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Pigeons, Jugged

Pluck, singe, and draw three or four freshly-killed young pigeons. Stuff them with a forcemeat made as follows. Mince the livers finely, and mix with them an equal weight of finely-shredded suet and of finely-grated bread-crumbs, the peel of a quarter of a lemon chopped small, the bruised yolks of two hard-boiled eggs, a table-spoonful of chopped parsley, a pinch of powdered thyme, and a little salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Mix the ingredients thoroughly, and moisten them with an ounce of fresh butter, and a well-beaten egg. Fill the crops of the pigeons with this mixture, and tie or sew the vents securely. Brown the birds in a stewpan over the fire with a little hot fat; dredge a little pepper and salt over them, and put them into an earthen jar, with a handful of parsley, a sprig of thyme, half a dozen peppercorns, half a head of celery cut into small pieces, three cloves, a small nutmeg, grated, a glass of claret, and half a pint of stock or water. Cover the jar either with a closely-fitting lid or with three or four folds of paper tied over it. Put it into a saucepan of boiling water, which must be kept boiling until the pigeons are done, being careful only that the water is not so high that it can enter the jar. When the pigeons are done enough, strain the gravy into a saucepan, stir a spoonful of brown thickening into it, and let it boil a few minutes. Serve the pigeons on a hot dish, with the gravy poured over and around them, and garnished with slices of lemon. This dish may be increased in quantity by the addition of a pound of rump steak. This should be cut into very thin slices, over which a little of the forcemeat may be spread evenly and thinly. The slices should then be rolled up, tied with a little thread to preserve their form, and cooked with the pigeons. Time to boil the pigeons, one and a half hours. Probable cost, exclusive of the steak and wine, 3s. Sufficient for three or four persons.