Cookery for every household

First prepare some forcemeat according to directions given in Recipe 1276. Then bone the pigeons. Lay the birds on a board with the back uppermost and cut through the skin right down the centre of the back. Then with a small pointed knife cut the flesh carefully from the carcase, being careful not to make holes in the skin. Disjoint the legs and wings and remove the carcase bone, but leave the legs and wings unboned. Spread the pigeons out on the board, season them with pepper and salt, and put some forcemeat into the centre of each. Fold the flesh over, and sew up into their original shape, truss as for roasting and dust with dry flour. Melt the butter or bacon fat in a stewpan, and when smoking hot put in the pigeons and brown them well on all sides. Then lift them on to a plate. Add the chopped onion to the fat in the pan, and stir it over the fire until lightly browned. Add the flour and brown that also ; then pour in the stock and stir until boiling. Now return the pigeons, cover the saucepan, and cook slowly by the side of the fire or in the oven until the birds are tender, turning them over once or twice during the cooking. When the pigeons are ready, lift them out, remove the trussing strings and keep them warm. Skim the sauce left in the pan, add the lemon juice, more seasoning if necessary, and then the mushrooms. Simmer a few minutes longer and pour round the pigeons. If fresh mushrooms are used, time must be allowed for them to cook. Time to cook, 1½ to 2 hours. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. 1177. Pigeon Cutlets a la Duchesse (Cotelettes de Pigeon a la Duchesse) 3 pigeons. 2 oz. butter. Seasoning. f lb. sausage meat or other meat farce. 1 pig’s caul. I white of egg. A little meat glaze. Potato or spinach border. Sauce piquante. Prepare the pigeon cutlets as in next recipe, cooking them for a short time in butter and press- ing them between two dishes until nearly cold. Then trim them neatly and coat them on one side with nicely seasoned sausage meat or some meat farce. Make the cutlets look as round and plump as possible. Wash the caul in salt and water and dry it before using. Cut thin convenient-sized pieces, and wrap each pigeon cutlet in a piece of caul. Place them on a greased tin, brush them over with slightly beaten white of egg, cover with greased paper, and bake in a moderate oven from 15 to 20 minutes. Then brush them over with a little meat glaze. Prepare a border of spinach or potato on a hot entree dish, stand the pigeon cutlets along the top and pour the sauce round. Note. — The sauce and garnish may be varied according to taste. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. 1178. Pigeon Cutlets a la Milanaise (Cotelettes de Pigeon a la Milanaise) 3 pigeons. 2 oz. butter. Pepper. Salt. Egg and bread-crumbs. Macaroni a la Milanaise. (Recipe 1618.) Tomato sauce.