ROME IN SEVEN DAYS (1923) (continued)
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ROME IN SEVEN DAYS:
A GUIDE FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY
by Arthur Milton
London: Mills & Boon Limited
1923
The NYPL book box said "poor condition," but it was in better shape than
most non-boxed books. Fortunately, I was able to copy it.
"Saltimbocca" was in the prior post. OED and Merriam-Webster both have
1937.
Pg. 44: I sipped my vermouth and, my uncle, at my advice, tried an
_Americano_, an excellent aperitif.
Pg. 44:
_Mozzarella in carrozza._
_Ossobuco._
_Insalata di radicchio._
_Torta al cioccolato._
which is, first, a soft white Neapolitan cheese, melted and toasted--a kind
of Italian"Welsh Rarebit"; then, a marrow-bone, a Milanese dish, excellent
with spaghetti; the salad was made of a kind of dandelion, pleasantly bitter;
the sweet was a chocolate cake.
Pg. 51:
_Pasta asciutta._
_Triglie._
_Pollo alla cacciatora._
_Torta._
_Ananas al maraschino._
_Pasta asciutta_ means any kind of spaghetti or macaroni. It can be
served with tomato sauce (_Con salsa di pomodoro_) or with meat sauce (_Al
sugo di carne_) or with chicken liver, etc. (_Alla Finanziera_ or _con
rigaglie di pollo_). It may be eaten with just butter and cheese, and it is
excellent with anchovies (_Con salsa di acciughe_).
The fish are small mullets, and may be eaten fried (_fritte_) or in a
ragout with tomato sauce and garlic (_allas Livornese_).
Pg. 52:
The chicken is cooked with a rich wine and tomato gravy.
_Torta_ is just cake, and as most restaurants have several kinds ready, it
is best to ask to see them (_Ci faccia vedere le torte_) and then to choose
what one prefers.
The pineapple with maraschino sauce is good with sponge-cake (_Pan di
Spagna_).
Pg. 68:
_Asparagi colle uova._
_Scaloppi di vitella al Madera._
_Puree di mele alla Chantilly,_
a simple meal consisting of:
Asparagus with fried eggs.
Veal escalope with wine sauce.
Stewed apples with whipped cream.
Pg. 73:
_Prosciutto e melone._
_Pollo alla Romana._
_Asparagi alla Parmigiana._
_Macedonia di frutta con panna._
_Frutta secca._
The first item is ham with melon. When someone asks for _prosciutto_, one
is served with smoked ham; _prosciutto cotto_ is boiled ham. This is, of
course, served cold.
The second course is a specialty of this restaurant, and excellent it is.
It is a stewed chicken with sweetish peppers (_Peperoni_) and other tasty
trimmings.
Pg. 74:
The asparagus with parmesan cheese needs no comment, nor the mixed, sliced
fruits with whipped cream.
The "dry fruit" is usually nuts (_Noci_), dried figs (_Fighi secchi_) and
dates (_Datteri_).
Pg. 78:
_Ravioli._
_Fegatini alla salvia._
_Zucchette fritte._
_Involtini di uva cotta al forno._
_Ricotta._
The first is squares of dough, of the macaroni type, stuffed with meat and
served with a meat sauce. The _fegatini_ are chicken livers lightly fried in
butter with sage leaves. Next come small fried pumpkins, which could be
eaten also, not fried, but _al burro_--stewed with butter; _ripiene_--stuffed
with meat; or, as _una frittata con zucchette_, in an omelette. The
_Involtini di uva_ was a delightful Sicilian delicacy--raisins wrapped in
vine-leaves and then baked. The _Ricotta_ is a kind of cream cheese.
Pg. 83:
We sat for a time on the rim of the basin, sprayed by the foam of the
(Trevi--ed.) fountain, and then I led my relatives across the little square
into an excellent restaurant I had discovered there, known to Roman
connoisseurs as the "_Neapolitan_" restaurant.
Here I ordered:--
_Pizza._
_Uccelletti allo spiedo._
_Patate fritte._
_Puree di marrons con panna._
_Pizza_ is a Neapolitan specialty, consisting (Pg. 84--ed.) of a kind of
pancake with cheese or tomatoes, shellfish and onions. My aunt did not care
for the look of it--for which my uncle rebuked her--and ordered instead
_Ministra di Vongole_, a shell-fish soup, much prized at Naples.
We could, of course, have started with spaghetti, since the Neapolitans
are famous for their macaroni dishes, one of the best of which is _Spaghetti
colle vongole al pomidoro_--spaghetti with shell-fish and tomatoes.
The _Ucceletti_ proved to be small birds roasted on a spit with sage
leaves; and I ordered some _Polenta_, a kind of meal, to go with them, as
well as the fried potatoes.
The chestnut puree with whipped cream is, of course, a winter dish. In
the same place in the summer I should recommend _fraises Melba_--in Italian,
_Fragole Melba_; or just _Panna con cialdoni_--whipped cream and biscuits; or
_Cassata alla siciliana_--a mixed ice cream with candied fruit in it; or
_Granita di caffe_--iced coffee with whipped cream.
Pg. 96:
_Zuppa di pesce._
_Sogliole fritte._
_Asparagi selvatici._
_Frutta cotta._
The first is fish-soup, with many small devil-fish in it; then came soles;
next, (Pg. 97--ed.) some excellent wild asparagus; and stewed fruit.
And, as a matter of course, we had more of the excellent _Carciofi alla
Guidea_, the artichokes prepared in the Jewish manner, because this place is
their real home.
Pg. 97:
After the hors d'oeuvres (_antipasti misti_) I offered my relatives the
choise of two soups (Pg. 98--ed.) --_Zuppa Pavese_ (a clear soup with a
poached egg in it) and _Riso e verdura_ (a rice soup with vegetables). As an
entree suggested one of the following dishes:--
_Tortino di carciofi_ (artichokes and egg).
_Pasticcio di macaroni_ (macaroni pie).
_Risotto con fegatini_ (rice with chicken liver).
For our roast, we had
_Arrosto di abbachio con piselli_,
which is roast lamb (always excellent in Rome) with peas.
The sweet was _Omelette dolce_ (Sweet omelette); and we finished up with
fennel and fruit (_Finocchio e frutta_).
Pg. 104:
_Gnocchi di semolina alla Romana._
_Fritto di calamaretti con patate._
_Pollo allo spiedo._
_Fromaggio gorgonzola._
The first course consisted of dumplings of semolina baked with Parmesan
cheese; the second of fried devil-fish and potatoes; the third, of chicken
cooked on a spit; and the last was, of course, gorgonzola cheese.
Pg. 107:
After tea (THE WHOLE BOOK, THEY HAVE _TEA_! NO _ESPRESSO_?--ed.)...were
we ordered, first, _minestrone_--Italian vegetable soup, with macaroni or
rice and beans; it is served cold in the summer (_minestron
efreddo_)--following this up with _funghi trifolati_, stewed mushrooms--which
also we could have had fried (_funghi fritti_) or with rice (_risotto coi
funghi_).
We now took our choice of _arrosto di vitella con patate_ (roast veal with
potatoes), _rognoni_ al madera_ (kidneys with wine sauce), _animelle al vino
bianco_ (sweetbreads with white wine) or _animelle al burro bruciato_ (the
same with burnt butter), and _piccione arrosto con insalata cotta_ (roast
pigeon with a salad of cold boiled greens). My aunt chose the last, with a
beetroot salad (_barbabietole in insalata_).
Pg. 109:
_Spaghetti con sardine._
_Fritto misto all' Italiana._
_Insalata verde._
Pg. 110:
This was macaroni with sardines, a mixed fry, and green salad; and we
finished the meal with cheese and fruit.
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