Paglia e Fieno

Paglia e Fieno (pahl-yah eh fee-eh-noh) means literally ‘straw and hay1. It is a rich dish which needs only a lightly tossed green salad to make a delicious and sustaining supper.

4-6

2 oz. plus

1 tablespoon butter

1 small onion, chopped

6 lean bacon slices, chopped

8 oz. veal, finely minced

2 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper |- teaspoon dried oregano

1 lb. button mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced

8 fl. oz. single cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

6 oz. egg noodles, cooked, drained and kept hot

6 oz. green egg noodles, cooked, drained and kept hot

2 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated

In a medium-sized frying-pan, melt the 2 ounces of butter over moderate heat. When the foam subsides, add the onion and bacon and cook, stirring occa-sionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent but not brown.

Add the veal and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until the veal is well browned. Stir in the salt, pepper, oregano and mushrooms and cook, stir-ring occasionally, for a further 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.

Add the cream and parsley and stir well. Reduce the heat to low and cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, for a further

3 to

5 minutes or until it is hot but not boiling. Remove the pan from the heat.

Place the noodles in a large serving dish. Add the remaining butter and, using two large spoons, toss the noodles. moderate heat and, stirring frequently, bring to the boil. Boil the mixture for 5 minutes. Remove the casserole from the heat and serve.