Practical household cookery

Clean and singe the giblets of a turkey, blanch the lot in boiling salt water for three minutes, then cut each — the gizzard and neck — in four, and the pinions in two ; cut also the liver in four, and put it on a plate apart. Fry to a light-brown colour, in a stewpan with one ounce of butter, about six ounces of streaky bacon, cut in inch- dice, free from rind and gristle ; then take these out, and fry the giblets for ten or twelve minutes on a brisk fire, taking care that the pieces are not laid one over the other. After which, sprinkle over a tablespoonful of flour ; continue the frying for about three minutes longer ; stir with a wooden spoon ; moisten with a pint and a half of stock or water : season with salt and pepper ; add a '' bouquet garni/' and boil and simmer for three-quarters of an hour, with the pan partly covered. In the meantime peel and cut into half moons one pound of turnips, fry these in a stewpan to a nice golden colour, with an ounce of butter, and put them on a plate ; peel and fry also c ne dozen button onions, and add them to the turnips ; then peel two pounds of potatoes to an egg-shape. When the giblets have simmered three-quarters of an hour, add the bacon, turnips, onions, and potatoes, and simmer for twenty minutes longer*; then add the liver, previously fried for two or three minutes ; boil again gently for another ten or twelve minutes, and draw the pan away from the fire, remove the '^ bouquet garni," and skim off carefully all the grease and scum ; dish up the giblets in the centre ; pour the vegetables and sauce over, sprinkle the lot with a tea- Bpoonfal of chopped and blanched parsley, and serve. 652. STEWED PIGEONS WITH GREEN PEAS. Select three nice bouse- pigeons ; pick, draw, and singe them as chickens ; return the liver to the inside of the birds ; cut off the necks, and truss for braizing (see Boiled Chicken with Tarragon). Bemove the rind of half a pound of streaky bacon, cut it in inch- dice, fry these to a nice brown colour in a stewpan with an ounce of butter, and take them out ; put in the pigeons in their stead, and fry them to a golden colour all round over a brisk fire ; then put them aside with the bacon ; sprinkle in the same stewpan two tablespoon fuls of flour, and stir this with a wooden spoon over the fire for three or four minutes ; moisten with one and a half pint of good broth, season with salt and pepper, and boil, and stir it to prevent burning. Then add the pigeons, together with the bacon, a " bouquet garni,'' and a quart of fresh shelled green peas ; simmer gently, w^ith the pan partly covered, for about half an hour or thirty- five minutes; then remove the string from the birds, take the '* bouquet '' out, skim all the scum and grease off the peas and bacon, pour these on a dish, put the pigeons in the centre, and serve. 653. STEWED PIGEONS WITH MUSHROOMS. Prepare, truss, and cook three pigeons as above, but instead of green peas substitute two dozen button onions, previously blanched and browned in butter, together with one pint of nicely turned champignons also blanched in their liquor, and the whole added to the sauce with the bacon, pigeons, and " bouquet garni." Season thcj mixture in the usual way, and simmer gently for thirty -five minutes; then remove the pigeons, untie the sti-ing, and dish them up ; take the " bouquet " out ; skim oft all fat and scum ; garnish the pigeons round with the onions, mushrooms, and bacon, pour the sauce over, and serva 654. PIGEON CUTLETS WITH HAC^DOINE.