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

Melt butter in saucepan and brown the onion. Put in the kidneys after washing and cutting them into pieces. Add pepper, salt and the sherry. Simmer 5 minutes, serve very hot in the sauce, garnished with cress. BEEF TOLEDO STYLE (Vaca a Estilo de Toledon) !/4 pound sliced bacon Herb bouquet 1 (4-pound) roast l/2 cup red wine 2 carrots, minced Juice l/2 lemon 1 onion, minced Salt Pepper Put strips of bacon in the bottom of a baking pan and lay the roast over them. Cover with carrots, onion and bouquet. Pour wine in the bottom of the pan with lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, cover very closely and bake in a moderate oven (350°F.) basting occasionally. Pour fat from the pan, strain remaining gravy and serve with the meat. A bottle of dry white wine and another of common red wine always stand on the kitchen shelf. The Spanish cook, in contrast to the French chef, is very informal about the use of wine in cooking. A splash of wine will moisten a drying dish, when water would spoil the texture. And a few tablespoons of wine are thrown into the roasting pan for basting, or added to thin a sauce. Wine will soften a tough cut of meat and shorten the cooking time. In such cases the wine does not appear as an ingredient in a recipe. Red wines are used with red meats; white wines with white meats, fish and vegetables. ROAST BEEF SPANISH STYLE (Rosbif Español Pizado) 1 (5-pound) roast Salt 3 tablespoons olive oil l/i cup red wine 1 teaspoon each pepper, bay leaf, parsley and chopped » scallions Marinate meat 8 to 10 hours in a mixture of olive oil, pepper, bay leaf, parsley and scallions. Place in a roasting pan, season with salt and add marinating mixture. Roast in a hot oven (4000 F.) about 20 minutes, turning several times. Reduce heat, add wine and finish roasting, basting frequently. The beef of Spain is raised for bull-fighting and not for the table, hence it lacks the richer flavor and juicy tenderness of finer beef cattle. To overcome this lack, the beef is not only hung for 2 or 3 days but the Spanish cook marinates it, thereby adding greatly to the flavor. There are four common methods of roasting to choose from: on the spit, in the oven, enveloped in oiled paper, and between the gridirons over clear coals; but preference is usually given to the spit, on which the meat continuously turns before a lively charcoal fire until it is well seared. Then the heat is lessened and the roast is frequently basted with wine, its own juices, and some of the seasoned oil. A long needle is thrust into the meat when it is considered properly roasted, and if no blood follows but just a rich reddish juice flows, the roast is taken up. Its juices caught in a pan underneath are poured around it, and a dish of potatoes, mashed, boiled, or in croquettes, invariably accompanies it to the table. SPANISH BEEFSTEAK (Chateau briant a la Espanola) One thinks of this dish as belonging exclusively to the French cuisine; but it is very common in the Spanish kitchen. The steaks are l/2 the thickness of the French cuts. Well pounded at first, they are then quickly broiled, seasoned and served on toast with little mounds of tender peas and melted butter topping them, and with a sprig of parsley added. Bits of truffle are often mixed with the peas.