recipes@decwrl.UUCP (04/01/87)
MUSKRAT-1(M) USENET Cookbook MUSKRAT-1(M)
FRED'S MUSKRAT
MUSKRAT-1 - Muskrat roasted in tomato sauce
In northwestern Ohio and downriver Detroit, we have "muskrat
suppers" in the winter, sponsored by churches and volunteer
fire departments to raise money, rather the way other people
have chicken and ham dinners. This recipe comes from Fred
Witty, via the cookbook put out by my parents' church.
Legend has it that during the depression, the Bishop of
Detroit declared muskrats to be fish (since they live in the
water), so they could be eaten by Catholics on Fridays.
INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)
3-4 muskrats (all fat and glands removed)
1/2 lb bacon
1/2 bunch celery, chopped
4 onions, chopped
1/2 lb oleo
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt
pepper
21 oz canned tomato soup (2 standard cans)
PROCEDURE
(1) Saut' bacon, celery, onions, oleo, and cayenne
pepper together for 10 minutes.
(2) Put rats in bottom of a pan you can cover tightly
(my mother makes a double batch and uses the roas-
ter she cooks turkey in).
(3) Pour saut'ed mixture over the rats, and then cover
with tomato soup. (Don't add water to the soup.)
(4) Bake, covered, for 2 1/2 hours at 350 deg. F or
until done.
NOTES
Muskrats are small rodents that live in swamp and build
beaver-like houses out of cat-tails and mud. In New Jersey
and Ohio, at least, they are trapped for their fur; I
suspect that knowing a trapper is the only way you can get
muskrats.
The recipe book I have has a recipe for muskrats for a
crowd, that (for 20 rats) uses the above ingredients (but
quantities unspecified, except it only uses 1/4 lb oleo),
plus chopped green and red peppers, garlic salt, 5 bouillon
cubes, and 3 bay leaves. Around Detroit, muskrats are cooked
with cabbage and potatoes, and some folks at home roast them
with apples and onions.
RATING
Difficulty: easy once you have the muskrats. Time: 30
minutes preparation, 3 hours cooking. Precision: count the
muskrats.
CONTRIBUTOR
Pat Carstensen
Bell Communications Research, Inc., Red Bank, New Jersey, USA
nvuxa!nvuxb!pjc2