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

Soak sago 2 hours in water, then boil in same water until clear, add sugar, claret and orange juice and stir until mixture thickens, then add rum. Serve with cereal puddings. ROASTED CHESTNUTS Make a gash on one side of fine large Italian chestnuts. Put them on a pan with a perforated bottom, place over a moderate fire and when they are cooked wrap them in a cloth for 10 or 12 minutes. Serve with salt and butter. SUGARED CHESTNUTS Roast chestnuts as for the table, remove skins and cut in halves. Dip the halves, one at a time, in well-beaten egg white, then roll them in powdered sugar and lay on paper in a slow oven (250°F.) to dry. Do not touch until dry. CHESTNUT AND RAISIN COMPOTE (Composto di Frutta) 1 pound chestnuts i-inch stick cinnamon 2 teaspoons olive oil % teaspoon allspice 1 pound Sultana raisins, seeded !/4 teaspoon cloves Juice and grated rind l/2 lemon l/2 cup granulated sugar Score chestnuts on flat side with sharp knife; parboil 5 minutes, drain, put in frying pan with olive oil and shake over a hot fire for 5 minutes; then remove brown skins with outer shells. Cover with salted boiling water, cook gently until tender and drain. Put raisins in a bowl with lemon juice and rind and spices. Cover with water and simmer over fire until water is nearly absorbed. Add sugar, mix in chestnuts and cook until well blended. PEACH COMPOTE 6 ripe peaches i cup red wine 6 tablespoons powdered sugar i-inch stick cinnamon i teaspoon grated lemon peel Pare and slice peaches, sprinkle with powdered sugar and set aside. Put wine, cinnamon, and lemon peel into a pan, boil 4 or 5 minutes and strain over peaches. Cover and let stand 2 hours before serving. FIGS ROMAN STYLE (Fiches alia Romano) Line individual bowls with split lady ringers. Put in bottom of each a layer of vanilla ice cream, then place a ripe fig, peeled and quartered, over cream. Sprinkle over with Marsala, cover with a maraschino sauce, and dust with powdered macaroons. Serve bowls in plates of ice. Judging from the wealth of figs in Italy the Garden of Eden must have been located there. Italian figs range in size from tiny plums to mammoth peaches and in color all the way from black to white. The greens, purples and reds are especially delicious. Placed side by side in accordance with the spectrum, they form a radiant and appetizing rainbow of both taste and color, for each variety has a flavor as distinctive as its hue. TUTTI-FRUTTI CONSERVE Use a wide-mouthed gallon jar, either porcelain or glass, with a tight-fitting cork. Put in i pint of brandy and add fruits, following the season. Start with strawberries, and to every pound of fruit add i pound of sugar. Put fruit in when fresh and stir with wooden spoon. Remove hulls and stems from berries, remove pits from all pitted fruits; plums, peaches, and & be apricots should also be pared. Grapes must be seeded, but the skins may be left on or not, according to taste. When the last fruit is added, let stand for a week, then it is ready to use. Keep jar well corked, except when putting in fruit and stirring. Keep in a cool, dry place. The juice makes excellent pudding sauce. Add a little water and thicken. It also is a fine accompaniment to fruit ice creams and of course the brandied fruit jazzes up a tutti-frutti ice. ITALIAN COTTAGE CHEESE (Formaggio)