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Fred's Muskrat

Category: Wild Game

Author: The Savvybearcat

Date: 1/1/2007

Rating:

(3.0) by 1 users

Ingredients:

4 Muskrats (all fat and glands removed)
1/2 lb Bacon
1/2 Celery bunch, chopped
4 Onions, chopped
1/2 lb Oleo
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
Salt
Pepper
21 oz Tomato soup (2 standard cans)

Instructions:

Saute bacon, celery, onions, oleo and cayenne pepper together for 10
minutes.

Put rats in bottom of a pan you can cover tightly (my mother makes a
double batch and uses the roaster she cooks turkey in). Pour sauteed
mixture over the rats, and then cover with tomato soup. (Don't add
water to the soup.)

Bake, covered, for 2 1/2 hours at 350 degrees F or until done.

NOTES:

* 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.

* 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 about 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.

: Difficulty: easy once you have the muskrats.
: Time: 30 minutes preparation, 3 hours cooking.
: Precision: count the muskrats.

: Pat Carstensen
: Bell Communications Research, Inc., Red Bank, New Jersey, USA
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