furnished by a straw thrust down the center and the puffs are
very stingy and eye-reddening. Though matches are no part of
the meal, and shouldn't even be used for toothpicks, a final
smoke is the last course for many, so it might as well be recorded
that Italy, like Spain and the Argentine, is addicted to short wax
vestas which sputter and stench and burn the fingers with molten
wax, unless you are very adroit in handling these miniature
Vesuviuses.
No dinner in the world can improve on the pranzo; it is
a classic of meals, perfectly balanced and taste teasing, straight
from the elegant antipasto (appetizers) through the minestrone
(soup-of -soups) and the mixed fry (fritto misto), with its
piquance of individual portions of cheese, kidney, brains, liver,
scallops of meat and giblets, a spray of broccoli — all coated with
rich egg batter and fried golden.
Italy just escapes being a chicken-and-egg country, such as
Spain and Cuba, for a polio pranzo (chicken dinner) is relished
as much as it is anywhere on earth, and the mushrooms served
with the fowl make it all the more delicious. Then the sharp
Southern salad of admirable greens and finally a matchless bisque
tortoni, for at making frozen desserts the country has had several
thousand years' experience. The Roman emperors were great
consumers of ices and used to send their slaves up the Apennines
for snow to cool their fruit juices on hot summer days. The
iced granate or granite sipped by the Caesars is even more
popular today. It is the primitive cooler named after the pome-
granate from which it was first compounded, a tall tumbler of
shaved ice or snow covered with the ruby red juice of the fruit.
A splendid modern variant is granite con panna, iced coffee and
thick cream; but all flavors and fruit juices are used. The granite
is, in fact, the original ice cream soda — so we, as well as the
French, have much to thank Mother Italy for.
The sweet orange liqueur of Strega is drunk with the coffee,
12 THE EUROPEAN COOKBOOK
or in its place a thimble of the cherry elixir Maraschino from
Dalmatia, now within Italy's borders. These liqueurs top of?
the meal — and you have dined well in Milan, Venice, Rome or
Messena. Never forgetting the wine, which stands in the center
of the table throughout the splendid repast; a half gallon flagon,
or better, encased in gaily colored straw, conveniently held in a
swivel-bottomed silver container which swings the bottle to the
glass of each guest and facilitates the pouring.
The true Italian flavor can be achieved only by the use of
Italian products, either imported or furnished by Italian-Ameri-
can firms which supply the Italian grocers who set up shop in
nearly all American towns.
The most important ingredients are:
Olive oil.
Garlic. A little is always enjoyed, even by the most prejudiced,
if its presence is not suspected.
Parmesan cheese. The grated Parmesan, which comes in
packages, will have lost much of its flavor. Any Italian
grocer will grate it on request, and be pleased that his
particular importation, or American imitation, is appreciated.
Tomato paste. This concentrated essence saves the time and
trouble of reducing tomato juice or canned tomatoes, and
gives the genuine Italian tang, besides being economical. It
can be bought by weight out of big containers, always open
and at hand in Italian groceries.
Page 5
Presented as published in 1936. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
furnished by a straw thrust down the center and the puffs are very stingy and eye-reddening. Though matches are no part of the meal, and shouldn't even be used for toothpicks, a final smoke is the last course for many, so it might as well be recorded that Italy, like Spain and the Argentine, is addicted to short wax vestas which sputter and stench and burn the fingers with molten wax, unless you are very adroit in handling these miniature Vesuviuses.
No dinner in the world can improve on the pranzo; it is a classic of meals, perfectly balanced and taste teasing, straight from the elegant antipasto (appetizers) through the minestrone (soup-of -soups) and the mixed fry (fritto misto), with its piquance of individual portions of cheese, kidney, brains, liver, scallops of meat and giblets, a spray of broccoli — all coated with rich egg batter and fried golden.
Italy just escapes being a chicken-and-egg country, such as Spain and Cuba, for a polio pranzo (chicken dinner) is relished as much as it is anywhere on earth, and the mushrooms served with the fowl make it all the more delicious. Then the sharp Southern salad of admirable greens and finally a matchless bisque tortoni, for at making frozen desserts the country has had several thousand years' experience. The Roman emperors were great consumers of ices and used to send their slaves up the Apennines for snow to cool their fruit juices on hot summer days. The iced granate or granite sipped by the Caesars is even more popular today. It is the primitive cooler named after the pomegranate from which it was first compounded, a tall tumbler of shaved ice or snow covered with the ruby red juice of the fruit. A splendid modern variant is granite con panna, iced coffee and thick cream; but all flavors and fruit juices are used. The granite is, in fact, the original ice cream soda — so we, as well as the French, have much to thank Mother Italy for.
The sweet orange liqueur of Strega is drunk with the coffee,
or in its place a thimble of the cherry elixir Maraschino from Dalmatia, now within Italy's borders. These liqueurs top of? the meal — and you have dined well in Milan, Venice, Rome or Messena. Never forgetting the wine, which stands in the center of the table throughout the splendid repast; a half gallon flagon, or better, encased in gaily colored straw, conveniently held in a swivel-bottomed silver container which swings the bottle to the glass of each guest and facilitates the pouring.
The true Italian flavor can be achieved only by the use of Italian products, either imported or furnished by Italian-American firms which supply the Italian grocers who set up shop in nearly all American towns.
The most important ingredients are:
Olive oil.
Garlic. A little is always enjoyed, even by the most prejudiced, if its presence is not suspected.
Parmesan cheese. The grated Parmesan, which comes in packages, will have lost much of its flavor. Any Italian grocer will grate it on request, and be pleased that his particular importation, or American imitation, is appreciated.
Tomato paste. This concentrated essence saves the time and trouble of reducing tomato juice or canned tomatoes, and gives the genuine Italian tang, besides being economical. It can be bought by weight out of big containers, always open and at hand in Italian groceries.