425. Pigeons Roasted

Veal stuffing for pigeons; it improves the flavour; they must be fresh and well cleaned; butter and parsley may be served with them, but parsley alone as a stuffing, though frequently used, is by no means so palatable as the veal stuffing, or one made with veal, the fat of bacon, and the crumb of bread soaked in milk and well seasoned. They are sometimes stuffed with truffles, or chestnut and bacon as turkey, covered with thin slices of fat bacon enwrapped in vine leaves instead of paper. They receive a fine flavour, but are they worth so much trouble ?

426. Roasted Pigeons

Let your pigeons be picked clean and washed, then stuff the whole inside of the pigeon with fine veal stuffing if preferred, if not, merely a few bread crumbs and parsley, pepper and salt.

427. Pigeons - Broiled

Split the backs, season them highly, lay them over a clear brisk fire, serve with mushroom sauce.

428. Pigeons As Woodcocks

Toast some bread as for woodcocks, butter it, and drop a few drops of essence of anchovies on the butter, spread it all over the toast, then put the toast under the pigeons while roasting.

429. Pigeons Stewed

Take a white cabbage, cut it as for pickling, rince it in clear cold water, drain it well, put it into a saucepan with equal quantities of milk and water, boil it, strain off the milk and take a portion of the cabbage and lay it in a stewpan; soak the pigeons for half an hour in cold milk and water, season them well with salt and pepper, adding a little cayenne; place them in the stewpan with the cabbage, cover them over with what remains, add some white broth, stew slowly until the pigeons are tender, thicken with a little cream, flour, and butter, let it boil, and serve up the pigeon with a puree of the cabbage.

430. Pigeons - Larded And Braised

They require some skill as well as trouble, but they may be dressed exactly in the same manner as chickens, glaze them, and send them to table with mushroom sauce.

431. Fillets Of Pigeons

To each fillet leave the wing bone on, flatten them with your beater, you can take the bone out of the leg, take off the skin, and form them the shape of the fillets, and use them between, or leave the skin on, and fill in the leg with a little forcemeat, then saute them off, take them up, and press them until cold; you can dish those alternately with your fillets or cutlets, if you wish cutlets, you must bread crumb them, as you will find veal cutlets are done, if garnish and ornamental work is liked, put a small cut truffle on the bone of each cutlet, and where there is no bone put a little skewer in for a bone.

432. Compote Of Pigeons

Blanch four pigeons, then stuff them, place them in a stewpan, put in an onion, a slice of lemon, and a small handful of mushrooms, lay over them slices of fat bacon, add half a pint of good gravy, and stew gently until the pigeons are tender; take them out of the gravy, and keep them hot, strain off the gravy, skim it clear, then thicken with half a spoonful of flour, and a lump of butter, the size of a small walnut; season with salt, pepper, and a little cayenne, a few forcemeat balls may be added at pleasure, pour half into the dish with the pigeons, and serve the remainder in a tureen.

433. Pigeons In Jelly

Make some jelly of calf's foot, or if you have the liquor in which a knuckle of veal has been boiled, it will answer the same purpose; place it in a stewpan with a hunch of sweet herbs, a blade of mace, white pepper, a slice of lean bacon, some lemon peel, and the pigeons, which, being trussed and their necks propped up to make them appear natural, season to your palate. Bake them; when they are done remove them from the liquor, but keep them covered close, that their colour may be preserved. Remove the fat, boil the whites of a couple of eggs with the jelly to clear it, and strain it; this is usually done by dipping a cloth into boiling water, and straining it through it, as it prevents anything like scum or dirt sweeping through the strainer. Put the jelly rough over and round the pigeons.

434. Pigeons Or Ant Bird In Aspic Jelly

Get three pigeons, take out the bones, leaving on the neck and head, fill the birds with some forcemeat, making them the shape of the bird, cover them with fat bacon, put them on a dish, place them in the oven until done, take them out to get cold, have ready some very light coloured aspic jelly, either chop your jelly round them on the dish or in a mould, if in a mould place the breast downwards, let the jelly be quite cold and beginning to set before you pour it in, but if you intend to ornament your mould do it with green, red, and white devices, with what may then be in season; radishes, whites of hard eggs, cucumbers, French beans, truffles, and any other eatable and wholesome thing, never use any thing that is injurious to health; set it to get stiff, turn out with warm water.

435. How To Pot Pigeons

Season them well with pepper, cayenne, a little mace, and salt, pack them closely in a pan, cover them with butter, and bake them; let them get cold, then take off the fat, put the pigeons into pots, pour melted butter over them.

436. Wood Pigeons

May be dressed exactly as tame pigeons, save that they require rather less time in the cooking, and the gravy or sauces should be richer and of a higher flavour.

437. Chestnut Stuffing For Pigeons

Blanch some chestnuts, then pound them in a mortar with a small quantity of scraped fat bacon, a dust of sugar, pepper, and salt, and a few bread crumbs, then stuff the pigeons, covering them with vine leaves.