If you have ever sat at a snowy table in the garden of some wayside inn in the Appennines, a savory dish of risotto before you and the music of the mountain torrent far below in your ears; or sipped a zabaione in the portico of a cafe on the sun-baked piazza of some brown old town clinging to a hillside of Umbria; or eaten fritto misto on a pensione terrace overhanging the sapphire Gulf of Naples, one of those inimitable haunts of comfort kept by a handsome Italian dame who served her apprenticeship in Anglo-Saxon ways as an English lady's maid; if any of these experiences have been yours you do not need to be convinced of the inimitable charms of the Italian cuisine.
The Italian housewife uses quantities of vegetables, many soups and made dishes containing only a small proportion of meat and that the inexpensive cuts. Vegetable salads are a staple, while fresh or dried fruits, coffee, cheese and nuts are the regular dessert. The elaborate creations for which the Italian confectioner is justly famous are reserved for festal occasions.
At first reading many of the recipes may sound elaborate, but in using them it is well to bear in mind the general plan of the Italian menu. Each dish is usually served as a course in itself. A good soup, a savory dish of spaghetti, rice or vegetables combined with meat, a crisp salad dressed with oil and vinegar, followed by a piece of fruit, a bit of cheese and black coffee make a characteristic Italian meal and one with which an epicure could find no fault. It is a meal, moreover, in keeping with the suggestions of our Food Administrator that we use a minimum of meats and sweets and a maximum of soups, fruits, vegetables, made dishes and cheese.
This little venture is launched in the hope that the booklet may pay its way in new suggestions to American homemakers while it is earning money to prevent Italian homes from being destroyed. The expenses incident to publication have been contributed, so that every penny from the sale of every copy is forwarded direct to responsible people in Italy who will use it for food and clothing for the families of Italian soldiers.
Additional copies may be had at fifty cents apiece, from Julia Lovejoy Cuniberti, 14 West Milwaukee street, Janesville, Wisconsin.
SUGGESTIONS
TOMATO PASTE. This is a concentrated paste made from tomatoes and spices to be had of importers or grocers in Italian neighborhoods. Thinned with water, it is a much used ingredient in Italian recipes. Catsup and concentrated tomato soup do not make satisfactory substitutes as they are too sweet in flavor, but canned tomatoes seasoned with salt and a bit of bay leaf, cooked down to a thick cream and rubbed through a sieve, serve very well in lieu of tomato paste.
PARMESAN CHEESE. When an Italian recipe calls for grated cheese it usually means Parmesan. This is practically unobtainable now, except the grated, bottled cheese, which is inferior in flavor. Gruyère, our own brick cheese, or any skim milk cheese dried and grated fresh as needed makes a good substitute.
DRIED MUSHROOMS. These may be had of importers or small groceries in foreign neighborhoods. They sound expensive until one realizes that a very few ounces go a long way. They make a pleasing variety added to soups or sauces, and are much cheaper and more highly flavored than the canned mushrooms. They should be thoroughly washed and softened in warm water before using.