Allied Cookery: British, French, Italian, Belgian, Russian

(Italian) Into 2-1/2 quarts of boiling water, well salted, throw 1/2 lb. of macaroni broken up into pieces. Let it boil 25 minutes, then drain it upon a sieve; replace in a stewpan with 3 ozs. of fresh butter cut in small pieces, 2 ozs. of grated cheese, and a pinch of pepper; mix all with a fork. The macaroni must not be broken. Add 1/2 cup of cream. Serve hot. NOTE:--Macaroni should be tender but not pasty; it should possess a certain crispness; obtain this by passing cold water over it when it is in the sieve and quickly returning it to the saucepan. MACARONI (Milanaise) Break up 1/2 lb. macaroni into pieces about 1/4 of an inch long. Boil in salted water 25 minutes. Drain on a sieve. Put it back in the stewpan with a cupful of tomato sauce and 2 oz. of ham cut into dice. Let it simmer a few minutes, then add 2-1/2 oz. of butter and the same of grated cheese. POLENTA WITH CHEESE (Italian) Add to 1-1/2 pints of salted, boiling water, 1/2 lb. of Indian meal, sprinkling it in a little at a time. Let it cook until thick. With a tablespoon form it into small lumps; arrange them on a dish, sprinkle them with grated cheese, and pour over them some butter cooked brown, but not burnt. Put the dish in the oven a few minutes to melt the cheese before serving. LENTIL CROQUETTES Put in cold water 1/2 a cup of dried beans or lentils and let soak overnight. Boil them 1-1/2 hours or until tender. Pass them through a sieve; add 1/2 of a cup of fine bread-crumbs and 3 tablespoons of cream or butter, 1 egg, a grated onion, a pimento chopped, a little mace or nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of cayenne. Make into croquettes and roll in bread-crumbs, then beaten egg and bread-crumbs, and fry in oil or butter. If baked in the oven in a loaf, baste occasionally with oil or butter. Serve with a tomato or horse-radish sauce. This is