Cookery and housekeeping

Take four young pigeons, and brown them in butter ; cut into dice — about twenty-four dice — some streaky bacon ; soak and wash in tepid water, and half fry in the same butter in which the pigeons were browned. Stir in a large spoonful of flour, and place the pigeons, cut into neat joints, in the stewpan. Then stir in some stock and a seasoning of chopped onions, parsley, &c. Put the stewpan on the side of the stove, and let it simmer. When half done add a pint of young peas ; stir till they are cooked. If the sauce is too thin, the pigeons and peas must be taken out, and kept warm whilst the sauce is reduced. Arrange the pigeons and bacon as neatly as you can on a dish with the peas, and pour the sauce over. Devilled Duck or Teal. (Indian Recipe.) Get a good plateful of onions, a piece of green ginger, and six or eight chillies. Reduce them to a pulp as for curry, then add two teaspoonsful of mustard, pepper, salt, cayenne, and chutney, two tablespoonsful of catsup, and half a bottle of claret. Cut up the duck or teal, and put it into the sauce, which must simmer for a long time. The duck must be previously roasted, or it will want double the quantity of sauce. J LARKS. 221 Devilled Legs of Poultry. ( Indian Recipe.) Score the legs of a roasted turkey, goose, or fowl ; sprinkle them well with cayenne, black pepper, and salt ; broil them well, and pour over the following sauce :— Take three spoonsful of gravy, one of butter rubbed in a little flour, one of lemon-juice, a glass of port wine, a teaspoonful of mustard, some chilli vinegar, a teaspoonful of mushroom catsup, and one of Harvey sauce. Warm up and serve in a boat. If very highly seasoned, it may be served without sauce. Salmis of Larks. If larks are fat and in good order, a dozen ought to weigh 14 ozs. Take a dozen larks which have been drawn, picked, and singed ; save the livers. Saiitez the larks till they are half done ; make a forcemeat with the livers, any cold game or chicken, a little boiled bacon fat, and some chopped truffles. Fill the inside of the larks ; arrange them on a silver or china dish, with fried toast underneath each lark. Lay slices of bacon on the top, and over that a buttered paper ; let the dish cook in the oven for about twenty minutes ; remove the paper and bacon ; sprinkle browned breadcrumbs over the larks, and send up in the same dish. Serve a sauce separately. CHAPTER XX. To Keep Game from Tainting. Draw as soon as the birds come into your possession ; rinse with soda and water, then with pure cold water. Wipe dry, and rub them Hghtly with a mixture of fine salt and black pepper. If you wish to keep them some time, put in the cavity of each bird a piece of charcoal ; hang them in a cool dark place, with a cloth thrown over them. Small birds, unless there are too many of them, may be kept in a refrigerator after you have drawn, washed, and wiped them. The charcoal is an admirable preventive of decomposition. To Roast Game.