4th Day of Christmas - 4 Colly Birds

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me '4 colly
birds'.......NOT calling birds. A 'colly bird' is a blackbird, colly being
taken from collier - or coal/charcoal preparer/deliverer. It was yet
another foodstuff given as a gift....four colly birds to be eaten during the
fortnight of Christmas.



Black Bird Pie

Ingredients

..10 inch pie crust
..3 cups All Purpose Flour
..1 teaspoon salt
..3/4 cup unsalted butter
..6 tablespoons shortening or lard
..6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
..1 large egg

..Filling

..2 slices bacon
..1 large onion chopped
..1 cup fresh mushrooms
..2 tablespoons butter
..Vegetable oil
..All Purpose Flour
..4 lbs bird meat of your choice or poultry (left over Thanksgiving turkey)
..1 cup chicken broth
..2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
..1/3 cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
..1/2 cup white cooking wine
..1/6 teaspoon ground mace
..1 pinch ground cloves
..1 sachet garni
..Salt pepper and garlic to taste

..Gravy
..1 ½ cups Gravy Mix
Directions

1.Crust:

2.Mix flour and salt. Cut in butter and lard with pastry blender until the
mixture resembles a coarse meal. Sprinkle the cold water over flour mixture
and quickly mix in, using a fork. Gather dough into a ball, wrap in wax
paper and chill for 30 minutes.

3. In a 6-quart dutch oven, saute the bacon over medium heat until almost
crisp. Remove bacon and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Add
onions and saute until golden brown. Add the mushrooms and saute a couple of
minutes, being careful not to soften the mushrooms. Remove onions and
mushrooms from pan and reserve. Add 2 tablespoons butter to pot.

4. Put some flour seasoned with salt and pepper into a mixing bowl and
dredge the bird pieces in flour. Brown the bird pieces in the pot of bacon
fat and butter. Add more fat if needed. Remove bird from pot when browned.
Add 1/3 cup chicken broth and scrape pot to blend browned bits. Return birds
to pot plus mushrooms, onions and crumbled bacon. Top with carrots,
potatoes, sachet garni, cooking wine, parsley, and remaining chicken broth.
Stir in mace, cloves , salt, pepper, and garlic. Cover and bring to a boil,
than reduce heat and simmer gently until the birds are tender, about 30
minutes. Remove the bird and vegetable mixture from dutch oven with slotted
spoon, leave sachet. Cool in refrigerator.

5. Prepare pie crust.

6. Mix gravy according to recipe on package.

7. Place bottom crust in baking dish.

8. Remove the bird and vegetable mixture from refrigerator, place onto pie
pan. Pour gravy over the mixture. The gravy should come almost half way up
the pan. If gravy does not cover high enough, add chicken broth or add heavy
cream, but do not water down the gravy.

9. Cover with the top crust. Place a hole in the center of the crust for a
steam vent. Brush the crust with an egg wash.

10. Place in a preheated 400 degree oven for 60 minutes. The crust should be
browned and the pie should be bubbling hot.

11. Remove and allow to cool.

Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:
> On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me '4 colly
> birds'.......NOT calling birds. A 'colly bird' is a blackbird, colly being
> taken from collier - or coal/charcoal preparer/deliverer. It was yet
> another foodstuff given as a gift....four colly birds to be eaten during the
> fortnight of Christmas.



Sorry, I couldn't get past the thought of crows in a pie shell.

gloria p

gloria.p wrote:
> Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:
>> On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me '4 colly
>> birds'.......NOT calling birds. A 'colly bird' is a blackbird,
>> colly being taken from collier - or coal/charcoal
>> preparer/deliverer. It was yet another foodstuff given as a
>> gift....four colly birds to be eaten during the fortnight of
>> Christmas.
>
>
>
> Sorry, I couldn't get past the thought of crows in a pie shell.
>
> gloria p

Here's an English nursery rhyme I remember from my childhood. Never
could get past the idea of eating those birds:

Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?
The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey
The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!

Dora wrote:

> Here's an English nursery rhyme I remember from my childhood. Never
> could get past the idea of eating those birds:
>
> Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
> Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
> When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
> Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?
> The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
> The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey
> The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
> When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!

Someone should write a book with a theme around that rhyme!
A mystery.

nancy

"Dora" <limey113@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:7pslv7Fdr6U1@mid.individual.net...
> gloria.p wrote:
>> Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:
>>> On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me '4 colly
>>> birds'.......NOT calling birds. A 'colly bird' is a blackbird,
>>> colly being taken from collier - or coal/charcoal
>>> preparer/deliverer. It was yet another foodstuff given as a
>>> gift....four colly birds to be eaten during the fortnight of
>>> Christmas.
>>
>>
>>
>> Sorry, I couldn't get past the thought of crows in a pie shell.
>>
>> gloria p
>
> Here's an English nursery rhyme I remember from my childhood. Never could
> get past the idea of eating those birds:
>
> Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
> Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
> When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
> Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?
> The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
> The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey
> The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
> When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!
>

That rhyme was a reference when describing 'colly birds'....saying that
'blackbirds baked in a pie' was the reason behind inferring that the four
colly birds were a foodstuff and not a 'pet-type' gift.
-ginny

On Dec 28, 3:41*pm, "Virginia Tadrzynski" <ta...@ptd.net> wrote:
> "Dora" <limey...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>
> news:7pslv7Fdr6U1@mid.individual.net...
>
>
>
>
>
> > gloria.p wrote:
> >> Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:
> >>> On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me '4 colly
> >>> birds'.......NOT calling birds. *A 'colly bird' is a blackbird,
> >>> colly being taken from collier - or coal/charcoal
> >>> preparer/deliverer. *It was yet another foodstuff given as a
> >>> gift....four colly birds to be eaten during the fortnight of
> >>> Christmas.
>
> >> Sorry, I couldn't get past the thought of crows in a pie shell.
>
> >> gloria p
>
> > Here's an English nursery rhyme I remember from my childhood. *Never could
> > get past the idea of eating those birds:
>
> > Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
> > Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
> > When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
> > Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?
> > The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
> > The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey
> > The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
> > When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!
>
> That rhyme was a reference when describing 'colly birds'....saying that
> 'blackbirds baked in a pie' was the reason behind inferring that the four
> colly birds were a foodstuff and not a 'pet-type' gift.

I don't thing that the French hens nor the turtle doves were meant to
be eaten either.

> -ginny

--Bryan

"Nancy Young" <rjynlyord@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:vu9_m.253$2r2.34@newsfe27.ams2...
> Dora wrote:
>
>> Here's an English nursery rhyme I remember from my childhood. Never
>> could get past the idea of eating those birds:
>>
>> Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
>> Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
>> When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
>> Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?
>> The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
>> The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey
>> The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
>> When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!
>
> Someone should write a book with a theme around that rhyme!
> A mystery.

That was a well known nursery rhyme for me when I was a child
--
https://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/

Ophelia wrote:
> "Nancy Young" <rjynlyord@comcast.net> wrote

>> Dora wrote:
>>
>>> Here's an English nursery rhyme I remember from my childhood. Never
>>> could get past the idea of eating those birds:
>>>
>>> Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
>>> Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
>>> When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
>>> Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?
>>> The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
>>> The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey
>>> The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
>>> When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!
>>
>> Someone should write a book with a theme around that rhyme!
>> A mystery.
>
> That was a well known nursery rhyme for me when I was a child

No doubt one of those children's rhymes that were political
satire or something. I was kidding about the murder mystery,
Agatha Christie had that covered in her book Pocketful of Rye.

nancy

"Nancy Young" <rjynlyord@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:1Da_m.1$RD3.0@newsfe26.ams2...
> Ophelia wrote:
>> "Nancy Young" <rjynlyord@comcast.net> wrote
>
>>> Dora wrote:
>>>
>>>> Here's an English nursery rhyme I remember from my childhood. Never
>>>> could get past the idea of eating those birds:
>>>>
>>>> Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
>>>> Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
>>>> When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
>>>> Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?
>>>> The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
>>>> The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey
>>>> The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
>>>> When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!
>>>
>>> Someone should write a book with a theme around that rhyme!
>>> A mystery.
>>
>> That was a well known nursery rhyme for me when I was a child
>
> No doubt one of those children's rhymes that were political satire or
> something. I was kidding about the murder mystery,
> Agatha Christie had that covered in her book Pocketful of Rye.

I don't think we had heard of political satire in the 50s
--
https://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/

"Nancy Young" <rjynlyord@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:vu9_m.253$2r2.34@newsfe27.ams2...
> Dora wrote:
>
>> Here's an English nursery rhyme I remember from my childhood. Never
>> could get past the idea of eating those birds:
>>
>> Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
>> Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
>> When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
>> Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?
>> The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
>> The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey
>> The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
>> When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!
>
> Someone should write a book with a theme around that rhyme!
> A mystery.

Agatha Christie wrote a Miss Marple mystery called a Pocket Full of Rye.

Debbie

"Nancy Young" <rjynlyord@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:1Da_m.1$RD3.0@newsfe26.ams2...
> Ophelia wrote:
>> "Nancy Young" <rjynlyord@comcast.net> wrote
>
>>> Dora wrote:
>>>
>>>> Here's an English nursery rhyme I remember from my childhood. Never
>>>> could get past the idea of eating those birds:
>>>>
>>>> Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
>>>> Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
>>>> When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
>>>> Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?
>>>> The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
>>>> The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey
>>>> The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
>>>> When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!
>>>
>>> Someone should write a book with a theme around that rhyme!
>>> A mystery.
>>
>> That was a well known nursery rhyme for me when I was a child
>
> No doubt one of those children's rhymes that were political satire or
> something. I was kidding about the murder mystery,
> Agatha Christie had that covered in her book Pocketful of Rye.
>

Should have read the entire thread before I posted that. I did wonder if
that was what you were referring to.

Debbie

Debbie wrote:
> "Nancy Young" <rjynlyord@comcast.net> wrote

>> No doubt one of those children's rhymes that were political satire or
>> something. I was kidding about the murder mystery,
>> Agatha Christie had that covered in her book Pocketful of Rye.
>>
>
> Should have read the entire thread before I posted that. I did
> wonder if that was what you were referring to.

I just saw it on Masterpiece Theater not too long ago, it just
reminded me when Dora wrote it. I think the rhyme has to do
with Blackbeard, maybe that's where I heard that. Thanks for
answering, anyway.

nancy

"--Bryan" <classact@brick.net> wrote in message
news:87dfb92a-1ba7-4e09-8e31-4405ece3e9d6@m25g2000yqc.googlegroups.com...
On Dec 28, 3:41 pm, "Virginia Tadrzynski" <ta...@ptd.net> wrote:
> "Dora" <limey...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>
> news:7pslv7Fdr6U1@mid.individual.net...
>
>
>
>
>
> > gloria.p wrote:
> >> Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:
> >>> On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me '4 colly
> >>> birds'.......NOT calling birds. A 'colly bird' is a blackbird,
> >>> colly being taken from collier - or coal/charcoal
> >>> preparer/deliverer. It was yet another foodstuff given as a
> >>> gift....four colly birds to be eaten during the fortnight of
> >>> Christmas.
>
> >> Sorry, I couldn't get past the thought of crows in a pie shell.
>
> >> gloria p
>
> > Here's an English nursery rhyme I remember from my childhood. Never
> > could
> > get past the idea of eating those birds:
>
> > Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
> > Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
> > When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
> > Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?
> > The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
> > The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey
> > The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
> > When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!
>
> That rhyme was a reference when describing 'colly birds'....saying that
> 'blackbirds baked in a pie' was the reason behind inferring that the four
> colly birds were a foodstuff and not a 'pet-type' gift.

I don't thing that the French hens nor the turtle doves were meant to
be eaten either.

> -ginny

--Bryan

Funny, having grown up near a bunch of hunters, I have had partridge, dove
(often referred to as turtledoves) and French hens are a specific breed of
chicken....so all should be considered food stuffs......it's once we hit
five that we cease to eat what is proffered.
-ginny

Ophelia wrote:
>
>
> "Nancy Young" <rjynlyord@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:vu9_m.253$2r2.34@newsfe27.ams2...
>> Dora wrote:
>>
>>> Here's an English nursery rhyme I remember from my childhood. Never
>>> could get past the idea of eating those birds:
>>>
>>> Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
>>> Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
>>> When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
>>> Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?
>>> The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
>>> The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey
>>> The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
>>> When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!
>>
>> Someone should write a book with a theme around that rhyme!
>> A mystery.
>
> That was a well known nursery rhyme for me when I was a child




I don't know enough British history to remember, (my bad) but
didn't the rhyme refer to an actual king and a disagreement with
Parliament or some such?

gloria p

In article <7pslv7Fdr6U1@mid.individual.net>,
"Dora" <limey113@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Here's an English nursery rhyme I remember from my childhood. Never
> could get past the idea of eating those birds:

They evidently taste very good, from what I hear. Haven't eaten them
myself. I believe starlings are the only black birds it's legal to hunt
in the US.

Regards,
Ranee @ Arabian Knits

"She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13

http://arabianknits.blogspot.com/

In article <hhc02j$cud$1@news.eternal-september.org>,
"gloria.p" <gpuester@comcast.net> wrote:

> I don't know enough British history to remember, (my bad) but
> didn't the rhyme refer to an actual king and a disagreement with
> Parliament or some such?

Those skip-rope songs were as horrifying as "Hansel and Gretel". Check
out "Ring Around the Rosy" if you haven't. Shudder.

leo

On 2009-12-29, Leonard Blaisdell <leoblaisdell@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> Those skip-rope songs were as horrifying as "Hansel and Gretel". Check
> out "Ring Around the Rosy" if you haven't. Shudder.

Boy howdy! I got a book from the library that provided the original
stories and sometimes the origninal illustrations of European
fairytales. Holy crap! It was gross! Most were tales meant to TERRIFY
kids into obedience. I forget the exact verse, but it was something
like, "Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack will gut you from belly
button to eye-ball if you don't eat yer spinach!!" ....or something
similar.

nb

Ranée at Arabian Knits wrote:
> "Dora" <limey113@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> Here's an English nursery rhyme I remember from my childhood.
>> Never
>> could get past the idea of eating those birds:
>
> They evidently taste very good, from what I hear. Haven't eaten
> them myself. I believe starlings are the only black birds it's
> legal
> to hunt in the US.
>
> Regards,
> Ranee @ Arabian Knits

What horrified me as a child was the thought of baking living birds.

"Leonard Blaisdell" <leoblaisdell@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:leoblaisdell-47B3E9.22512628122009@News.Individual.NET...
> In article <hhc02j$cud$1@news.eternal-september.org>,
> "gloria.p" <gpuester@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> I don't know enough British history to remember, (my bad) but
>> didn't the rhyme refer to an actual king and a disagreement with
>> Parliament or some such?
>
> Those skip-rope songs were as horrifying as "Hansel and Gretel". Check
> out "Ring Around the Rosy" if you haven't. Shudder.
>
> leo

Ring around the Rosey...Pocket full of poseys....Poseys to ward off the
stench of death and rosey cheeks indicative of who had the Black Plague (or
Black Death).
-ginny

Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:
> "Leonard Blaisdell" <leoblaisdell@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
> news:leoblaisdell-47B3E9.22512628122009@News.Individual.NET...
>
>> In article <hhc02j$cud$1@news.eternal-september.org>,
>> "gloria.p" <gpuester@comcast.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> I don't know enough British history to remember, (my bad) but
>>> didn't the rhyme refer to an actual king and a disagreement with
>>> Parliament or some such?
>>>
>> Those skip-rope songs were as horrifying as "Hansel and Gretel". Check
>> out "Ring Around the Rosy" if you haven't. Shudder.
>>
>> leo
>>
>
> Ring around the Rosey...Pocket full of poseys....Poseys to ward off the
> stench of death and rosey cheeks indicative of who had the Black Plague (or
> Black Death).
> -ginny

Now I'm getting askeered. :-( Glad I have this sleepy ol' cat here
to protect me.


Becca