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Hunt Music for the banquet!

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (quartet K458 "The Hunt", K299d "La Chasse"), Leopold Mozart ("The Hunt" 1769 for keyboard, "Sinfonia da Caccia" with hunting horns and gunshots), Joseph Haydn (Quartet No. 1 "La Chasse" 1762-64, Symphony No. 73 "The Hunt" 1782), Ditters von Dittersdorf (Ovid Symphony No. 3), Paul Wranitzky (Symphony Op. 25 "The Hunt"), Beethoven and many other composers of 18th century composed music inspired by the Hunting Parties of the Aristocracy they all worked for as composers.

The importance of this genre, the Hunt Music (or Jagdmusik) (a musical genre, based on the popular hunting trope, which exists even though the symphony, the quartet or the sonata are not clearly identified by the nickname "The Hunt"), is given principally by the fact that it's Hunt characteristic is derived by the peculiar rhythms and tunes used by the brass instruments (mainly Horns) to give signals during the Huntig Party in the Forests.

Aristocracy loved those Hunt rhythms and tunes and wanted to hear them again also in their palaces but, this time, performed by an orchestra and, why not?, while eating pheasants, boars, deers (the prize of their Hunting Parties) at their tables, during a magnificent banquet!

Enjoy these original Mozartian recipes!

The English modern version of these recipes is an exclusive property of MozartCircle.
Pigeon & Mozart
Hunt Music, Pigeons & English Shrimps! The Mozartian Game
1. Pigeons with English Ragout of Shrimps (1790) &
2. Pigeons with Asparagus (1790)
Here a few original famous 18th century Game recipes from the richest banquets of that Era (1790).
DIFFICULTY:
You must feed the pigeons, before... eating them!
1. PIGEONS WITH ENGLISH RAGOUT OF SHRIMPS (1790)

Common and wild pigeons were quite popular and regularly used as dish in the 18th century. Ca. more than 80 different recipes for the pigeons still survive from 1790s!


INGREDIENTS:

pigeons (3 fat)
lardo (it must be a good spiced one,
    like the Lard d'Arnad)
ham (1 piece)
herbs (rosemary, bay leaves, oregano, sage)
cloves (3)
veal stock
pepper (crushed)
salt (not too much)

For the English Ragout of Shrimps:
shrimps (300gr., not too big; the small
    ones are better)
                      -
salt
onion (1/2 cut into slices)
parsley
bay (1/2 leaf)
garlic (1 clove finely chopped)
                      -
heifer (meat in dices)
ham (1 piece)
bread (some dices rosted in butter)
roots of parsley
celery (some pieces)
garlic (1 clove finely chopped)
shallots (2 finely chopped)
butter (not salted, 1 piece)
cloves (2)
Alsatian white wine (1/2 glass)
veal stock
salt (not too much)
pepper (crushed)
flour (what necessary to make sauce
    thick)
                      -
egg yolks (3; fresh not cooked)
veal stock


METHOD:
1. Prepare the pigeons, as usual, with lardo. Then cook them in a casserole with ham, herbs, cloves, veal stock, pepper and salt.

2. The English Ragout of Shrimps must be prepared in this way. a) Put the shrimps in a casserole with not too much water, salt, half onion, parsley, half bay leaf and garlic. b) When the shrimps are ready, accurately remove their shells, legs, tails and heads and put these parts in another casserole. Instead, the meat of the shrimps must be kept apart to be used at the end of the recipe. c) Now prepare a good broth with heifer, ham, bread, roots of parsley, celery, garlic, shallots, butter, cloves, Alsatian white wine, veal stock, a teaspoon of flour, just to make it a bit thick, pepper and not too much salt. Let the broth simmer. When the broth is ready, remove the exceeding fat and and strain the broth through a fine sieve. d) Put the shells, legs, tails and heads of the shrimps in a blender. Well mix these parts of the shrimps and put them into the casserole again. Now pour, on these parts of the shrimps, the good broth and gently stir the sauce with a spoon, in order to get a smooth sauce. When you are finished, strain the sauce through a fine sieve. e) Pour the sauce in a casserole, add the meat of the shrimps to the sauce and let the sauce gently simmer: it must never boil. f) When the sauce is ready and must be served, add 3 egg yolks a bit gently whipped, some veal stock, stir with a spoon and adjust the salt to taste. Remember that the English Ragout must remain a bit thick: if necessary add a teaspoon of flour or even less in order to get a thick sauce.

3. Now put the hot pigeons on a silver plate and cover them with the English Ragout of Shrimps.

1. PICCIONI AL RAGÙ DI GAMBERI.
Mettete in una cazzarola due, o tre Piccioni ben trussati, con fette di lardo sotto e sopra, un pezzo di prosciutto, un mazzetto d’erbe diverse, tre garofani, poco sale, pepe sano, brodo; copriteli con un foglio di carta; fateli cuocere con fuoco sotto e sopra. Allorché saranno cotti, scolateli, e serviteli con un Ragù all’Inglese di piccioli Gamberi.

Ragù di Gamberi all'Inglese.
Fate un Ragù di Gamberi come il [seguente]. Nel momento di servire legatelo ben caldo con una liason di tre rossi d’uova stemperata con un poco di brodo, e servitelo subito.

Ragù di Gamberi.
Fate cuocere la quantità de’ gamberi, che avete bisogno per il Ragù, con poca acqua, sale, mezza cipolla in fette, fusti di petrosemolo, un pezzetto d’alloro, uno spicchio di aglio. Quando saranno cotti, mondateli, cioè levategli le picciole zampe, spuntategli le grandi zampe, e il muso, levategli le conchiglie di sopra, e mondategli le code. Abbiate un poco d’Italiana bianca; ovvero mettete in una cazzarola qualche dadino di vitella, di prosciutto, di pane, di radica di petrosemolo, di sellero, uno spicchio d’aglio, due scalogne, un pezzo di butirro, due garofani; passate sopra il fuoco; quando principia ad asciugarsi, poneteci un pizzico di farina, bagnate con brodo buono bianco, mezzo bicchiere di vino bianco consumato per metà, condite con poco sale, pepe schiacciato, fate bollire dolcemente; quando il tutto sarà cotto, digrassate, passate alla stamina, o setaccio. Pestate nel mortajo assai fine le conchiglie, e zampe de’ gamberi bene asciugate, stemperatele col Culì suddetto, passate di nuovo alla stamina, o setaccio; mettete guesta Salsa in una cazzarola, aggiungeteci i gamberi in una discreta quantità, fate scaldare a bagno-maria, o sopra la cenere calda senza bollire, che la Salsa sia poca, e dolce di sale.

2. PIGEONS WITH ASPARAGUS (1790) 

INGREDIENTS:
pigeons (3 fat; or 6 small pigeons)
lardo (it must be a good spiced one,
  like the Lard d'Arnad)
Alsatian white wine (1/2 glass or
  Champagne)
veal stock (1/2 glass)
herbs (rosemary, bay leaves, oregano, sage)
cloves (3)
ham (1 piece)
shallots (2; chopped)
pepper (crushed)
salt
asparagus (finely chopped)
egg yolks (3; fresh not cooked)
lemon juice

METHOD:

1. Prepare the pigeons to be cooked. Truss the legs of the pigeons well into their bodies and then keep their legs steady by inserting a small spit (possibly a wooden spit) through them. Now wrap the pigeons into slices of lardo and put the pigeons into a hot casserole.

2. Rapidly cook the pigeons in the casserole, while you put, into the casserole, 1 piece of good ham, herbs, 3 cloves, 2 chopped shallots, salt, pepper, 1/2 glass of white wine, 1/2 glass of veal stock. Let it cook gently until the pigeons are ready.

3. In the meanwhile, chop the asparagus as fine as possible, in order that they resemble small peas.

4. When the pigeons are ready, remove them from the casserole and the stock and keep them warm. Then remove the exceeding fat from the stock and strain the broth through a fine sieve.

5. Rapidly cook the asparagus in the pigeons stock. When they are ready add 3 egg yolks gently whipped with the broth and make a thick sauce. If the 3 yolks are not sufficient, add some flour and let it gently cook with the broth until the asparagus sauce is well thick. Add some lemon juice and well stir the sauce. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

6. When the asparagus sauce is ready, put the warm pigeons on a silver plate and cover them with the hot asparagus sauce and serve them.
2. PICCIONI ALLI SPARAGI
Prendete sei piccioli Piccioni, o tre mezzani; spennateli all’acqua calda, sventrateli, trussateli colle zampe dentro il corpo, passategli uno spiedino di legno per traverso le coscie, imbianchiteli all'acqua bollente, spillucateli, metteteli in una cazzarola con fette di lardo sotto e sopra, un pezzo di prosciutto, un mazzetto d'erbe diverse, tre garofani, due scalogne, sale, pepe sano, mezzo bicchiere di vino di Sciampagna, o altro vino bianco consumato per metà, altrettanto brodo, coprite con un foglio di carta; fate cuocere con fuoco sotto e sopra. Quando saranno cotti, scolateli, levategli lo spiedino, e serviteli con sopra un Ragù di Sparagi in piccioli piselli. Potete cuocerli come una Fricassè, passandola, e bagnandola come il solito, e servirla legata con una liason di tre rossi d'uova, sugo di limone, e una porzione di sparagi tagliati in piccioli piselli imbianchiti all’acqua bollente, e cotti con buon brodo.