Deep breaths : Annalena cooks pigeon

And no, ragazzi, she did not shoot it. Let us clarify something right at the start. You know those "flying rats" as they are sometimes called, which we all know as pigeons? Well, those are not pigeons. When is a pigeon not a pigeon? Annalena knows not why they are so called. Actually, she once did, but she forgot. She does know that it is not a case of "Pigeons on the grass, alas," as her idol Gertrude Stein once wrote. But to get back to topic (how odd for Annalena), those birds are mourning doves. Indeed, in many languages, the word for pigeon and dove is the same.

Pigeons are white birds. And they are not common. Indeed, outside of being raised as magician trick birds, or as food, Annalena does not know of another place where she has seen a true pigeon. We must also keep in mind here, that when we use 'pigeon' we are employing a literary technique somewhat akin to synechdoche.

See how much you learn? Synechdoche is when you use a part of something to refer to it as a whole. The most famous example Annalena knows of is T.S. Eliot's line "I should have been a pair of claws," when referring to a crab, in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock."

How did we get there? Oh yes. There is a family of different types of pigeons. Perhaps the most famous of which is the extinct passenger pigeon. One can read many accounts of the extinction of this bird; however, there is almost never any mention of WHY the bird was shot to extinction.

Now, this is controversial, but many believe that it was a growing nation's need for cheap, available protein. Most of the passenger pigeon's which were shot, were not used for decoration or for show. The passenger pigeon was NOT a pretty bird. And when there are scores of them, there is no sport in shooting. But they were plentiful, free, and full of protein. And as the nation grew...

No, ragazzi, this is not an endorsement of hunting. Nor is it a condemnation of such. It is simply an explanation of why something happened. Annalena actually does not oppose hunting "per se." She DOES oppose hunting for sport only. Her friend the citrus stud Eric eats what he hunts, and he does not shoot what he is not going to eat. Annalena can support that, if the hunt is limited to species which are not endangered.

Again, we digress. Let us get to culinary pigeons, or, as they are sometimes (in fact, usually called), squab. Squab are young pigeons, which have never flown. Facts are facts: these birds are about six weeks old when they are prepared for table. Again, do not judge: relative to their lifespan, this is no younger than, e.g, a cornish hen, or a lamb, or a calf. So be nice. Do not read the recipe if you can't see yourself doing this, but do not judge. That's Annalena's job...

Many people fear eating squab these days, probably because of the connection with the common pigeon, but also because the meat of these birds, is red. Like lamb, or beef. We expect our poultry to be white or pale. This goes well beyond dark meat. This is red, Red, RED meat. In fact, if it is not red when it is served, it is not good. In fact, it is awful.

So, let's cook some if you're still with us. This is, like the chocolate recipe, from the redoubtable Joyce Goldstein. Start with your whole squab. Get four or six of them, to serve.... four or six people. Get a nice heavy duty scissor, and cut out the backbone (REVIEW QUESTION: what do we call that? It is spatchcocking. Kudos to those of you who rememered). Put them aside, while you prepare a marinade of a cup of soy sauce (low salt is ok), half a cup of mild honey, 4 cloves of chopped garlic, and a tablespoon of chopped ginger. Pour this over the birds, cover it, and let it sit overnight.

Then, when preparing to cook them, heat your stove grill after you have brushed it with some olive oil. Let it heat for about five minutes, while you remove the birds from the liquid, and pat them dry. Put them, breast side up, on the grill. Don't crowd them. Do two batches if you have to. Grill them for four minutes, and then turn them, and grill for another three, no longer. Remove them from the grill and, when they are just cool enough to handle, split them down the breast.

And you are done. You have a bird in 20 minutes.

Put out silverware to be polite, but this is a dish that needs to be eaten with your fingers. And if there are any leftovers, you can put them on greens the next day in a hearty salad.

Yes, for some of us, this is a stretch. But do try it. If you are "game," Annalena believes you will come back, and make it again.