Biff's stuffed squirrel

[William Biffwinkle]

I sent this out from my wife (without her knowing of course) when she got an online recipe exchange invite from her friend BJ:



This is a delightful repast that hails from Provence France. The translation of this dish would roughly be "Squirrel stuffed with sage and crayfish". Where we live we can't get squirrel but we have these huge rats that come out of the foothills that work quite nicely. Since you have to remove the tails before cooking no one ever questions if it is squirrel or not!

Here goes:

1)Obtain three large "squirrels". (My husband get's 'em with a bb-gun at night using a mag light taped to an old baseball cap)

2) Clean the "squirrels" by making a small cut from their ribcage down to their tails. Take out all the goop and discard. Now burn off all the fur using a propane torch. (You can get these at the hardware store for abour $20) After burning off the fur dip the wee carcases in boiling water to kill any vermin that might have survived the torch job.

3) Now you are ready for stuffing. My husband hates crayfish AND sage so we stuff 'em with chopped summer sausage and mint jelly. Very dee-lish....

4) Rub a mixture of salt,pepper, and garlic on the hide.wedge a fresh bing cherry in their mouths. (out of season you can use a pearl onion) Then pop 'em in the oven at 350 degrees for about 1 hr 15 min. You can baste occasionally with chicken broth to keep the meat from becoming too dry.

5) We have found that if you stand all three up and lean them into each other tripod fashion while cooking that you can stand them up on the plate later. They look like adorable little prairie dogs sitting right there on the plate! We have gotten many delighted comments form serving them in this manner!


This dish serves well with sauted spinach and a fresh fruit compote. We do occasionally get a guest that defers eating one due to not liking "game meat". This is sheer ignorance. These little morsels put a baked chicken to shame. Usually my husband can nag the reticent into at least trying them. After one taste they set to like a ravenous castaway on their first returned-home- meal.

I think BJ has tried this recipe as I am pretty sure I shared it with her. She never told me how her family liked it. The hill rats are best in spring as they have been feeding on all the tender grasses that have sprung up.

Enjoy!,

Laura

[Dennis The Bus Dweller]

Hmm, Sounds yummy

[Bob]

That is awesome! I am very currious about any replies that "Laura" might have gotten back.

[Granny]

Hey Biff, I make a really mean Cajun Blackened Stroganoff. Want the recipe?

[Jones'n4chrome]

Biff,
Here is the pic you asked me to look for, but I couldn't find the photo of mom eating "Squirrel" oh well, she would kill me if she knew I posted here anyway.
I will keep looking for it though.

Chuck

[William Biffwinkle]

The big one on the right is one I gave her frozen. I told her that the hill rats in Simi were much bigger than those scrawny "'hood" rats she keep gettin' from that abandoned apartment building.

At least she remembered to cut the tails off. I told her not to try and finish 'em in the pan but do you think she listens? I can't even tell if she field dressed 'em first....

I told her to only cook the ones she shoots with a BB-gun...she keeps getting them from her cat....how the heck does she know it didn't just drag home a poisened one!!?? She says it's just like having a falcon. She lets the cat out and VOILA...instant dinner. Well, that is one lazy cat...I think it is just retrieving roadkill to keep the ol' biddie off it's back.

Every time she invites me for dinner I'm "busy" that night......