The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory Part 37

Cut their necks and wings close, leaving the skin of the neck to enable you to tie close, and with some grated bread put an anchovy, the two livers of pigeons, half a grated nutmeg, a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter, a very little thyme, a little pepper and salt, and sweet marjoram shred.

Mix all together, and into each bird put a piece of the size of a walnut, after sewing up the vents and necks, and, with a little nutmeg, pepper, and salt, strewed over them, broil them on a slow charcoal fire, basting and turning very often. Use rich gravy or melted b.u.t.ter for sauce, and season to your taste.

_Pigeons, to jug._

Pick and draw the pigeons, and let a little water pa.s.s through them; parboil and bruise the liver with a spoon; mix pepper, salt, grated nutmeg, parsley shred fine, and lemon-peel, suet cut small, in quant.i.ty equal to the liver, the yolks of two eggs boiled hard and also cut fine; mix these with two raw eggs, and stuff the birds, tying up the necks and vents. After dipping the pigeons into water, season them with salt and pepper; then put them into a jug, with two or three pieces of celery, stopping it very close, to prevent the steam escaping. Set them in a kettle of cold water; lay a tile on the top, and boil three hours; take them out, and put in a piece of b.u.t.ter rolled in flour; shake it round till thick, and pour it over the pigeons.

_Pigeons, to pot._

Truss and season them with savoury spice; put them into a a pot or pan, covering them with b.u.t.ter, and bake them. Take out, drain, and, when cold, cover them with clarified b.u.t.ter. Fish may be potted in the same way, but always bone them when baked.

_Pigeons, to stew._ No. 1.

Truss your pigeons as for boiling. Take pepper, salt, cloves, mace, some sweet-herbs, a little grated bread, and the liver of the birds chopped very fine; roll these up in a bit of b.u.t.ter, put it in the stomach of the pigeons, and tie up both ends. Make some b.u.t.ter hot in your stewpan, fry the pigeons in it till they are brown all over, putting to them two or three blades of mace, a few peppercorns, and one shalot. Take them out of the liquor, dust a little flour into the stewpan, shaking it about till it is brown. Have ready a quart of small gravy and a gla.s.s of white wine; let it just boil up: strain out all the spice, and put the gravy and pigeons into the stewpan. Let them simmer over the fire two hours; put in some pickled mushrooms, a little lemon juice, a spoonful of ketchup, a few truffles and morels. Dish and send to table with bits of bacon grilled. Some persons add forcemeat b.a.l.l.s, but they are very rich without.

_Pigeons, to stew._ No. 2.

Shred the livers and gizzards, with as much suet as there is meat; season with pepper, salt, parsley, and thyme, shred small; fill the pigeons with this stuffing; lay them in the stewpan, b.r.e.a.s.t.s downward, with as much strong broth as will cover them. Add pepper, salt, and onion, and two thin rashers of bacon. Cover them close; let them stew two hours or more, till the liquor is reduced to one half, and looks like gravy, and the pigeons are tender; then put them in a dish with sippets. If you have no strong broth, you may stew in water; but you must not put so much water as broth, and they must stew more slowly.

_Pigeons, to stew._ No. 3.

Cut six pigeons with giblets into quarters, and put them into a stewpan, with two blades of mace, salt, pepper, and just water sufficient to stew them without burning. When tender, thicken the liquor with the yolk of an egg and three spoonfuls of fresh cream, a little shred thyme, parsley, and a bit of b.u.t.ter. Shake all together, and garnish with lemon.

_Pigeons, biscuit of._

Wash, clean, and parboil, your pigeons, and stew them in strong broth.

Have a ragout made for them of strong gravy, with artichoke bottoms and onions, seasoning them with the juice of lemons, and lemons diced, truffles, mushrooms, morels, and bacon cut as for lard. Pour the broth into a dish with dried sippets, and, after placing your pigeons, pour on the ragout. Garnish with scalded parsley, lemons, and beet-root.

_Pigeons, en compote._ No. 1.

The pigeons must be young and white, and the inside entirely taken out.

Let none of the heart or liver remain, which is apt to render them bitter. Make some forcemeat of veal, and fill the pigeons with it; then put them in a braise, with some bacon, a slice of lemon, a little thyme, and bay-leaf, and let them stew gently for an hour. The sauce is made of cuc.u.mbers and mushrooms, and they must be sweated in a little b.u.t.ter till tender; then strain it off the b.u.t.ter, and put in some strong gravy and a little flour to thicken it. Lastly, add the yolks of two eggs and a little good cream, which, when put to it, must be well stirred, and not suffered to boil, as it would curdle and spoil the sauce.

_Pigeons, en compote._ No. 2.

Have the birds trussed with their legs in their bodies, but stuffed with forcemeat; parboil and lard them with fat bacon; season with pepper, spices, parsley, and minced chives; stew them very gently. While they are stewing, make a ragout of fowls' livers, c.o.c.ks'-combs, truffles, morels, and mushrooms, and put a little bacon in the frying-pan to melt; put them in, and shake the pan three or four times round; then add some rich gravy, and let it simmer a little, and put in some veal cullis and ham to thicken it. Drain the pigeons, and put them into this ragout; let them just simmer; take them up, put them into your dish, and pour the ragout over.

_Pigeons, en compote._ No. 3.

Lard, truss, and force them; season and stew them in strong broth. Have a ragout garnished with sippets, sweetbreads, and sprigs of parsley; then fry the pigeons in a batter of eggs and sliced bacon. You may garnish most dishes in the same way.

_Pigeons, a la c.r.a.paudine._

Cut the birds open down the back, and draw the legs through the skin inside, as you would do a boiled fowl, then put into a roomy saucepan some b.u.t.ter, a little parsley, thyme, shalots, and, if you can have them, mushrooms, all chopped together very fine. Put the pigeons in this, and let them sweat in the b.u.t.ter and herbs for about five minutes.

While they are warm and moist with the herbs and b.u.t.ter, cover them all over with fine bread crumbs; sprinkle a little salt upon them, and boil them on a slow fire. The sauce may be either of mushrooms or cuc.u.mbers, made by sweating whichever you choose in b.u.t.ter till quite tender, then adding a little gravy, cream, and flour.

_Pigeons in disguise._

Draw, truss, and season the pigeons with salt and pepper, and make a nice puff; roll each pigeon in a piece of it; tie them in a cloth, but be careful not to let the paste break. Boil them in plenty of water for an hour and a half; and when you untie them take great care they do not break; put them into a dish, and pour a little good gravy to them.

_Pigeons in fricandeau._

Draw and truss the pigeons with the legs in the bellies, larding them with bacon, and slit them. Fry them of a fine brown in b.u.t.ter: put into the stewpan a quart of good gravy, a little lemon-pickle, a tea-spoonful of walnut ketchup, cayenne, a little salt, a few truffles, morels, and some yolks of hard eggs. Pour your sauce with its ingredients over the pigeons, when laid in the dish.

_Pigeons aux Poires._

Let the feet be cut off, and stuff them with forcemeat, in the shape of a pear, rolling them in the yolk of an egg and crumbs of bread, putting in at the lower end to make them look like pears. Rub your dish with a piece of b.u.t.ter, and then lay them over it, but not to touch each other, and bake them. When done, lay them in another dish, and pour some good gravy into it, thickening with the yolk of an egg; but take care not to pour it over the pigeons.

_Another way._

Cut off one leg; truss the pigeons to boil, and let the leg come out of the vent; fill them with forcemeat: tie them with packthread, and stew them in good broth. Roll the pigeons in yolks of eggs, well beaten with crumbs of bread. Lard your stewpan, but not too hot, and fry your birds to the colour of a popling pear; lay them in a dish, and send up gravy and orange in a terrine with them.

_Pigeons, Pompeton of._

b.u.t.ter your pan, lay in it some sliced bacon, and cover all the inside of it with forcemeat. Brown the pigeons off in a pan, and put them in a good ragout, stewing them up together, and put also a good ladleful of ragout to the forcemeat: then lay your pigeons breast downward, and pour over them the ragout that remains; cover them with forcemeat, and bake them. Turn them out, and serve up.

_Pigeons au Soleil._

Make some forcemeat, with half a pound of veal, a quarter of a pound of mutton, and two ounces of beef, and beat them in a mortar with salt, pepper, and mace, till they become paste. Beat up the yolks of four eggs, put them into a plate, and mix two ounces of flour and a quarter of a pound of grated bread. Set on your stewpan with a little rich beef gravy; tie up three or four cloves in a piece of muslin, and put into it; then put your pigeons in, and stew them till nearly done; set them before the fire to keep warm, and with some good beef dripping in your pan, enough to cover the birds, set it on the fire; when boiling, take one at a time, and roll it in the meat that was beaten, then in the yolk of an egg, till they are quite wet; strew them with bread and flour in boiling dripping, and let them remain till brown.

_Pigeons a la Tatare, with Cold Sauce._

Singe and truss the pigeons as for boiling, and beat them flat, but not so as to break the skin; season them with salt, pepper, cloves, and mace. Dip them in melted b.u.t.ter and grated bread; lay them on a gridiron, and turn them often. Should the fire not be clear, lay them upon a sheet of paper b.u.t.tered, to keep them from being smoked. For sauce, take a piece of onion or shalot, an anchovy, and two spoonfuls of pickled cuc.u.mbers, capers, and mushrooms: mince these very small by themselves; add a little pepper and salt, five spoonfuls of oil, one of water, and the juice of a lemon, and mix them well together with mustard. Pour the sauce cold into the dish, and lay the birds, when broiled, upon it.

_Pigeons, Surtout of._

Take some large tame pigeons; make forcemeat thus: parboil and bruise the livers fine; beat some boiled ham in a mortar; mix these with some mushrooms, a little chopped parsley, a clove of garlic shred fine, two or three young onions minced fine, a sweetbread of veal, parboiled and minced very fine, pepper, and salt. Fill the pigeons with this stuffing; tie them close, and cover each pigeon with the forcemeat: tie them up in paper to keep it on, and while roasting have some essence of ham heated; pour it into your dish, and lay your pigeons upon it.

_To preserve tainted Poultry._