LOMBARDY
The charms of Lombardy, the industrial stronghold of Northern Italy, are rather variable. Along its Hat lower stretches, punctuated by factor)' chimneys and beribboned by sign-infested autostrade, Lombardy makes a somewhat hesitant appeal to the eager visitor. But immediately above this plain rise a series of ridge-like mountains framing one of the world' tourist treasures. the Italian lakes. Ac first sight. Lombardy is a blend of the brash and the beautiful. Few contrivances of man are as shattering as a busy traffic intersection in its capital, Milan, resounding with open cutouts and the staccato beat of Vespa scooters. Bur in contrast, hardly anything is as restful as a trip along the shores of Lake Como on a small, sleepy steamboat. But if the Italian lakes sell themselves on sight, the hidden fascination of the plain soon comes to light, especially for those civilized souls sensitive to music, painting, Romanesque architecture, and fine cooking. For all its buoyant commercialism. Milan has time to stop and enjoy the good things of life, as any visitor to La Scala can testify. Today' prosperity is reflected in resplendent shops, ultramodern hotels and a culinary standard which is a pure joy to the visiting voluptuary. Lombardy has earned a gastronomic rating as high as any in Italy, we think, not excepting the rich bounty of Bologna. So some pleasant paragraphs lie ahead.
One reason for this opulence is the immense fertility of the Lombardy plain, whose close-packed gardens, meadows, and orchards are moistened by an intricate network of canals. Fruit, vegetables, and cereals burgeon from this dull-looking land of abundance, which also provides a rich tapestry of green for a flourishing dairy industry. The cheeses of Lombardy-Gorgonzola, Bel Paese, and Stracchino all come from here-are known all over the world. And it goes without saying that a trout from Lake Garda or a veal cutlet alla milanese is invariably prepared in rich, golden butter.
The glittering cheese tray from this region deserves some elaboration, especially for those who may encounter it some day in a Milan restaurant. Bel Paese originated in the Lombard town of Melzo, and is now manufactured in other countries as well, including our own. The famous flat cylinder of soft, yellow Cream richness has imitators, of course, but retains its immense following. One worthy rival comes from the picturesque hill town of Lodi, and is called Fior d'Alpe. This flower of the Alps is a fragrant one indeed. Gorgonzola, first perfected in a town of the same name near Milan, is produced in many places along the plain, and many makers abroad copy it. The original savory, piquant cheese, its creamy color punctuated by green spots caused by the introduction of Penicillium glaucum, is incomparable at its peak of goodness. Less well known is a white Gorgonzola, somewhat sweeter and not so piquant, for less robust palates. Stracchino is a melt-in-your-mouth soft cheese, square shaped, which flourishes in autumn and winter. The most famous brand comes from the little town of Taleggio, and, when it is properly ripened, can hold its ground with the world' best. Sprinkled on the top of countless Lombard dishes is the local version of Parmesan, called Grana, which comes in a huge, husky, hundred-pound disk. Then there are white cream cheeses, Mascherone, Robiolina, and Robiola and a toothsome square one called Crescenza. We've tried them all, with entire felicity, and only hesitated before one called Caciocavallo. That name seemed to hide a horse, and we would have none of it.
If the cheese tray is imposing in Lombardy, the wine list, by contrast, is meager. There are no wines grown here to compare with the superlative Valpolicella of neighboring Verona or with the sturdy Barolo of next-door Piedmont, Bur some creditable vintages come from the slopes above the narrow Italian lakes, in this respect reminiscent of our own Finger Lakes in New York State. The wines of the Valtellina district on the slopes of Lake Garda will reward the explorer who seeks them out on a wine card. They are vivacious reds, pressed from the Nebbiolo grape, and they go under the names of Sassella, Inferno, and Grumello. Prom the vine-thick slopes south of Lake Iseo comes a limpid and subtle red wine called Franciacorta. It is pleasing, light, and fragrant. And there you have the highlights of Lombard wine.
The cookery of this bustling segment of Italy cannot be dismissed in such a debonair manner. The substantial fac is that a whole squad of famous Italian dishes originated here. Some of them are absolutely basic—risotto, minestrone, costoletta alla milanese, osso buco and panettone, for example.
In Milan, the most opulent city in Italy, a rich repertory of regional dishes has won international acceptance. The classical, saffron-tinted, ambrosian favorite, risotto alla milanese, has conquered the most fastidious of French gourmets. The Milanese insist that their own version of minestrone is the first, and the best. It is so good that they eat it hot, cold, or lukewarm with equal gusto. Whoever coined the phrase, “Dreaded Veal Cutlet,” would be his blasphemous pun if he experienced a genuine thin, tender Milanese cutle of young veal, dipped in egg and finely sifted bread crumbs and cooked in rich Lombardy butter. It is as golden as an autumn leaf, and very simple to prepare. The tibia of Lombardy veal provides the ingredients for osso buco, one of the most original of stew dishes. The bones are sawed crosswise, with the mea and marrow clinging to them, and arc cooked for long hours until the meat is tender. Served with risotto and a gremolada sauce rich with lemon, garlic, rosemary, parsley, and sage, it is magnificent in its robustness and savor. The fame of panettone extends all over Italy. This large cake, resembling an over-grown brioche, is light and not too sweet, and made from the simplest ingredients—flour, butter, egg yolk, sugar, candied fruit peel and raisins. Some Italian housewives make these great golden-brown mushrooms of goodness, but only for their families. Commercially, the market appears to be cornered by such huge bakeries as Motta and Alemagna, who produce it by the ton for the Christmas season, in sizes from medium to Gargantuan,
Standing out from a bevy of other Milanese dishes is the casoeula, a glorious mixture of the spare parts of the pig—pork ears, chops, bacon, sausages—cooked in broth with cabbage, celery, carrots, onions, garlic, and plenty of pepper. It is reminiscent of the potées of Burgundy, and quite as heavy. We in America have our own ideas about stuffing a turkey, but the Milanese have a savory filling which will hold its own against the fiercest competition. Their tacchino ripieno is stuffed with a mixture of the giblets of the bird, ham. sausage, apples, prunes, chestnuts, small onions, truffles, grated Parmesan cheese, pepper, nutmeg, eggs, and dry white wine, and the resultant aroma defies description. It seeps through every tissue of the bird and deserves to be called absolutely ambrosian. One rarely encounters meatballs in Italy, despite their supposed affinity for spaghetti, but you find them in Milan under the name of polpette, and they arc very presentable. Some overseas visitors exhibit less enthusiasm for another Milanese favorite, busecca coi borletti, a tripe soup with onions, fresh white beans, and a savory dosage, of herbs, but you really should try it yourself just once, and make your own decision.
The epicurean traveler in Lombardy has a wide and uneven field before him. Milan has sumptuous restaurants, magnificent cooking. The Lake District has nostalgic beauty and good hotels. The flat plain is uninspiring, but it is dotted with cities rich in historical interest — Bergamo, Brescia, Pavia, Cremona, and Mantua—all with adequate hotels and food. Suppose we take the areas up in that order.
MILAN
This sprawling, vibrant city is no the most restful place in Italy, nor the most beautiful. Urbanism and the war have claimed many of its picturesque old quarters, and the vivid tempo of the city is such that a casual sightseer, guidebook in hand, becomes a rather harried individual. In spite of the confusion, he is richly rewarded. Fundamentally. Milan is a city of superlatives. It is the busiest in Italy, and the most prosperous. There is nothing in Italy to compare with its astonishing marble cathedral, the most imposing Gothic edifice south of France. Incidentally, the passing gourmet is confronted by a strong temptation in the cathedral square. Just why doesn't someone think of eating these fat. greedy, aggressive pigeons, hand-fed and overstuffed by tourists with the very best corn? A profane thought, but an irresistible one.
The Teatro alla Scala is the foremost shrine of operatic music in Italy, and a visitor will never forget the hours spent there. The same is true of Leonardo da Vinci' immortal fresco, “The Las Supper,” which still glows, a bit feebly perhaps, in Milan' church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. In the Castello Sforzesco, the immense stronghold of one of Italy' most powerful medieval families, the tourist finds one of the larges castles in the world and a museum of extraordinary merit, and so it goes. These are only the highlights. Countless visitors come to this intense metropolis of 1,600,000 inhabitants for another reason—its annual trade fair, also the largest in Italy. Everything considered, it would seem that the businessman, the opera addict, and, we are glad to add, the gourmet, get the best break in Milan, provided they make sure about reservations in one of the city' modern hotels. This word of warning is born of sad experience. We arrived in the city blissfully unaware of the shortage of rooms, and finally slept overnight in Como, thirty miles away!
Superlatives can be applied with equal candor to the restaurants of Milan. On any basis—appointments, cuisine wines, service—they are among the finest in Europe. We are doing the restaurants an injustice in citing only these few. and our omissions are heartbreaking.
RISTORANTE SAVINI—Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
This is the patriarch of Milanese restaurants, and the ruling aristocrat as well. We were about to call it the “Café de Paris of Italy, ” but alas, the real Café de Paris closed its doors last September after a century at the top of Parisian gastronomy, and so the comparison falls fiat. Savini has occupied its privileged spot under the glass roof of Milan' famous galleria for more than half a century, and is still strongly reminiscent of the belle époque of the 1890'. Everything is impeccable—the setting, the service, and the food, which pleasantly enough features the local specialties and not “international” dishes alone. If you wish to savor risotto, minestrone, osso buco in gremolada, or piccata di vitello in the company of Milan' best-dressed women and most charming citizens, this formal, expensive, mondain restaurant is the answer.
RISTORANTE BARCA D'ORO Via Borgospesso 18
We think that discriminating travelers from across the seas will take a particular shine to the Golden Hark, a plush and pleasant place with the promise of the red-carpet treatment evident in every one of its low-ceilinged rooms. The clientele is cosmopolitan and civilized, generously flecked with pipe-smoking industrialists in British tweeds. The Golden Hark is located on a little side street which runs parallel to the populous Via Manzoni and it is not hard to find. It would be a perfectly wonderful place to give a small dinner party. The menu, which is written in both Italian and French, is a joy to behold. There are daily regional specialties, together with a masterful panorama of dishes from la cuisine classique. Our own choice was a pilaff with sole, mushrooms, and curry, followed by kidneys flamed in brandy, served from a handsome silvery saucepan. For wines, we chose an Orvieto and a soul-warming Valpolicella. The occasion couldn't have been more pleasant, and the check, for all the amplitude of our long-lingering luncheon. was under seven dollars for two.
RISTORANTE GIANNINO—Via A. Sciesa 8
This is probably the most famous restaurant in Milan, and certainly the one which gives the customer the most visual pleasure. Giannino possesses more than a touch of P. T. Barnum. This is a side show of gastronomy as well as a top-notch dining place. The first thing you see upon entering under bright neon lights is a plump lady seated at a table before what appears to be a large, olive-green tablecloth. On closer inspectioni becomes clear that she is making a vas sheet of lasagne verdi, rolling it thinner and thinner on her table. As you progress down the corridor of culinary landscapes you pass luxuriant displays of fruit, cheese, pastry, and pasta, recumbent fish on ice, and trout mulling meditatively about in their fresh-water tank.
There are beautiful cuts of beef to whet your appetite before you arrive at the shimmering summit of Giannino' splendor, the kitchen. It is immaculate and beautiful, glass-enclosed on four sides. so that the cooks, many of whom are women, are just as exposed as the lake trout. You can gaze just as long and languorously as you wish at these skillful technicians; no headwaiter will hover at your elbow.
The restaurant, which began as a very simple trattoria over fifty years ago, is now a large, busy place which rambles around two courtyards-Its deferential owner, Signor Cesare Bindi, is the son of the original founder, and it is not surprising that everything runs like clockwork. His sharp eye keeps a discreet watch on everything. The maîtres d'hôtel are trilingual and genial, and the menu takes in about every accepted masterpiece of Italian cooking. We decided upon a simple dinner, beginning with a risotto rich in baby shrimp, followed by cotolette di vitello alla Valdostana, Giannino' particular specially. This is a toothsome veal cutlet cut into a pocket, into which is inserted a filling of ham, cheese, and truffles. A bit of cheese, a macedonia di frutta which looked like a bouquet of flowers, a worthy bottle of Bardolino, coffee, and Strega, and complete felicity was ours. Don't be misled by Giannino' showmanship! Mis restaurant is a mus if you stop in Milan!
RISTORANTE ALDO—Via della Maddalena 1
Maybe it is the bellboy attired in a gold-buttoned royal-purple uniform, perhaps it is the headwaiter in a fine café crème dinner jacket, or the immense twenty-pronged chandelier—whatever i is, one senses a certain chic upon entering this establishment. The room is a large, lush rectangle dominated by a huge bas relief of frolicking and unadorned maidens, youths, and horses. I is rather difficult to concentrate on the food, if you happen CO be facing this playful panorama, and this is too bad. For Aldo is considered to have the bes sea food in Milan. It is rushed daily from the Adriatic, and you have a glittering choice of scampi, sole, red mullet. and lobster, not to mention a zuppa di pesce and a grande misto mare Aldo which defy description. Rut before embarking on the fish, we urge you to try another specialty called gioielli Aldo. This is as subtle and delicate a dish as we encountered in all our Italian travels. Gioielli means jewels, and these particular gems are baby ravioli. They are golden-yellow, light, and wonderfully under, touched up with butter and powdered Parmesan, and mixed with green peas-a symphony of yellow and green which just can't be forgotten, especially in the company of a cool, seductive Soave.
Aldo is located near the ultramodern Hotel Cavalien, where so many Anglo-Saxon visitors stay, and it has the acclaim of many of them. Hut the French have a fondness for Aldo too, always a good sign. The last time we were there the diners at a full third of the tables were French. Few Parisian restaurants could have made them look more contented.
RISTORANTE BIFFI—Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
The crossroads of Milan, at least so far as foot passengers are concerned, is the immense glass-roofed gallery adjoining the cathedral. Businessmen, politicians, musicians from the Scala, tourists, and clerics all stroll by endlessly. There is no better vantage point to view the passing throng than from the terrace of the house of Biffi, a worldly complex which includes a café terrace, interior bar, pastry shop, pizzeria, and restaurant. The latter is very well appointed, with rose pink napery and shimmering crystal to delight the eye.
Less awe-inspiring than famous Savini, which is just across the way. Biffi has been established for decades also and can boast some top-ranking specialties. Among them ate cannelloni, lasagne verdi, and a delectable turkey preparation called delizie di tacchino pastorella. For gregarious diners who enjoy a passing show with their repast, Biffi is a byword.
And what of the hurried visitor who hasn't time for a long-drawn-out lunch in Milano? The answer can be found no farther than fifty yards from the cathedral. There, under the arcades, is MOTTA of Milan, one of the bigges Italian confectioners and one of his biggest, gaudiest, most seductive food shops. All kinds of snacks—pastry, pizza, sandwiches—are there, with coffee, tea, or chocolate to accompany them, and a flourish of fruit-imbedded ice cream to back them up. Or would you like a toasted ham sandwich touched up with capers, or sliced artichokes in oil, or yellow peppers in a piquant sauce? All of them are here. There couldn't be a handier. noisier or more exciting place for a buffet lunch, and the charge is agreeably low.
THE LAKE DISTRICT
Lombardy cannot claim exclusive right to the lakes which thread through its upper hills. Lake Garda forms its eastern boundary with Veneto. It shares Lake Maggiore with Piedmont. while Lake Lugano is mostly in Switzerland. But Lake Como, the most beautiful of all, is gloriously Lombardian. For centuries it has been Milan' summer retreat, its weekend country place, its refuge from the heat and turmoil of the metropolis.
A modern autostrada now permits harried men of affairs to whisk out to the lake in half an hour. Como itself is a charming city at the southern extremity of the lake. Its sleepy waterfront is filled with rowboats and pleasure craft, and nothing is more restful than to sit here under an awning with an apéritif and to observe leisurely boatmen, dozing fishermen, and yawning policemen. In this choice location is the town' best hotel, the aging ALBERGO METROPOLE-SUISSE. Without being exceptional. it is good enough, and its dining terrace is an inviting place to taste the salmon trout for which Lake Como is famous. If you don't see it on the menu, ask for it!
Both the Plinys, the Elder and the Younger, were born in Como, and their sculptured likenesses occupy two niches in the facade of its marble Gothic cathedral. But the average traveler has little time for sight-seeing in Como. once he glimpses that crystal lake surrounded by mauve and green hills. Quite rightly he gravitates toward one of the colorful resort towns along the shore. The choice is wide and tempting, bu space restricts us to two of the most exciting, if obvious, places-the Villa d'Este in Cernobbio and the lovely town of Bellagio.
CERNOBBIO
We'll have to trot out the superlatives once again in discussing the famous Villa d'Este, only a few miles from Como. It is probably the most princely. the most luxurious hotel in Italy, and i is the one which epicurean visitors arc most likely to enjoy to the hilt. It has absolutely everything—a matchless site on the lake front, magnificent accommodations, fabulous food and service, and a rich historic past. The present immense villa was built in 1568 on the site of an ancient convent by Tolomeo Gallio, the distinguished and well-heeled Cardinal of Como. It was then known as the Villa del Gárrovo. Many were its vicissitudes and titled owners in the years following the Cardinals death, bu none of them could rival the title, or the eccentricity, of Carolina of Brunswick, Princess of Wales, who occupied it in 1815. The estranged wife of George IV of England, she created a sensation by her extravagance and strange companions. She had a warm heart, however, and endeared herself to the villagers of Cernobbio by building them a road to Como. Another royal occupant was the Dowager Empress Sophia Federowna of Russia, who leased it in 1868. Seven years later it was acquired by the company which still operates i as the GRAND HOTEL VILLA D'ESTE. Its urbane and gracious proprietor, Signor Willy Dombré, was born here. I is natural to confuse this villa with the original Villa d'Este surrounded by fountains in Tivoli, near Rome, but it is this marble palace on Lake Como which has thrilled generations of travelers. We can't recommend it too highly. The culinary staff can prepare any Italian dish you ask for, and with consummate skill. Such standbys as pizza or fettuvcine, pheasant or filet of sole, arrive a your table so beautifully prepared that they seem unreal. The uncounted thousands of American travelers who in the past have stopped at the Villa d'Este can assure the thousands who follow that a visit there is the thrill of a lifetime.
BELLAGIO
A writer once described the form of Lake Como as that of a slightly berserk ballet dancer with the village of Bellagio occupying the place where propriety calls for a fig leaf. One hesitates to carry this precarious figure of speech any further, but there is no question about the charm of Bellagio' location, with a view of all three branches of the lake. It has been a fast favorite with English and American travelers for decades. Its climate is mild, its atmosphere infinitely restful, and its hotels are more than adequate. One of them, the VILLA SERBELLONI, ranks among the best luxury hotels. It is reputed to occupy the site of Pliny the Younger' villa and was owned by a succession of picturesque people, including lake pirates, before it came into the hands of the Serbelloni family in 1788. They laid out the lovely park which now surrounds it. For decades i has been known as a honeymoon retrea for royalty.
If you prefer something on a more modest scale. Bellagio has a gratifying choice of smaller hotels along the water' edge, each with a vine-covered terrace: They bear the names of HOTEL FIRENZE, HOTEL GRANDE BRETAGNE, HOTEL DU LAC, and the HOTEL EX-CELSIOR-SPLENDIDO. We chose the las named and found it delightful. It is owned by a charming Englishwoman who understands Anglo-Saxon tastes and maintains an unusually good Italian cuisine. Bellagio may not be the most original choice for a stay on Lake Como, but it is a safe one, and certain to be agreeable.
SIRMIONE
To Lombardy belongs the western shore of Lake Garda, replete with colorful waterside villages, but the site which took our eye was Sirmione, a picture-book town on the lake' south shore, a the end of a narrow peninsula. This fortified fisherman' village is guarded by a crenellated castle built by the Scaligeri family, and is an operatic setting if we ever saw one, complete with cobbled streets, overhead arches, and donkey carts. The poet Catullus built his villa here, and the ruins are still to he seen, fragrant with jasmine and surrounded by olive and fig trees, with blue-green water on three sides. If further reference is needed, Sirmione was recently chosen by the Austrian Princess Ira Furstenberg and her titled husband as the setting for their honeymoon. We don't suppose they stayed at a hotel, but in their place we would have chosen the VILLA CORTINE, high on a wooded promontory. It was once a private villa, and its rooms are few but luxurious. Guests dine under umbrella pines and are regaled with some very fine Italian cooking and wines. In the lower town a bevy of attractive hotels has been built in recent years. For chose who come for the cure, the GRANDE ALBERGO TERME is excellent. Among the hotels perched at the water' edge, we found the HOTEL CATULLO attractive and well run. with above average cooking.
BERGAMO
The transition between mountain and plain takes place in historic Bergamo. which is really two towns, one a dizzy hilltop citadel, the other a spacious lower city with cool arcades, inviting cafes. and theatres. It is the medieval upper town which attracts visitors. A group of fascinating buildings clusters around its time-stained piazza, among them a chapel built for Bartolommeo Colleoni, the most arrogant of Venetian generals, who was horn in Bergamo and was determined that his bones should rest there, despite the objections of the church. The composer dear to the hearts of all Italians. Gaetano Donizetti, was another native of Bergamo, and a theater is dedicated to him here.
Bergamo is famous for one dish, polenta e öséi, a round, golden-orange mound of cooked corn meal crowned with skewers of tiny birds interlaced with leaves of sage.
There is a good overnight stop in the town, the long-established HOTEL MODERNO. In summer its broad terrace provides a charming place to dine, and the food is exceptionally good, particularly the antipasti, ravioli, and those little birds on a bed of corn meal.
BRESCIA
This metropolis in the plain is alternately ultramodern and steeped in antiquity. The most famous swords in the world were once forged here, and there is still something bellicose about its austere architecture. Its cathedral dome, the third highest in Italy, is a source of considerable awe. If you happen to be motoring through Brescia you may find, as we did, that a good luncheon can be had at the HOTEL VITTORIA. If you don' care for those little birds, you might ask for capretto alla bresciana, one of the particularly celebrated local specialties.
CREMONA
The world' greatest violin makers, Stradivarius, Amati, and Guarnieri among them, flourished in this city in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Even today, small artisans in Cremona continue to fashion violins in the old tradition. The architectural heart of the city is breathtaking too, glittering with a Lombard-Gothic cathedral, an octagonal baptistry, and the highest Gothic belfry in Italy. (What, another superlative! )
We will use more restrained language about the restaurants in Cremona. We had poor luck, in fact, and wish that we had followed our first impulse to try the Ristorante Galleria. That' where we're going next time.
PAVIA
Once the capital of Lombardy and an ancient university town, Pavia suffered cruelly during the war. Its famous covered bridge was destroyed, but has now been rebuilt. Its grandiose cathedral, where Bramante and Leonardo da Vinci worked, has been patched up. Visitors are inclined to neglect Pavia for its famous Carthusian monastery, six miles northward, a monument so richly bedecked with Renaissance detail that i seems cloying to some architectural palates. The same cannot be said of the liqueur called Gra-Car which the venerable monks now distill there and sell to visitors.
Pavia is famous everywhere for one dish, zuppa alla pavese, a nourishing meal-in-itself which is a standby in Italian households. The recipe follows on a later page. They also are fond of frog soup, lasagne with cod, and a particularly savory risotto with shrimp, fish filets, mushrooms, and peas. Some of these treasures can be encountered a the RISTORANTE BIXIO, Strada Nuova 81, in the company of Clastidio, a proud wine from Casteggio.
MANTUA
This is the land of Virgil, most famous of Latin poets, who was born in nearby Piétole about 70 B.C. No sign of Virgil remains, hut Mantua absolutely shimmers with the splendor of the Gonzaga family, whose court was one of the most famous of the Renaissance. Their overwhelming ducal palace with all its ramifications contains more than 450 rooms. The one occupied by Napoleon for a night in 1797 is still piously preserved. Another room will linger far longer in your mind, the exquisite bridal chamber whose frescos occupied that master draftsman, Mantegna, for five years. Few rooms in Italy are as beautiful.
Mantua is a good stop, either for luncheon or an overnight stay. At noon-time you should find complete happiness at AI GARIBALDINI, Via S. Longiono 7. We encountered a handsome menu there, including the Mantovan version of ravioli, chicken cacciatore, and a lovely bottle of Lambrusco. The ever-dependable Jolly Hotels, less frequen in these northern regions than in the south, offer you most comfortable accommodations for a night in Mantua.
Here are recipes for two tried-and-true Lombard dishes, in case you would like to try them in your own American kitchen.
Zuppa Pavese
This soup is made with Italian brodo, which is a broth or consommé of chicken and veal. It is light in color but full of flavor. Heat the consommé to the boiling point and poach in it, one at a time, 1 egg per person. Place the eggs in the center of hot soup plates and pour the broth over them through a fine strainer. Around each egg place slices of bread which have been browned on each side in butter and sprinkled with grated Romano or Parmesan. Serve more grated cheese with the soup.
You can. if you prefer, break an egg into each hot soup plate and pour the boiling consommé over them, though in this case the eggs will be less well cooked.
Casoeula
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large heavy pan and in it brown lightly 2 slices of bacon, diced, 1 onion, sliced, 3 or 4 carrots, sliced in rounds, and 1 stalk of celery cut in ½-inch pieces. Add 1 ½ pounds lean pork cut in thick slices, ½ pound Italian pork sausage, cut in chunks, and a small piece of bacon rind. Season with salt and pepper and 1 bay leaf, and sprinkle with I tablespoon flour. Blend in the flour and add 1 cup dry white wine. Cover the pot and cook very slowly, adding stock or water if necessary, for about 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Clean a medium-sized cabbage and boil it whole in salted water for 10 minutes. Drain the cabbage, cut it into quarters and add it to the meat. Continue cooking about ½ hour. Serve with slices of polenta, plain or fried.