The Pigeon Problem: A Tasty Vintage Solution

We love vintage recipes. And we seriously hate pigeons.

While reading http://www.vintagerecipes.net/, we discovered a delightful (if vaguely disturbing) solution to the pigeon problem from an unusual source, English Housewifry (1764), a cookbook by Elizabeth Moxon, who also crafted instructions that include "How to Dress Rabbets to look like Moor-Game".

Jugg'd Pigeons Recipe

Instructions
Take six or eight pigeons and truss them, season them with nutmeg, pepper and salt.

To make the Stuffing

Take the livers and shred them with beef-suet, bread-crumbs, parsley, sweet-marjoram, and two eggs, mix all together, then stuff your pigeons sowing them up at both ends, and put them into your jugg with the breast downwards, with half a pound of butter; stop up the jugg close with a cloth that no steam can get out, then set them in a pot of water to boil; they will take above two hours stewing; mind you keep your pot full of water, and boiling all the time; when they are enough clear from them the gravy, and take the fat clean off; put to your gravy a spoonful of cream, a little lemon-peel, an anchovy shred, a few mushrooms, and a little white wine, thicken it with a little flour and butter, then dish up your pigeons, and pour over them the sauce.

Garnish the dish with mushrooms and slices of lemon.
This is proper for a side dish.

Disclaimer: We at citycitybangbangny would never attempt to touch a pigeon, never mind "jugg" one. Nonetheless, it does pose an interesting solution to our city's plague of winged rats.