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Macaroni with Tomato Sauce

A historical recipe from Simple Italian Cookery, by Antonia Isola.

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A historical recipe

Simple Italian Cookery, by Antonia Isola. Project Gutenberg eBook #6385.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.

Italy

Known as an Italian recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.

Ingredients 4 ingredients

  1. 3/4 pound of macaroni Boil
  2. two tablespoons of tomato paste dissolved
  3. three tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
  4. four tablespoons of good olive-oil

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Hot oil. Never put water on an oil fire: turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid or a damp tea towel. Pat food dry before it goes into hot oil, and lower it in gently, away from you.
  • Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
  • Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.

Method

  1. 2 quarts of water 3/4 pound of macaroni Boil the water until it makes big bubbles.
  2. Add salt, then break the macaroni and put it in.
  3. Cover the saucepan and boil for fifteen minutes.
  4. The saucepan should not be too small, otherwise the macaroni will stick to the bottom.
  5. Prepare the sauce as follows: Take a good slice of ham fat, and chop very fine with it a piece of onion, a piece of celery, and some parsley.
  6. Then put this into a frying-pan and cook until the grease is colored.
  7. (If desired, add a small lump of butter.) When well colored add two tablespoons of tomato paste dissolved in a little hot water.
  8. Boil all together for fifteen minutes.
  9. Drain the macaroni, and put it into the frying-pan with the sauce, mix well with fork and spoon over the fire, so that the macaroni will be thoroughly seasoned, then add three tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese, mix again, and serve.
  10. If no tomato paste is available make the tomato sauce as follows: Chop up fine one-quarter of an onion, a piece of celery the length of a finger, two or three basil-leaves, and a small bunch of parsley.
  11. Slice seven or eight tomatoes (fresh or canned), add salt and pepper, and put all on together to cook in four tablespoons of good olive-oil.
  12. Stir occasionally, and when it becomes as thick as cream, strain, and add the macaroni as before directed.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Frying pan
  • Saucepan
  • Chef's knife
  • Cutting board
  • Grater
  • Wooden spoon
  • Sieve
  • Colander
Source Public domain in the USA
Credit

From Simple Italian Cookery, by Antonia Isola. Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #6385 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6385). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.