Pigeons a la Valenciennes

Cut six ounces of bacon into small dice; fry them for a few moments in butter, then lift out, leaving the fat in the saucepan, and into this put three fine, clean and trussed pigeons, also a few small onions and a garnished bunch of parsley (No. 123). Fry and moisten to half their height with broth, let fall to a glaze and remoisten once more to half the height of the pigeons and finish cooking over a moderate fire. When they are almost done strain the stock and return it to the sauce-pan without the onions and parsley and let boil up; now add four gills of good rice for each quart of liquid; put back the bacon and a coffeespoonful of prepared red pepper (No. 168) and finish all together. Dish up the rice, untruss the pigeons and dress them on top, surround the whole with small chipolata sausages and the small onions.