Peel two cucumbers, cut them in half and take out the seeds. Fill them with force-meat and tie the halves together. Put some lard, raw veal, two carrots, two onions, some parsley, several bay leaves, some thyme, salt, and pepper, and the cucumbers covered with lard, into a sauce-pan with some strong broth, and cook for five or six minutes. Drain, and then pour a sauce ‘Suprema’ (see Sauces, p. [125]) over the cucumbers before serving up hot.
Cucumbers ‘alla Toscana.’
Peel and blanch three or four cucumbers in salted boiling water for five minutes. Drain, cut them into pieces one inch thick, and put them into a sauté-pan with one ounce of butter, a little flour, half a pint of veal broth, stir well, and add some salt and pepper. Reduce for about fifteen minutes, stirring until it boils, add one teaspoonful of chopped parsley, half a teaspoonful of grated nutmeg, half a cupful of cream and the beaten-up yolks of two eggs. Put on the fire again for three or four minutes (do not let it boil) and serve hot.
Cucumbers ‘all’ Uova.’
Peel three large cucumbers and blanch them in salted boiling water for five minutes. Drain, and cut them into pieces an inch thick. Put them in a sauté-pan with one ounce of butter, sprinkle a little fine white flour over them, stir, and add a half pint of veal broth, with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well until it boils, reduce the whole for fifteen minutes, then add a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, a little grated nutmeg, two yolks of eggs beaten up, and two tablespoonfuls of cream. Cook again for three or four minutes, but do not let it boil, and serve hot.
Egg-Plant (Aubergine) ‘Farcite.’
Cut each egg-plant into four, leaving the peel on. Make four cuts in each piece and fry in boiling fat for one minute. Remove the fleshy part of the egg plant and fill it with any force-meat you have. Sprinkle the top with bread-crumbs and a little melted butter, brown in the oven for about ten minutes, and serve hot.
Egg-Plant (Aubergine) ‘al Forno.’
Boil two (or more) of the fruits for twenty or thirty minutes (until tender). Then cut them in two lengthwise and take out the pulp, being careful not to break the skin. Mash the pulp up with some butter, salt, and pepper, and replace it in the skins. Sprinkle with bread-crumbs and bits of fresh butter, and put it in the oven to brown.