SQUAB / PIGEON This is a sample recipe page from Recipe Girl. View ALL RECIPES Spice Up Your Recipes With Uncle Steve's:  Dried Chiles     Chile Powders     Grow Your Own Hot Spice With Uncle Steve's: Hot Chile Pepper Seeds Along with turkey shoots, pigeon shoots were a favorite sport in most colonial villages. Partially as a result, the carrier pigeon was wiped out long ago. Today pigeon shooting as a sport is limited to the western United States, where the band-tail pigeon is a well-known sporting bird. In the East pigeon shooting is apt to be limited to helping a farmer reduce the mess around his barn. Not many easterners think of pigeon as food, yet they will pay a respectable price for squab under glass, and that's young pigeon, usually raised for market. The trouble with pigeon is that when it gets beyond the squab stage -- and a pigeon can live for a goodly number of years -- it definitely is tough. The best solution for an old pigeon is a good strong marinade. Pigeons should marinate for a fair length of time; a young one for 12 to 24 hours, older birds for a couple of days. Pigeon meat is fine-grained and lean; it takes well to strong-flavored sauces. Depending on appetites and place of the meal, 1 or 2 squabs may serve 1 person. One older, larger, bird may be enough for 1 entree. Pigeons weigh 7 to 10 ounces. Jacqueline E. Knight

================================= Grilled Squab and Pears Recipe By: Larry Vito Serving Size: 8 Preparation Time: 0:00 Categories: Wild Game Squab/Pigeon Amount Measure Ingredient Preparation Method 8 Squabs (about 1 pound each) 1/4 c Olive oil Salt and freshly ground -black pepper to taste 4 md Pears, halved Prepare a very hot barbecue fire, or at the broiler to 550 degrees F. Cut each squab in half; brush halves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill skin side down for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until skin is crisp but meat is still tender and juicy. Turn squabs and grill 30 seconds longer. When birds are ready to turn, place pear halves on grill (or under the broiler) and heat through, turning once. These birds are wonderful served on a bed of Napa cabbage sauteed with bacon, sliced onions and red wine vinegar. ================================ Pigeon in Red Wine Sauce Recipe By: Aude Clement of Lac d'Enghien, France Amount Measure Ingredient Preparation Method 4 Pigeons (squab) -- (about 1 lb. each) 4 c Chicken stock 4 c Red Burgundy wine 1 Onion chopped 1 Bay leaf 1 Sprig fresh thyme 3 Sprigs fresh Italian parsley 1 Sprig fresh curly parsley 1 sm Sprig fresh rosemary 6 To 8 garlic cloves 1 t Coriander seeds 3 Scallions chopped -- both white & green parts Black pepper to taste 6 tb Unsalted butter (3/4 stick) 4 c Mixed greens and herbs Wash and dry the pigeons; with a pair of kitchen shears, clip the wing tips and the ends of the legs from each bird. Cut the leg and thigh joints, wings, and breast meat from the carcasses and set aside. Reserve the carcasses for the sauce. In a large nonaluminum saucepan, combine the carcasses, stock, wine, onion, herbs, garlic and scallions over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour to allow the sauce to absorb all the flavors. If it seems to be reducing too quickly, add a little water. After 1 hour, increase heat and boil hard until the sauce is reduced by half; strain, season with pepper and set aside. In a large skillet, melt three tb. of the butter over medium-high heat. Saute the legs and wings, turning until they are golden on all sides, about 10 to 15 minutes. Pour the strained sauce over the pigeon, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the pigeon pieces are tender when pricked with a fork, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the pigeon and stir 2 tb. of butter into the sauce. A few minutes before serving, saute the boned breasts in the remaining 3 tb. of butter for 2 minutes on each side; they will be rare. Mound the mixed greens and herbs on each plate and top with a pigeon piece that has been cooked in the sauce. Slice the breast and serve, passing the sauce separately. Note: To make this sauteed pigeon into a feast, Aude serves it with peeled, roasted and sliced figs and slices of sauteed fresh foie gras.