Pigeon anyone?

[rabjr]

Any recipes for these winged rats? I'm thinking of breasting them and treating them much like Doves. :hmm:

Anyways I've declared war on em as about 30+ have moved in and taken over the bird feeders not allowing Doves and other birds to feed.

 

[Tony Logan]

Let us know how it tastes,I have always wanted to know. it has to be a lot like dove.

 

[skunkskinner]

My hunting bud says they are just as good as dove if not better.... if i had some around here I'd try em.

 

[Birdman]

swamp just don't over cook em, they dry out fast. Maybe crock pot em, ain't had any in years but we used to get a bunch every year helping a farmer get em out of his silo. One guy inside would spook em n the guys outside would shoot. They would go out n circle n come back several times before they flew off for awhile, we would just wait em out n get a few more. yea better n dove in my book n more meat too. I used to treat em like big quail when cooken em up

 

[Roy]

I pan fried them like I do chicken.. :thumbsup:

 

[rabjr]

:hmm: Yeah I figure they are twice the meat a Dove is, all nice lookin birds here. Damn things started out a novelty type thing with 3 or 4 showing up at the feeder one day but geesh! They've taken over the place and gotta go. Hate to waste em if they can be used. I figure to just breast em out and go from there. Maybe wrap em in bacon.... :hmm:

 

[George]

Either of these recipes would work fine for pigeon.

Sherried Doves
Southern Living

10 to 12 dove breasts
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sherry
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 Cup water
Hot cooked rice

Sprinkle doves with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a lO-inch cast-iron skillet; add doves and sherry. Cover and bake at 400° for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove doves, and keep warm; reserve 2 cups pan drippings. (Add water to measure 2 cups, if necessary.) Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup water, stirring well; stir into pan drippings. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat; boil 1 minute. Serve gravy and doves over rice. Yield: 5-6 servings.

A recipe from an old professor of mine, I've enjoyed it many times. Excellent.

Doves in Wine & Cream
Gene Conner

3 T Canola, barely enough
2 small onions, chopped fine
2 whole cloves
1 teaspoon peppercorns, cracked
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 bay leaf
2 C dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Cayenne pepper to taste
1 teaspoon minced chives
2 C cream
Dove breasts, about 16

Plan on 4 whole breasts per person, with wings and legs removed.

Sauté onions, cloves, peppercorns, garlic and bay leaf in the fat for a short time, then add the doves and brown well. Add the wine, salt, pepper, chives and cayenne, then simmer until breasts are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove doves to a hot serving dish and strain the sauce, if desired. At least, remove the cloves and bay leaf. Add cream to the sauce and heat just until boiling. Toast some homemade bread slices and place the doves on the toast in individual plates. Pour the sauce evenly divided over the doves and serve.

Spence

 

[rabjr]

Mmmm yummy! Thanks Spence! :thumbsup:

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Amish raise alot of pigeons for fancy restaurants in NYC, (squab) But there is a giant breed called a king pigeon. They get about the same or a bit larger than a cornish game hen. They are so heavy they can barely fly.

 

[buford87]

Zimmer, that could be my kind of wingshooting. Kinda reminds me of the old days when we would go out shooting DoDos :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: ..................watch yer top knot................

 

[chance]

I breasted some and grilled them. They were good.

 

[ericb]

Right up into the 50's the commercial Market for Squabs was huge. Right here in PA there were some of the biggest Pigeon Farms in the country, catering to the New York & New Jersey markets, where the immigrant population had brought the taste for Squab with them from the old country.There were, and still are, a variety of Breeds that originated as Meat Birds for the Squab Market (King, American Runt, etc). The requirement for a meat Bird was for a Squab to reach 16 oz. in 16 days (Restaurant requirements called for a 16 oz. Squab).

I used to raise Racing Pigeons, and from time to time had to cull, and I played around with recipes. I can tell you that a Mature Bird is much tougher than a Squab. Also remember that a Squab raised for the meat market probably had a pretty cushy diet, aimed at gaining weight and being tender. I imagine they fed 'em a lot of Corn. Many Old World recipes assume the toughness of a mature bird, and as a result you see a lot of recipes calling for braising, stewing, etc, in wine & spices.

American Giant Runt:

Let us know how you get on.

The Pigeon, though considered a nusiance by most, is under-rated as far as birds go. Incredible Fliers, fast, and extremely intelligent. I did an extensive study of Courier Pigeons and even did a few papers as a Grad Student in History - could go on for hours...

Eric

 

[omarick1948]

Swampy, I ate a lot of them when I was a kid. The breast is all dark meat. My grandpa used to bake them with kraut (a German grandpa). The meat is a little bit stronger than dove. I have even smoked the breasts one time a few years back and they were good!

Good luck,
Rick

 

[shmrck1]

Swampy,
I am pretty much a breast eater when it comes to any bird.Dove,pigeon,quail,pheasant even
turkey.With the smaller bird breast be careful to not let them dry up.On the smaller ones I like to
debone the breast and cover and bake covered with
mushroom soup and served over wild rice(or whatever rice you have)it is great!
snake-eyes

 

[Pork Chop]

Aren't they also known as rock dove?

 

[Birdman]

Actually Pork Chop, rock dove is the correct name for the bird in question. Pigeon somewhere along the line became the common name for it

 

[William O.]

Any recipes for these winged rats? I'm thinking of breasting them and treating them much like Doves. :hmm:

Since they are just large doves, just cook them the same way.

The Rock Dove[3] (Columba livia) or Rock Pigeon, is a member of the bird family Columbidae (doves and pigeons).[4] In common usage, this bird is often simply referred to as the "pigeon". The species includes the domestic pigeon (including the fancy pigeon), and escaped domestic pigeons have given rise to feral populations around the world.[5]

Wild Rock Doves are pale grey with two black bars on each wing, although domestic and feral pigeons are very variable in colour and pattern. There are few visible differences between males and females.[6] The species is generally monogamous, with two squeakers (young) per brood. Both parents care for the young for a time.[7]

Habitats include various open and semi-open environments. Cliffs and rock ledges are used for roosting and breeding in the wild. Originally found wild in Europe, North Africa, and western Asia, feral Pigeon have become established in cities around the world. The species is abundant, with an estimated population of 17 to 28 million feral and wild birds in Europe.[1]

 

[rabjr]

Swampy 3, Pigons 0.... :thumbsup:

 

[Roy]

:thumbsup:

 

[Pork Chop]

Actually Pork Chop, rock dove is the correct name for the bird in question. Pigeon somewhere along the line became the common name for it

Do I win a prize? :wink: