The thorough good cook

70. Casserole of Rice. Boil one pound of rice tender, with one quart of milk and a quarter of a pound of butter ; let it come to a stiif paste, stirring it frequently over a slow fire : form this paste in a mould, or on a dish, leaving a hole in the middle for a ragout of any sort. If wanted brown, bake it in a mould. When done, take out enough of the inside to admit the ragout. ENTRJ^'ES. 239 71. Bisotto (Neapolitan way). Chop one middling-sized onion, which fry in dripping (the ItaHans use oil) in a stew-pan. When it gets slightly coloured, add a pound of rice, which must be moistened to three times its height with veal stock ; add a chopped tomato, pepper and salt, and boil for twenty minutes ; then take it oiX the fire, add butter and grated cheese, just as you would for macaroni. It should be a light grey in colour; and, if you choose, you may put it in a moukl and serve it in a handsome shape. 72, Meagre Risotto. This excellent dish is for fast days ; and, take my word for it, whichever day of the week you elect to abstain from animal food, you will be all the better for it. For Meagre Risotto, proceed as in the last recipe ; but use water-soufflé — a fish broth — instead of meat stock. "When you have added your grated cheese, pour over a nice sauce made of crayfish tails, oysters, and mushrooms, all of which have been cut into dice and carefully stewed ; or instead of the somewhat costly crayfish, oysters, and mushrooms, make your sauce of shrimps and little pieces of dried haddock. 73. Timbale of Macaroni. Boil one pound of macaroni tender in two quarts of milk and water, and a quarter of a pound of butter ; when tender, dry it with a cloth ; line a mould with slices of fat bacon, mix a couple of eggs (well beaten up) with the macaroni, and some pepper and salt; put some in the mould, and a ragout of sweetbreads in the middle ; fill up with macaroni and bake or boil the timbale for an hour. Serve it with white or brown sauce, and take the bacon off. 74. Leghorn Macaroni. Put a pound of macaroni into two quarts of boiling water with a little salt ; drain when sufficiently soft. The cook must use her own judgment as to the exact time required for boiling ; twenty minutes, under ordinary circumstances, should be enough ; but beware of letting your macaroni get too "poppy," J^nd don't break it into short pieces, as it would then be likely to stick together. Now place your macaroni in a stew-pan, and moisten with a few tablespoonfuls of Bechamel (p. .327) ; season with white pepper and a point of nutmeg ; take the stew-pan off the fire, and add to it three ounces of fresh butter, in little bits, and four ounces of grated Parmesan cheese. A smaller quantity of Parmesan will do if eked out by Cheddar. When well thickened and creamy, arrange your macaroni in laj'ers in a deep dish ; cover each layer with a puree of tomatoes, which puree is simply tomatoes stewed in beef or veal stock ; but you may save yourself the trouble of additional cooking by heating some " made " tomato sauce. 75. Italian Macaroni.