower. Reduce cooking liquid and serve in a gravy boat. PORTUGUESE CURRY (Bindelho) 2 pounds beef, pork, or duck % teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon cayenne Yi teaspoon toasted cumin seed (Substitute caraway seeds) 1 teaspoon salt 4 peppercorns 1 cup vinegar 3 garlic cloves, crushed *4 teaspoon cinnamon Yz tablespoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon toasted Coriander seeds 1 bay leaf Y4 pound fat Cut meat in cubes. Mix together all other ingredients, except fat, and pour over meat. Marinate 8 hours, stirring occasionally. Drain meat; heat fat to smoking and fry. Reduce heat. Strain marinade and pour over. Simmer until very tender. LAMBS' TROTTERS, FRIED (Fritura de Maos de Carneiro) 6 lambs' trotters Salt and pepper Butter or fat 1 tablespoon onion juice 1 garlic clove, minced 2 tablespoons vinegar Bread crumbs 2 eggs, beaten Deep fat for frying Parsley sprigs Tomato sauce Cook trotters in salted water until ready to fall from the bones. Drain. Remove bones, keeping the trotters as shapely as possible. Melt butter in a frying pan, add onion juice and garlic and simmer. Add vinegar and trotters. Sprinkle with pepper and simmer until well seasoned, 5-10 minutes; then drain. Press into original shapes, dip in bread crumbs, then in beaten egg, then in crumbs. Fry in deep fat; drain on absorbent paper. Drop parsley sprigs in deep fat and fry for a garnish. Serve very hot with a tomato sauce made with some of the boiling liquor. Serve several fried parsley sprigs with each portion. BAKED KID (Cabrito Assado) 4 pounds young goat in large l/8 teaspoon freshly ground pieces, an assortment of cuts pepper from leg, chops, and breast Salt 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 cup white wine Y2 bay leaf 2 tablespoons lemon juice 3 tablespoons vinegar !4 cup beef fat, melted 1 tablespoon minced parsley 3 cups rice, freshly cooked