Roman Pie

FOR THE PASTA LAYERS
6 oz Macaroni 1 oz Plain flour
12 1/2 fl Milk 4 oz Cheddar cheese
1/2 pt Single cream 1 oz Parmesan cheese
1 oz Butter

*Note: Weight given for turkey or chicken is skinned, boned weight. Goose,
pheasant and other birds can be used instead.

**Well-flavoured, clear stock and a little gelatine powder may be
substituted for canned consomme.

Make a smooth, rich sauce with the butter, flour, milk and cream. Let it
simmer for about 4 minutes. Then, away from the heat, stir in the grated
Cheddar and Parmesan, a seasoning of nutmeg and some salt and pepper – but
go carefully with the salt in view of the cheeses and salted meats used in
this dish. Let the sauce cool while you cook the macaroni in plenty of
salted water until al dente. Plunge the pasta in cold water to arrest
cooking, drain well and stir it into the sauce.

Slice the mushrooms thickly and saute them well in a non-stick pan with no
fat. Season them with about 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, plenty of pepper
and a little salt and allow to become cold. Then cut the turkey meat into
pieces about the width and half the length of your little finger, and mix
the poultry and mushrooms together.

Cut the ham, tongue and drained anchovies into strips about the same length
as the poultry but considerably less wide. Mix the anchovies, ham and
tongue with a good quantity of fairly coarsely chopped parsley.

Sprinkle about one third to half of the ham mixture over the base of a
shallow dish of 4 to 4-1/2 pint capacity. Cover with half the macaroni
mixture, then all the turkey mixture, then the rest of the macaroni. Spread
each layer evenly and press down into the dish with a potato masher before
adding the next layer. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

Arrange the remaining ham mixture on top and scatter the olives to make a
decorative display of the pink, green and black ingredients. Press down
lightly then pour on enough barely melted consomme or cool jellied stock to
cover.

Cover the dish and refrigerate for a few hours until set. Better still,
refrigerate Roman pie overnight to allow flavours to blend and mature, but
be sure to bring it back to room temperature at least two hours before
serving.