Cajun Squirrels and Field Peas

Cajun Squirrels and Field Peas

One more time, for the Community Kitchen Cookbook. This is something like the coon-asses I planted trees with for a season used to do over a propane cooking ring. They used a couple dozen squirrels and fed us all at once. Man, that was some good times. If you want it coon-ass authentic, serve with plenty of cheap beer. Don't get too drunk and kick the pot over.

Squirrel with Black-Eyed Peas
Four medium-size squirrels, drawn, skinned, and cleaned
1/2 lb Black-eyed peas
3 md Onions
2 sm Carrots
1/2 pk Frozen sweet peas
1/4 lb Smoked link sausage
Flour
Bacon fat or lard
Garlic
Little dab of oregano and marjoram
Salt and pepper
1 c Chicken broth
For the slow cooker: serves two

Put the squirrels into salted water and hold overnight in the refrigerator; the next day, rinse and pat dry.

Bring 4-6 cups of water to vigorous boil in a large saucepan, then add the black-eyed peas to it. Boil furiously for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and cover; hold 15 minutes and drain. Quarter the squirrels, and dredge with flour. Sauté in a skillet in hot bacon fat or lard until golden brown, then drain on a paper towel and place in a crock-pot. Saute the garlic til golden before adding onion. Chop the onions coarsely, and sauté in bacon fat and pan drippings until translucent, and add to the pot. Cut the carrots into 3/4" lengths, and the sausage into 1/8" disks, then add them along with the frozen peas and the cooked black-eyed peas. Salt and pepper to taste and stir gently; add the chicken broth and cook in the crock-pot for 8 hours on low setting, or until the meat is almost falling off the bones. For a different flavor, you can substitute lentils or navy beans for the black-eyed peas.

Freight Hopper Squirrel/Chicken Soup

Freight Hopper Squirrel/Chicken Soup

 

 

From David Bass & Rebecca Porter

Squirrel chicken soup--I'm going to try attaching it, let's see how that goes--this is what David described to me. It's how he used to cook the squirrels he shot when we lived in the beautiful mountains of western NC in our run down shack.

Squirrel-chicken soup

Bones and skin from one de-boned chicken (use the meat for something else)

3 squirrels, skin removed

3 carrots

3 stalks of celery

1 onion

3 cloves of garlic (or more, to taste)

1 green pepper

Enough water to cover the chicken scraps and squirrels

Black pepper to taste

Italian seasoning to taste

Optional—egg noodles or brown rice

Put the chicken scraps and squirrels in a large soup pot and cover with water.  Cook until squirrel meat is falling off the bones.  Remove from heat.  Take out chicken bones & squirrels; remove usable meat; set aside.  Strain the liquid in the soup pot, remove the bones & stuff you don’t want to eat, and put the liquid back in the pot.

Chop all the veggies.  Put them in the soup pot with the squirrel-chicken stock.  Cook them on medium low heat until they are all cooked.  Add the meat back in to the pot.  Season with black pepper & Italian seasoning.  Add noodles or rice if you like those things in soup.   Also good with buttered toast.

Thanks ever so kindly, y'all.

Have a little plug:

http://www.thefreighthoppers.com/