Examples of Recipes Page 2: Roasting Pigeons

Roasting Pigeons (Pennsylvania Housewife Cookbook p130-131) Recipe (See Bibliography)

Original Recipe

Fill them with Parsley clean washed and chopped, Pepper and rolled in Butter; fill the Belliess, tie the Neck-End close, so that nothing can run out, put a Skewer through the Legs and have a little Iron on purpose, with six Hooks to it, on each Hook hang a Pigeon, fasten one End of a String to the Chimney, and the other End to the Iron (this is what we call the poor Man's Spit) flour them, and baste them with Butter, turn them gently for fear of hitting the Bars, they will roast nicely and be full of Gravy; Take Care that you take them off with Care, not to lose any of the Liquor; you may melt a very little Butter and put into the dish; your Pigeons ought to be quite fresh and not too much done; this is by much the best way of doing them, for then they will swim in their own Gravy, and a very little melted Butter will do... Hannah Glasse, 1747, p.43; 1796, p.112

Notes

Squab, another name for pigeons, may be difficult to find and expensive to purchase; we suggest substituting Rock Cornish hens. Wash and dry birds before bringing to site. 

It is unlikely that anyone has the bar with 6 hooks, called "the poor Man's Spit" in the receipt. If a bird spit is available, you can use it. Otherwise, us a string jack for each bird (see page 129).

Ingredients

6 pigeons or squab

6 cups parsley, washed, dried, & chopped 

6 tablespoons butter + more for basting

1/4 teaspoon whole peppercorns

1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt

unbleached flour

Equipment

sharp knife

1 6-inch skewer per bird (optional)

linen or hemp string (see page 129

small saucepan & trivet

small spoon

dripping pan or earthenware bowl

mortar & pestle

wooden cutting board

wooden spoon 

serving platter

Procedure

Chop parsley with knife on cutting board. 

Tie neck end of each bird tightly; then stuff 1 cup parsley into the cavity of each bird.

Grind peppercorns in mortar with pestle; then add salt and stir to mix. 

Roll 1 tablespoon of butter in salt and pepper mixture until well coated, then put it in cavity of a bird.

Repeat until all birds' cavities have been stuffed. 

Put butter for basting in saucepan on trivet to melt.

If using skewers, insert one through the legs of each bird.
Truss birds to secure stuffing and keep wings and legs close to the body.

Dust each bird with flour.

Hang the birds over the fire with the tail end up on hooks on a bird spit, or suspend them individually from the crane in front of the fire. 

Place dripping pan under birds to catch juices.
Keep an eye on the birds so that they continue cooking. 

If using bird spit, halfway through your roasting time, turn the birds to cook the other side. 

If using string jack, turn birds over halfway through roasting time to cook the other end.

When ready to serve, remove string from birds and arrange them neatly on the platter. 

Pour juices from dripping pan over birds and serve.

Cooking Location: Indoors

Availability: All year