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

Put ham or pork through the meat grinder and fry in lard a few minutes. Add the garlic, onion, carrots and bay leaf. Stir into the fat until all are a light brown. Crush tomatoes with a wooden spoon into the meat and vegetables. Stir well and season. Cover and cook over a slow fire until the juice of the tomatoes thickens. Then add broth and flour dissolved in a little water, cook 10 minutes longer and strain. TOMATO SAUCE NO. 2 (Salsa de Tomates No. 2) 1 garlic clove 1 teaspoon marjoram 3 large tomatoes, peeled l/2 teaspoon salt % teaspoon cumin seeds 2 peppercorns, ground (or anise or caraway) Vinegar Water Rub inside of a salad bowl with garlic. Dice tomatoes and place in bowl. Add cumin, marjoram, salt and pepper. Barely cover with equal amounts of vinegar and water. Serve with boiled beef. GARNISH FOR VEAL OR MUTTON (Guarnicion Para Ternero o Carnero) Sliced onions and sliced potatoes, fried separately in olive oil or lard, well seasoned, often accompany veal or mutton. Or a thick puree of dried beans surrounding tender young artichokes fried in butter; little clusters of cauliflowers that have been dipped in a tart sauce; and small potatoes, browned in butter and powdered with bits of parsley; all of these are excellent accompaniments to either dish. GARNISH FOR FOWLS (Guarnicion Para Polios) Cut salt pork in thin strips, fry in butter to a golden crisp and dust with a little powdered sugar. Mold acidulated, boiled onions in gelatine. Cut mushrooms in half and fry in butter. To garnish roast chicken or pigeons. GARNISH FOR BIRDS (Guarnicion Para Aves) Decorate with large fancy olives, tiny glazed onions and rings of uncooked sweet peppers. Black, gray, yellow, purple, mauve and green olives, some small as cherries, others big as plums, plain, salted, pickled or bursting with rich stuffing, are sold by weight from jars and tubs in the markets and at the food shops. Like old-fashioned pickles here at home, olives are put up according to a thousand private recipes. A favorite method of pickling the large varieties is to slash the flesh and insert bits of highly flavored filling before immersing in the pickling liquid, which may be manzanilla or other white wine, wine vinegar or Asturian cider vinegar. All varieties are more tasty than California "queens" and in some cases this is because of the clever gashings, gorings and stuffings that carry the seasonings right into the pit. These olives are stoned and twisted into appetizing bonne-bouches to accompany many meat dishes. The Spanish cook also uses them generously in the making of stews and ragouts. A meal without olives in some form is not to be found in all Spain. GARNISH OF ARTICHOKES {Guarnicion de Alcachofas) Fry artichokes previously boiled. Cut in half, and place in a circle on a hot serving plate, alternately with cooked asparagus tips dipped in butter. Pile in the center small potatoes roasted brown, and serve with salsa verde. GARNISH FOR BROILED MEATS {Guarnicion Valenciano) Surround with fried eggplant, tomatoes or onions. Fried Eggplant: Cut into J4-inch slices. Make a batter with flour and 1 egg. Season the slices of eggplant well and soak in the batter. Lift out and fry in boiling lard. When brown, turn and fry the other side. Drain on brown paper.