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

SAUCES AND GARNISHES (Salsas y Guarniciones) SPANISH SAUCE {Salsa Española) 4 pounds beef bones 5 tablespoons fat 4 quarts boiling water 1 quart dry white wine Salt 3 tablespoons flour Pepper 2 carrots Vi pound ham 2 onions l/i pound neck of veal 1 young turnip 2 garlic cloves Herb bouquet Wash and scrape bones well and cover with boiling water. Season with salt and pepper and cook gently until reduced onehalf. Dice the ham, cut the veal in small pieces, mince the garlic and brown all lightly and slowly in 3 tablespoons of the fat, being careful not to let them scorch. Then drain oil the fat, add the wine and simmer half an hour. Slightly brown, flour, and add remaining fat, stirring continually. Add the strained broth from the bones, pouring it in slowly and steadily stirring until it is all combined and of a velvety quality. Then add the ham and veal and the wine they were cooked in, the carrots, onions and turnip, all chopped fine, and the herb bouquet (thyme, parsley and a bay leaf, tied together). Keep the flame low, and let the contents of the pot simmer gently for 3 hours, stirring every 5 or 10 minutes until reduced to the consistency of gruel. Then strain through a wire sieve, season if necessary and cook 15 minutes longer. It is ready then to remove and cool. This sauce will keep a month in the refrigerator. The Espanola, favorite sauce of the Spaniards, is the most important: La madre de todas las dames — the mother of all others. It forms the basis of all good brown sauces, its rich, exquisite flavor being due undoubtedly to the ham or bacon used in its composition and the long cooking process the flour and vegetables are subjected to. It is not made in a hurry, but is well worth the trouble. ALMOND SAUCE {Salsa de Almendras) 20 blanched almonds 1 cup bread crumbs, fried 1 garlic clove 1 tablespoon vinegar Olive oil 1 tablespoon water Pound the almonds and garlic to a paste in a mortar. With the pestle work in sufficient oil to make a smooth paste. Wet the fried bread crumbs with vinegar and water and work well into the paste. Then add just enough water to make it the consistency of thick cream. Served with all fried fish and cooked beans, fresh or dry. SAUCE FOR GRILLED FISH (Salsa Para Pescado en Parrillas) 2 tablespoons butter l/2 tablespoon lemon juice Yi teaspoon mustard Salt and pepper Minced tarragon or parsley Simmer in a little saucepan, without boiling, the butter, mustard, and lemon juice until smooth. Then add seasonings, a little tarragon and serve with grilled fish. HARD-BOILED EGG SAUCE (Salsa de Huevo Duro) 1 hard-boiled egg yolk 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and pepper 1 teaspoon mustard 1 teaspoon vinegar Put the egg yolk in a bowl and mash it. Season with salt and pepper and add, little by little, the oil, mustard and vinegar. Beat until smooth. Serve with salad or fish. A GENERAL SAUCE FOR BAKED FISH {Salsa Asado al Horno) i garlic clove, minced Salt i tablespoon olive oil *4 teaspoon minced marjoram i cup tomato puree 2 peppercorns, ground 2 tablespoons toasted crumbs V2 cup dry white wine Fry the garlic in the oil, and add other ingredients. Mix thoroughly, heat well and serve with baked fish. CREAM SAUCE {Salsa de Crema) l/2 cup butter 2 cups cream, or milk Sprig of parsley, minced Salt