Timbale Milanaise.—Line a mould with the short
crust as described above, and have ready some just
boiled macaroni, enough to about quarter fill the
pie; now put it back into a pan with some good
meat gravy or stock, one part Parmesan to three
parts Gruyère cheese, and as much butter as you
have cheese, then lay into this mixture some poultry
livers, bits of game or poultry, pieces of ham, etc.
(you really can put in pretty much what you please),
and let it all simmer together very gently for forty-
forty-five minutes. Now add some morsels of butter
over the bottom of the paste-lined timbale, sprinkle
this with grated cheese and a little pepper, and then
lay in the mixture you have been cooking, turning
the macaroni into little lengths and mixing each
layer lightly with cheese, pour over a little meat
you may have left, cover this with more paste,
pinching the edges well together, and bake for half
an hour. Then turn out and serve with a rich
rich gravy. This dish may be varied almost
indefinitely. For instance, T. à la Napolitaine, using
tomato sauce diluted with gravy is best instead of
pure gravy, and stewed beef cut into neat pieces,
cubes of fat and lean bacon, and herb-force meat
balls are stirred into the macaroni, the whole being
finished off as before; T. alla romana, when tiny
sausages, the breasts of any little birds, cooked
brains, etc., are all mixed into the gravy-steeped
macaroni, and the whole is again finished off as
before. Another form of filling is with raviolis;
for this you need nouille paste made with ½lb. fine
flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, the yolks of four
raw eggs, and sufficient milk or water to bring it all
to a stiff paste; roll this out very thin, then cut it
into oblongs about 2in. or 3in. long by 1in. to 1½in.
wide; put into each of these a spoonful of finely
minced meat, raw or cooked, rather highly seasoned
with herbs, etc., and moistened with a little gravy,