Roman Pie

Directions

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 sauté them well in a non-stick pan with no fat.

Season them with about 1½ 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 4½ 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 flavors to blend and mature, but be sure to bring it back to room temperature at least two hours before serving.