Saturday, February 24, 2007
(To rob a friend) Opossums
We have been thinking a lot about what sort of food we will be preparing when we are in Tanzania. As you can imagine, the supermarket is not too super, and there is less selection than we have here. We will also have less in the way of kitchen appliances, such as microwave ovens and electric choppers. So we have been looking at our cookbooks with an eye to take one that may have more "from scratch" type meals in it. The one we have settled on, more rustic and...well older, than the rest is The All-Purpose Cookbook Joy of Cooking.
My mother had given us this version on one of her visits because I had mentioned to her that there were a few really great recipes in her copy. The one she gave us came from, I believe the thrift store, where she volunteers and while it is in good shape was obviously well used. It was published in 1973, with its first copyright from 1931. Written by Irma and Marion Rombauer ( either mother and daughter or sisters) I am fairly certain that over 3,000 of the 4300 recipes were in the original version of the book from 1931 as many are very odd indeed, especially the ones for wild game.
We are pretty sure that we will have door-to-door meat salesmen trying to sell us their latest kill and while this will most probably consist of Rabbit or small Antelope for which there are recipes in the book, it is the recipe for Opossum that I would like to share with you.
If possible, trap 'possum and feed it on milk and cereal for 10 days before killing. Clean, but do not skin. Treat as for pig by immersing the unskinned animal in water just below the boiling point. Test frequently by plucking at the hair. When it slips out readily, remove the possum from the water and scrape. While scraping repeatedly, pour cool water over the surface of the animal. Remove small red glandes in small of back and under each foreleg between the shoulder and rib. Parboil, 1 hour. Roast as for pork [on] page 407. Serve with Turnip greens.
This recipe along with the one for wild boar and not only functional, but they provide Abby with much amusement. She cannot believe that people would actually cook these animals and the description of how to do it cracks her up time and again. I don't actually know if 'possums live in Tanzania but rest assured we do not intend to trap, feed, kill, boil, skin and roast our own food. Perhaps the last one, but at this point that is all... I repeat all, I am prepared to do.
My mother had given us this version on one of her visits because I had mentioned to her that there were a few really great recipes in her copy. The one she gave us came from, I believe the thrift store, where she volunteers and while it is in good shape was obviously well used. It was published in 1973, with its first copyright from 1931. Written by Irma and Marion Rombauer ( either mother and daughter or sisters) I am fairly certain that over 3,000 of the 4300 recipes were in the original version of the book from 1931 as many are very odd indeed, especially the ones for wild game.
We are pretty sure that we will have door-to-door meat salesmen trying to sell us their latest kill and while this will most probably consist of Rabbit or small Antelope for which there are recipes in the book, it is the recipe for Opossum that I would like to share with you.
If possible, trap 'possum and feed it on milk and cereal for 10 days before killing. Clean, but do not skin. Treat as for pig by immersing the unskinned animal in water just below the boiling point. Test frequently by plucking at the hair. When it slips out readily, remove the possum from the water and scrape. While scraping repeatedly, pour cool water over the surface of the animal. Remove small red glandes in small of back and under each foreleg between the shoulder and rib. Parboil, 1 hour. Roast as for pork [on] page 407. Serve with Turnip greens.
This recipe along with the one for wild boar and not only functional, but they provide Abby with much amusement. She cannot believe that people would actually cook these animals and the description of how to do it cracks her up time and again. I don't actually know if 'possums live in Tanzania but rest assured we do not intend to trap, feed, kill, boil, skin and roast our own food. Perhaps the last one, but at this point that is all... I repeat all, I am prepared to do.
