me
drops of vinegar, but taste it to dose the sauce so that it is pleasant
to the taste and as thick as liquid cream.

It is well to observe here that these sauces in which butter is used
together with acids, such as vinegar, are not for weak stomachs and
should be partaken of sparingly.

58

GENOVESE SAUCE

(Salsa genovese)

Chop fine a sprig of parsley and half a clove of garlic. Then mix with
some capers soaked in vinegar, one anchovy, one hard yolk of egg, three
pitless olives, a crumb of bread as big as an egg, soaked in vinegar.
Grind all these ingredients, rub through a sieve and dissolve in olive
oil, dosing right by tasting.

59

BALSAMELLA SAUCE

(Salsa balsamella)

This sauce resembles the famous French Bechamel Sauce, but it is simpler
in its composition.

Put in a saucepan one tablespoonful of flour and a piece of butter as
big as an egg. Stir the flour and the butter together while keeping them
over the fire. When the flour begins to be browned, pour over a pint of
milk, continually stirring with a wooden spoon until you see the liquid
condensed like a cream. This is the =Balsamella=. If it is too thick add
some milk, if too liquid put back on the fire with another piece of
butter dipped in flour.

A good =Balsamella= and some well prepared brown stock are the base and
the principal secret of many savory dishes.

60

CURLED OMELET

(Frittata in riccioli)

Boil a bunch of spinach and rub it through a sieve. Beat two eggs,
season with salt and pepper and mix with them enough spinach to make the
eggs appear green. Put the frying pan on the fire with only enough oil
to grease it and when very hot put in a portion of the eggs, moving the
frying pan so as to make a very thin omelet. When well cooked, remove it
from the frying pan and repeat the operation once or twice in order to
have two or three very thin omelets. Put these one over the other and
cut them in small strips that are to be browned in butter adding a
little grated cheese. These strips of omelet, resembling noodles, form a
tasty and attractive dressing for a fricandeau (veal stew) or a similar
dish.

61

VEAL KIDNEY OMELET

(Frittata di rognone di vitella)

Take a veal kidney, open it lengthwise and leave all its fat. Season
with oil, salt and pepper, broil it and cut in thin slices. Beat enough
eggs in proportion to the size of the kidney, season them with salt and
pepper, both in moderate quantity and mix with