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.
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.
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.
