The Starling Cookbook
 

This is an adapted recipe but as we grow to appreciate Starling as a foodstuff, I'm sure the peculiarities of the flesh will lead us in new directions.

Remove heads and feet from 12 dozen starlings. Insert a sharp knife through neck cavity and carefully split each bird down the back, keeping breast intact. Remove backbone, then carefully remove breastbone, cartilage and ribs. The bird should look like a butterfly, with only wing and leg bones attached.
Place garlic cloves and ginger in the bowl of a food processor, and blend to a paste. Add aniseed, saffron, paprika, cayenne and lemon juice, and blend about 30 seconds to combine. Transfer blended ingredients to a mixing bowl, add chopped coriander and green onions and whisk in olive oil. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Place starlings in a shallow ceramic or enameled dish, add spice marinade and turn to coat well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before grilling.
Preheat broiler or outdoor grill to highest temperature. Sprinkle squab with salt. Grill starlings, skin-side-up, for 4 minutes, and then turn to grill 3 minutes, skin-side-down. Baste frequently with marinade while cooking. Test for doneness: starlings are best served rare. Suggested times are for a very hot fire. A home broiler will take longer than mesquite or charcoal briquettes.
Serve with couscous, rice or a combination of bulgur wheat and rice, sprinkled with minced green onions and accompanied by a lemon wedge.

I think our starlings are smaller than yours.
I'd spatchcook and grill. Probably with a light honey and lemon glaze.

I worry that they may come up too dry though, so perhaps a casserole would work best.
I like the idea of bulgar wheat. That can go in as well, with carrots, potatoes and herbs.

Side dishes

Attachment 51695

Step 1
Collect approximately 6 ounces of freshly caught cicadas (1 quart)
Remove wings, set aside in a quiet (windless) open bowl for 1 hr,
add water, steep for 15 min, and simmer gently for 30-45 min,
clarify, refrigerate, and serve as a delightful consomme.

Step 2
Make dry roasted cicadas by placing clean cicadas on a baking sheet.
(Alternatively, frozen crickets are available through a variety of online sources,
but are a poor substitute if served with Sturni)

Step 3
Bake in an oven preheated to 200 degrees for 1 to 3 hours, or until crispy.
Then crush the baked cicadas with a spoon.
The bright reds and blues make a cheerful garnish

How do you capture starlings? We must be talking shotguns, right?

I've never had to pick shot out of my mouth while eating anything, but I imagine it's as bad as having sand in your mussels.

Plus, I can't go shooting a shotgun anywhere around here. Well, maybe down by Mason Neck.

A .177 pellet rifle makes damn short work of them. A .22 pellet rifle makes for movie quality kills.

Of course mine both shoot 1200+ feet per second. 1600 for the .177. Both are significantly faster than a .22 rifle.

Just mind your background, pellets lose velocity fairly quickly, but, ricochets can happen, and they can skip off the ground and keep traveling a bit.

We didn't send the passenger pigeon into extinction with half measures. I suggest nets and rockets.

Long ago an uncle used an old screen door, with a stick and food under it. Then pulled the string.

Now we're talking.

Griff, your recipe calls for a large flock of starlings. A gross of starlings? Really?

;)