581. Pea Fowls

The Modern Housewife · Soyer, Alexis · 1849
Source
The Modern Housewife
Time
Cook: 90 min Total: 90 min
Status
success · extracted 13 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (9)
For roasting
For preserving game
Instructions (13)
  1. Pea Fowls are larded, plain roasted, and served with the tail stuck into the bird, which you have preserved, the head with its feathers being left folded up in paper, and tucked under the wing.
  2. Roast about an hour and a half.
  3. Take the paper from the head and neck.
  4. Dress it upon your dish with water-cresses, and the gravy and bread-sauce separate in a boat.
Distinguishing and Preserving Game
  1. To distinguish young birds, check the softness of their quills.
  2. Females generally eat better than males, being more tender and juicy.
  3. Old pheasants are identified by long, sharp spurs; young ones have short, blunt spurs.
  4. Old partridges have light-blue legs before Christmas, while young ones have yellow-brown legs.
  5. Wild fowl are considered old if their bills are stiff and the sinews of their legs are stiff; birds with the finest plumage are often the worst to eat.
  6. For hares and rabbits, test if the ear tears easily and the jaw-bone breaks between the finger and thumb; if not, they are only suitable for soup or jugging.
  7. Upon receiving birds of all kinds, insert three or four bruised peppercorns and one clove of garlic into their mouths.
  8. Pepper the place where the bird was shot.
  9. If you receive many birds, tie a piece of paper to them indicating the date they were received.
Original Text
581. Pea Fowls.—These magnificent birds make a noble roast, and when young are very excellent; they are larded, plain roasted, and served with the tail stuck into the bird, which you have preserved, the head with its feathers being left folded up in paper, and tucked under the wing; roast about an hour and a half, take the paper from the head and neck, dress it upon your dish with water-cresses, and the gravy and bread-sauce separate in a boat. GAME (CHOICE OF).—There is no article of food that is so deceiving in appearance to know if it is young, tender, and good, or not, as game; to a person living in the country, where a member of the family has shot them in his day’s sport or have been received as presents, a knowledge how to distinguish them is requisite. Young birds may be distinguished by the softness of their quills; females will eat better than males, they are more tender and juicy. Old pheasants are known by the length and sharpness of their spurs, in young ones they are short and blunt.—Old partridges before Christmas have light-blue legs, instead of yellow-brown.—Wild fowl may be known to be old from their bills and the stiffness of the sinews of the legs, those that have the finest plumage are the worst eating.—Hares and rabbits: try if the ear will easily tear and the jaw-bone break between the finger and the thumb, if not they are only fit for soup or jugging.—On receiving birds of all kinds, put in their mouths three or four peppercorns bruised and one clove of garlic, and pepper the place where shot. In case you receive many, tie a piece of paper to them with the date on which they were received.
Notes
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