3-4 raccoons, 4-6 lbs. each
5 tblsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
2 c. flour
1 c. shortening
8 med. onions, peeled
12 sm. bay leaves
Cut prepared raccoon in serving pieces. Reserve meaty backs and legs for baking. Cook remaining pieces in water to make broth for gravy and dressing. Add small amount of seasonings. Simmer until meat is tender; strain, and use only the broth. Sprinkle back and leg pieces with salt and pepper. Dredge with flour. Heat shortening in heavy skillet. Add meat; brown on all sides. Transfer pieces to roaster; add onions and bay leaves. Cover. Bake at 350°F for 2 hours, or until tender. Make gravy by adding flour to drippings in pan. Use raccoon broth for liquid. Serve pieces over dressing. Pass gravy. Serves 24.
Bake in a large shallow pan at 350°F for 30 minutes.
Apple-Roasted Opossum
Parboil a young, cleaned opossum until nearly tender in salted water. Stuff with any favorite dressing. Place opossum on rack in roaster, cover with strips of bacon. Into bottom of roaster pour 3 cups water in which have been dissolved 1 tablespoon each sugar and lemon juice. Bake at 350°F for about 2 hours. Drain all but about 1 cup liquid from pan. Surround opossum with pared, quartered apples; sprinkle apples with mixture of 1 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind, 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Continue roasting for half an hour, or until opossum is tender. Serves 3-4.
Beaver Tail Soup
Skin and remove all fat from tails of 2 beavers; cut up tails in small pieces. Soak overnight in water with 2 cups vinegar and 2 tablespoons salt for each quart. Place meat in kettle with 4 quarts boiling water. Add 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 bay leaf, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 3 carrots, sliced, 3 stalks celery, 2 small onions. When meat is almost tender, add 2 cups egg noodles and 1 small can peas, drained. Serves 4-6.
Jack Rabbit in Mushroom Gravy
1 jackrabbit, cut into bite sized
serving pieces
1 qt. water
3 tblsp. salt
4 tblsp. vinegar
8 tblsp. butter
2 1/2 c. sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. chopped parsley
1/2 c. dry sherry
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 c. heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Make a brine from the water, salt, and vinegar. Marinate the rabbit pieces in the brine for 24 hours. Remove the meat, rinse with cold water and wipe dry. In a heavy skillet, brown the meat in the butter. Cover and continue cooking until tender. Add a little water, if necessary while cooking. When tender, remove the meat and add the mushrooms to the butter remaining in the skillet (add a little more butter if necessary). Cover the skillet and simmer the mushrooms in the butter for another 15 minutes. Stir the mushrooms frequently while simmering. Add the parsley, sherry, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes more. Stir in the cream; season to taste and pour the hot sauce over the rabbit. Serves 6 to 8.
Raccoon
1 med. size raccoon
1/4 c. honey
1 c. chicken broth
3 tblsp. vinegar
3 tblsp. cream sherry
2 tblsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
Clean raccoon, quarter, and remove all surface fat. Put pieces into crockpot. Mix all other ingredients and pour over meat pieces. Cover and cook 6 to 8 hours. Remove grease and discard before thickening remaining liquid for gravy. Meat will brown and be tender and delicious.
Squirrel and Dumplings
Parboil 3 squirrels in salted water until tender (3 squirrels to 3 quarts of water to start).
Add 2 tablespoons butter, save broth (about 3 quarts), and take out squirrel.
Dumplings:
6 c. plain flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. shortening
Enough cold water to make stiff dough
Knead well and roll thin. Cut in strips and put in boiling liquid until done. Add cup of sweet milk to liquid; pepper to taste when dumplings are done (15 minutes). Add meat to dumplings and keep hot.
Beaver
Beaver meat is much like that of the muskrat. The flesh is dark, fine grained, tender and soft. This animal also has kernels or scent glands that are found between the forelegs, under the thighs and along the spine in the small of the back. They should be removed immediately after the skin has been removed, taking care not to cut into them. Beaver fat has a strong flavor and odor and should be completely stripped off before cooking. One way to make beaver more mild in flavor is to cover it with boiling water and add 1 tbsp each of baking soda and black pepper, then simmer for ten to fifteen ruin, drain and cook in the usual way.
Roast Beaver
Take pains to remove every speck of fat on the surface, soak in vinegar water overnight (1/4 cup vinegar to enough water to cover the meat)
Wash in cold water, place in roaster and cut several slits in the lean meat
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and put 4 strips of fresh side pork 1/2-inch thick over the slits and dust with a little flour
Put about 1/4 cup of water in pan and roast with lid on until half done
Add more water if needed to prevent pan from going dry
Cut very fine, equal parts of onion, celery and carrots, enough to fill one cup and sprinkle over the meat
Finish roasting with the lid off until meat is tender
Make gravy by adding water and flour to the juices and vegetables in the pan
Serve at once
Beaver should be cooked until the meat almost falls off the bones Note: Roast beaver in moderate oven 35O°F.
Slice meat into thin 1/8" strips and place in casserole dish. Mix all ingredients together and pour over meat and stir. Cover and bake at 350°F for 1-2 hours.
Cheese Stuffed Meatballs
1 lbs. ground meat (rabbit, beaver, muskrat, possum, etc.)
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
1 egg
2-3 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. season salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4" cubed cheese (sharp is better)
Mix meat with all ingredients except cheese, shape meat into balls with a small piece of cheese inside. Best if chilled for an hour, but not necessary. Pan fry in oil or deep fry, nice for fondues.
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