Italian Cook Book

By Pellegrino Artusi and Olga Ragusa

Pellegrino Artusi's Italian Cook Book is a collection of Italian recipes first published in 1891. This version was edited and translated by New York-based academic Olga Ragusa in 1945. It contains nearly 400 recipes that highlight the art of traditional Italian cooking at a time when French cuisine had long dominated the kitchens and pl

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mockingbird Press
• Release date: Jul 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9781684930760

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Italian Cook Book

By

Pellegrino Artusi

Translated from the Italian by

Olga Ragusa

Copyright © 2022 Mockingbird Press

All rights reserved. The original works are in the public domain to the best of publisher’s knowledge. The publisher makes no claim to the original writings. However, the compilation, construction, cover design, trademarks, derivations, foreword, descriptions, added work, etc., of this edition are copyrighted and may not be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law, or where content is specifically noted as being reproduced under a Creative Commons license.

Cover, Image 522094180 by Marchie used under license from Shutterstock, Inc.

Cover Design by Matthew Johnson, Copyright © 2022 Mockingbird Press, LLC

Foreword by Ruth Ambrose, Copyright © 2022 Mockingbird Press, LLC

Interior Design by Rick Soldin

Publisher’s Cataloging-In-Publication Data

Artusi, Pellegrino; with Ragusa, Olga, translator; and Ambrose, Ruth, Foreword by

Italian Cook Book / Pellegrino Artusi; with Olga Ragusa; and Ruth Ambrose

1. Cooking—Regional & Ethnic—Italian. 2. Cooking—History. 3. Lifestyle, Hobbies and Leisure—Cookery / Food & Drink—National & Regional Cuisine, I. Pellegrino Artusi. II. Olga Ragusa. III. Ruth Ambrose. IV. Italian Cook Book

CKB047000 / CKB041000 / WBN

Type Set in Franklin Gothic / Century Schoolbook

Mockingbird Press, Augusta, GA

[e-mail]

Contents

Foreword

Broth

Broth for Sick People

Gelatin (or Meat Jelly)

Beef Gravy

Tomato Gravy

Cappelletti in the Style of Romagna

Tortellini, Italian Style (Agnellotti)

Tortellini A La Bolognese (Bologna Style)

Panata (A sort of bread pudding served in soup)

Noodles of Wheat

Gnocchi

Whole Wheat Pudding in Soup

Soup of Paradise

Soup with Shredded Meat

Soup with Ricotta (Sweet cottage cheese)

Soup with Semolino (Wholewheat) Nuts

Soup with Ricotta Tiles (Mattoncini)

Soup of Angel Bread

Soup of Potato Balls

Soup with Rice Balls

A Two-Color Soup

Stuffed Soup

Split Pea Soup

Soup A La Santé

Soup with Meat Gravy

Soup with Egg Bread

Queen Soup

Rice, Hunter Style

Rice and Sausage

Cuscus

Minestrone

Passatelli Made with Farina

Rice with Fresh Squash

Tortelli

Mashed Pea Soup with Lean Meat

Bean Soup

Lentils Soup

Frog Soup

Soup with Broth of Mullet

Grayling Soup and Pasting or Noodles

Soup of Mashed Dry Peas

Tagliatelle with Ham Gravy (Large Noodles)

Green Tagliatelle

Tagliatelle in Romagna Style

Black Risotto with Cuttle-Fish in Florentine Style

Rice with Peas

Rice with Tomato Sauce

Risotto in Milanese Style I.

Risotto In Milanese Style II.

Risotto in Milanese Style III.

Risotto with Fish Soup

Macaroni in Bolognese Style

Macaroni with Sardines in Sicilian Style (Fresh Sardines)

Macaroni in French Style

Macaroni in Neapolitan Style

Potato Gnocchi

Cornflour Gnocchi

Noodles with Rabbit Sauce (Pappardelle)

Noodles with Hare

Ravioli

Ravioli in Romagna Style

Ravioli in Genoese Style

Spaghetti with Anchovies

Spaghetti in Rustic Style

Spaghetti and Peas

Minestra of Mashed Vegetables

Capers Crostini (Toast)

Crostini with Tartufi (Truffles)

Crostini with Chicken Liver

A Variety of Crostini

Crostini of Chicken Liver and Anchovies

Crostini Fioriti (Blossoming Crostini)

Salse (Sauces)

Salsa Verde (Green Sauce)

Sauce of Capers and Anchovies

Sauce Maitre D’hotel

Meatless Sauce for Spaghetti

White Sauce

Tomato Sauce

Mayonnaise Sauce

Piquant Sauce I.

Piquant Sauce II.

Yellow Sauce for Boiled Fish

Caper Sauce for Boiled Fish

Sauce in Genoese Style for Stewed Fish

The Sauce of the Pope

Truffle Sauce

Balsamella Sauce

Green Pepper Sauce

Poached Eggs

Omelet in Sandals (Zoccoli)

Onion Omelet

Spinach Omelet

Frizzled Omelet as a Side Dish

Foil Dough for Pastry

Semi-Foil Dough

Liquid Dough for Fritters (Pastella)

Stuffing for Chicken

Meat Stuffing for Foil-Dough Pies (Dumplings or Foil-Dough Dumplings)

Fried Stuffed Dough

Fried Apples

Fry of Ricotta

Fried Fennel

Fried Peaches

Fried Pork Liver

Mixed Fry in Bolognese Style

Fry in Roman Style I.

Fry in Roman Style II.

Rice Fritters I.

Rice Fritters II.

Farina Fritters

Fried Artichoke

Fried Young Squash I.

Fried Young Squash II.

Doughnuts (Ciambelline)

Crescioni (A sort of Spinach Pie)

Croquettes

Sweet-Bread Croquettes

Rice Croquettes

Mixed Rice Croquettes

Rice Pears

Lamb Meat in Omelet

Gilt Fowl I.

Gilt Fowl II.

Chicken in Hunter Style

Fried Chicken with Tomatoes

Liver Fried with White Wine

Fried Cream I.

Fried Cream II.

Head of Lamb

Lamb Liver and Chitterlings in Bolognese Style

Lamb Fried in Bolognese Style

Fried Rabbit

Stuffed Cutlets

Stuffed Bread

Milk-Fed Veal Cutlet

Fry A La Garisenda

Brains, Sweet-Breads, Tender Heads, etc.

Side Dishes Cresentine (Garlic Toast)

Donzelline (Fritters) Stuffed with Salted Anchovies

Aromatic Donzelline

Semolino (Farina) Gnocchi

Gnocchi in Roman Style

Polenta of Yellow Flour and Sausages

Seasoned Polenta (Pasticciata)

Macaroni with Pangrattato (Grated Bread)

Macaroni with Balsamella Gravy

Dressed Lamb Chops

Stuffed Rolls

Corn Pudding I.

Corn Pudding II.

Eggs and Sausage

Sausage and Grapes

Rice as a Side Dish

Artichokes Cooked in a Baking Pan

Tortino of Tomato (Tomato Pie)

Mayonnaise Salad

Book-Like Pizza

Stracotto of Veal

Odd Stracotto

Fricando (Special Pot Roast)

Fricassee

Cibreo or Fricassee

Stuffed Boneless Chicken

Chicken in Peasant Style

Chicken with Marsala Wine

Chicken with Egg Sauce

Chicken Breasts a La Sauté

Wild Duck

Domesticated Duck

Pigeon Ragout

Pigeon Cooked in English Style

Manicaretto of Pigeons (Ragout)

Timbale of Pigeons

Thrushes with Olives

Stewed Blackbirds

Birds in Salmi

Rabbit Stew

Bitter-Sweet Wild Boar

Wild Boar Between Two Fires

Bitter-Sweet Tongue

Fried Kidneys

Kidney in Florentine Style

Roast of Leg or of Shoulder of Mutton I.

Roast of Leg or of Shoulder of Mutton II.

Beef a La Brace (Burning cinders)

Scaloppine, Livornese Style (Scallops)

Scaloppine of Chopped Meat

Scaloppine, Genoese Style

Stuffed Braciuoline (Stuffed, Meat Rolls)

Rolls of Loin of Pork (Braciuoline nella scamerita)

Braciuoline in Peasant Style

Ham Cutlets

Meat Balls

Polpettone (Meat Loaf)

Meat Loaf Made with Raw Meat in Florentine Style

Lamb and Peas in Romagna Style

Lamb Fricassee (Trippato)

Shoulder of Lamb in Hungarian Style

Head of Lamb

Stew of Muscles

Stew of Breast of Milk-Fed Veal with Fennel

Milk-Fed Veal in Guazzetto (In Special Gravy)

Stuffed Breast of Milk-Fed Veal

Beef Seasoned with Cloves

Tripe with Sauce

Tripe with Eggs

Tripe in Corsican Style

Milk-Fed Veal Liver in Military Style

Mutton Loin Cutlets and Veal Chops in Finanziere Style

Filetto with Marsala Wine (Sirloin)

Meat in Genoese Style

Pie of Semolino and Meat Stuffing

Pie of Rice with Gravy and Chicken Liver

Genoese Pudding (Budino)

Macaroni Pudding

Pie of Fricassee

Pie of Rice and Chicken Liver

Pigeon Roast with Peas

Pot Roast of Boiled Meat

Osso-Buco

Tongue Alla Scarlatta (Scarlet Style)

Veal with Sauce of Tuna Fish (Vitello Tonnato)

Capon in Galantine

Arista, Pork Loin in Chops

Cold Partridge Pie

Rabbit Bread

Liver Bread

Liver Pie

Rabbit Meat Pie

Stuffed Young Squash

Young Squash with Fish Stuffing

String Beans and Young Squash Sauté

String Beans with Egg Sauce

String Beans with White Sauce (Balsamella)

String Beans with Vanilla Flavor

String Beans, Aretina Style

Beans All'uccelletto

Loose Fresh Beans as A Side Dish to Boiled Meat

String Beans Pie

Cauliflower Pie

Spinach Pie

Artichoke Pie

Finocchi (Fennel) Pie

Fried Mushrooms

Stewed Mushrooms

Triped Mushrooms

Griddled Mushrooms

Dry Mushrooms

Egg Plant

Fried Egg Plant

Stewed Egg Plant

Griddled Egg Plant

Egg Plant Pie

Bitter-Sweet Scallions

Stewed Scallions

Side Dish of Celery

Whole Lentils as a Side-Dish

Artichokes with Gravy

Artichokes Rith (Cooked straight up)

Artichokes Stuffed with Meat

Stuffed Artichokes

Grilled Artichokes

Dry Artichokes Preserved for Winter

Peas I.

Peas II.

Peas with Smoked Ham

Peas with Dry Meat

Cauliflower with Balsamella (White Sauce)

Sauerkraut I.

Sauerkraut II.

Broccoli or Talli Di Rape in Florentine Style

Stuffed Cabbage

White Cabbage as a Side Dish

Side Dish of Black Cabbage

Fennel with White Sauce

Fennel as a Side-Dish

Potato Sauté

Truffled Potatoes

Tortino of Young Squash

Spinach as a Side Dish

Spinach in the Style of Romagna

Asparagi

Young Squash Pie

Mushroom Pie

Green Cabbage as a Side-Dish

Fish Dishes

Cacciucco I.

Cacciucco II.

Fish Al Piatto (Cooked in a special flat dish)

Boiled Fish

Fish Cuts with Gravy

Nasello Palermo Style (Fresh Cod Fish)

Sole on the Gridiron or Fried

Filet of Sole with Wine

Mullets on the Gridiron Sailor Style

Mullets, Leghorn Style

Lobster

Eels, Florentine Style

Eels with Sauce

Fish Cake

Baccala, Florentine Style (Dry Cod Fish)

Baccala, Bolognese Style

Baccala, Bitter-Sweet

Grilled Baccala

Cutlets of Baccala

Roasts

Roast Milk-Fed Veal

Arrosto Morto (A sort of pot roast)

Arrosto Morto Seasoned with Garlic and Rosemary Leaves

Roast of Birds

Lamb Roast All’aretina (Aretina Style)

Roast of Leg of Mutton

Roast of Hare

Arrosto Morto Lardellato

Roasted Stuffed Beef Braciuola

Stuffed Chicken

Rabbit Roast

Chicken in Devil Style

Pollo in Porchetta (Chicken in the style of roast pig)

Guinea Hen

Roast Duck

Turkey

Steak, In Florentine Style

Fried Steak

Pastry

Strudel

Gateau A’ La Noisette

Baba

Foiled Marchpane or Sweet Bread

Crispy Cookies

Soft Cookies

Cookies, Sultan Style

Brioches (A sort of muffin)

Marguerite Bread

Pie, Manto Van Style

Curly Pie I.

Curly Pie II.

Meringue Pie

Pine-Seed Pie (Pinoli Pie)

Bocca Di Dama I. (Sweet Heart Cheek)

Bocca Di Dama II (Sweet Heart Cheek)

Neapolitan Pastry

Genoese Pastry

Crustings

Cornflour Cakes

Cenci (Rags)

Livornese Cake (Stiacciata alia Livornese)

Sponge Cake

Biscuit (Biscotto)

Chocolate Biscuit

Pasta Maddalena

Pizza, In Neapolitan Style

Stuffed Pizza

Pies (Crostate)

Almond Cake (Croccante)

Sponge Cake Roll (Salame inglesc)

Almond Cookies I. (Amaretti)

Almond Cookies II.

Rice Cakes (Pasticcini di riso)

Semolino Cakes

Tea Cakes (Pastine pel the)

Rice Pie

Ricotta Pie (Torta di ricotta)

Potato Pie (Torta di Patate)

Semolino Pie

Currants, In English Style

Semolino Pudding

Rice Pudding

Ricotta Pudding

Pudding, In Neapolitan Style

Lemon Pudding

Chocolate Pudding

Toasted Almonds Pudding

Bianco Mangiare

Cake to Be Served with Zabaione

Cream

Whipped Custard

Migliaccio Di Romagna

Stuffed Peaches

Apples in Jelly

Apricots in Syrup (Albicocche in Comoosta)

Pears in Syrup (Pere in Composta)

Surprise Cake (Pasticcio a Sorpresa)

Zabaione

Orzata (Barley Water)

Apricot Preserve

Rosolio

Macedonia

Quince Preserve

Foreword

For Pellegrino Artusi’s Italian Cook Book is a collection of Italian recipes first published in 1891. This version was edited and translated by New York-based academic Olga Ragusa in 1945. It contains nearly 400 recipes that highlight the art of traditional Italian cooking at a time when French cuisine had long dominated the kitchens and plates of gourmands.

Pellegrino Artusi (1820–1911) was an unlikely person to revitalize Italian cuisine, being neither a professional chef nor a formal culinary scholar. Artusi was born in Forlimpopoli to a wealthy merchant father, and he successfully took over the family’s business as a young man. His life—and that of his family—was violently disrupted in 1851, when the criminal Stefano Pelloni arrived in town. He and his gang disrupted a play and held all the wealthy families hostage in the theater while they robbed and sacked the town. One of Artusi’s sisters was assaulted during the raid and the ensuing shock placed her in an asylum. (Pelloni was killed just two months later in a gunfight.)

After the trauma, Artusi and his family moved to Florence, where he began working as a silk merchant and later in finance. During his free time, he devoted himself to the art of Italian cooking. French cooking had been considered the gold standard in culinary circles for centuries, but Artusi rejected the notion that French food was superior to his native Italian. He devoted himself to learning more about the cuisine of his ancestors.

By 1891, at the age of 71, Artusi had completed what is considered the original Italian cookbook. He had compiled and edited recipes from much of the newly unified Italy, creating for the first time a broader manual to the nation’s various culinary styles. Still, the book’s recipes lean toward the northern culinary styles of Romagna and Tuscany.

Unable to find a publisher, he funded and self-published the work. It was a modest success at first, selling a thousand copies in four years. But word spread, and before his death in 1911, the book had sold over 200,000 copies.

This version was edited and translated by the New York-based linguist, scholar, and academic Olga Ragusa. It was published in 1945 by the S.F. Vanni publishing house, then owned by her father.

Containing nearly 400 recipes, the instructions in the Italian Cook Book are simple to follow and can be easily recreated in the modern kitchen—with some exceptions. Sourcing the two dozen large frogs for Frog Soup may prove a challenge. But the recipes for handmade pasta, gnocchi, and ravioli in the Romagna and Genoese styles are simple and approachable.

Crostinis, slices of toast piled with savory toppings, make delicious appetizers when topped with anchovies, caviar, or chicken liver. Italian-style sauces are abundant, including caper sauce for drizzling over boiled fish, meatless sauce for spaghetti, and the sauce of the Pope—a briny sauce from the caper vinegar, sweetened olives, chopped onions, butter, and an anchovy.

The home cook will find some meats that are easy to source—chicken, lamb, turkey, beef, pork, and plenty of fish. Others will prove more difficult to find, like partridge, blackbird, wild boar, and thrush. Some of the less common organ meats are also used, including tongue, kidneys, and liver.

Italian home cooks will want to linger in the dessert section, full of simple cakes, pies, and puddings, as well as rustic fruit dishes like pears in syrup and peaches stuffed with candied orange peel and nuts.

Artusi is considered by many to be the father of modern Italian cuisine. Since 1997, he has been celebrated each year in his birthplace of Forlimpopoli with Festa Atrusiana, an Italian food festival.

1 Broth

For broth place the meat in cold water and let it boil very slowly without allowing it to overflow (if, instead of a tasty broth, some tasty boiled meat is preferred, place meat in water already boiling). It is a known fact that spongy bones make a tasty broth, but not a nutritious one.

While the meat is boiling, place a small bunch of aromatic herbs in the pot, consisting of the lower parts of celery, carrots, parsley and basil. Some people prefer to add a piece of onion, broiled on charcoal. If one likes to color the broth in French style, one should add to it a little sugar solution prepared as follows: Place some sugar in a small pan; as soon as it gets brown, dilute it in cold water, then allow it to boil till it is completely liquified, and place it in a bottle so that it can be used whenever broth is to be colored.

A good method to preserve broth from one day to another in hot weather is to bring it to a boiling point morning and evening, and when cool, to place it in the Frigidaire.

2 Broth for Sick People

The usual amount is 4 pounds of meat for a quart of wholesome and nutritious broth. Slice thinly either lean veal or beef meat and place it in layers (one over the other) in a large pot. Sprinkle sufficient salt on it and pour enough cold water on it to cover the meat. Cover the pot with a deep dish in which some water is constantly kept. Allow the contents to simmer continuously for six hours. At the end of this time, increase the heat and cause it to boil violently for ten minutes. Strain the broth through a fine cloth.

3 Gelatin (or Meat Jelly)

Boneless meat (see No. 200), about 17 ounces (500 grams)

Milk-fed veal feet, about 6 ounces (150 grams)

The feet of two or three chickens

Two heads and necks of chicken

Brown the chicken feet on the fire and cut them into small pieces; then place all the ingredients into about five quarts of cold water; add enough salt and allow it to boil slowly for about seven or eight hours while skimming it often enough so that it will be free from unpalatable froth. When the liquid has boiled down to about half the original amount, pour the contents into a pan or pot, and when it has cooled off, remove the congealed fat from the surface. At this point the gelatin is already done.

However, to give the gelatin a clear shade, grind an ounce and a half of lean veal meat; place it in a pan and add an egg and two tablespoonfuls of water. Mix this well and throw the cold jelly into it. Place the pot on the fire and stir constantly and energetically till it reaches the boiling point. Then allow it to simmer for twenty minutes. While the gelatin is boiling, place a lump of sugar in a metal spoon, add a few drops of water and hold it over the fire till the sugar becomes almost black. Pour this liquid into the boiling jelly little by little till the desired shade of amber color is attained. Some people prefer to add a small glass of marsala wine.

Now take a clean towel, soak it in water and wring it out thoroughly, and while the jelly is still hot, strain it through the wet towel and fill the forms. In the Summer it is advisable to place the forms on ice so that the jelly will solidify.

To take the jelly out of the form, place a towel soaked in boiling water around the form and the jelly will detach itself and fall into the dish prepared for the purpose.

Be sure that the meat jelly is clear and transparent, and of a shade resembling topaz. It is ordinarily served with capon in gelatin or with cold cuts. It is also a nutritious dish for sick people. If consumption of the meat jelly is slow and it turns sour, this can be remedied by bringing it to a boil again.

4 Beef Gravy

Cover the bottom of a pot with slices of salt pork or dry meat (the latter is to be