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Tails of the unexpected?
Some of us might not like the idea, but Clare Latimer says we could all go nuts for squirrels
THERE seem to be many articles about cooking squirrel – and I can’t be left out!
There certainly are far too many squirrels around and they are doing untold harm to trees so they do need to be culled. I am a great believer that if animals have to be “disposed of” then it is best to eat them rather than just throw them in the bin.
Butchers deep in the country find that as soon as they hit the shelves they are whisked off into the pot. They are low in fat, a very local meat and there are more than five million in the country.
They have a good sweet flavour due to all the nuts and berries that they eat – and I’m a great believer that you should cook meat with the foods that the animal eats as they obviously marry well.
If you don’t like the idea of eating squirrel, then you can change these recipes and use rabbit or even chicken.
Roast stuffed squirrel
Cooking squirrel this way I would check the age of the animal by checking the teeth. They should be white and gleeming. If you are squeamish, ask the person who has brought you the squirrels to skin and gut them and then you will be starting from the baseline that you know. Serve with fluffy mashed potato and purple sprouting broccoli perhaps.
Ingredients
Serves 2-4
2 small squirrels, oven ready
1 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 onion, peeled and chopped finely
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
15g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in water
2 tbsp white breadcrumbs
1 desp chopped hazelnuts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Small handful parsley, chopped finely
2 rashers streaky bacon
Method
Preheat the oven 180C/ 325F/gas 4. Soak the squirrel in water for one hour and drain. Rub over the oil and lemon juice and then place in a roasting tin and leave.
To make the stuffing soak the porcini mushrooms in a little water. Put the onion and garlic into a small frying pan with some olive oil and fry gently without browning for about three minutes or until the onion is soft. Add the breadcrumbs, hazelnuts and drained mushrooms and stir well. Finally, add the parsley and season with salt and pepper.
Stuff the squirrels with the mixture and lay a rasher of bacon lengthways on top of each one. Roast in the oven uncovered for about 1 to 1½ hours, basting quite often to keep meat succulent. If drying out, cover for remaining time. Leave to rest for 15 minutes before serving. Meanwhile, make gravy from the bits in the bottom of the tin.
Squirrel Jambalaya
It was one of Elvis’s favourite dishes so how can we poo-poo this idea?
Careful how much chilli you add and don’t rub your eyes after handling without washing your hands. Rabbit will do just as well. Serve with a winter style salad.
Ingredients
Serves 4
1 squirrel, cut up into small joints
1 onion, peeled and chopped finely
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 red chilli pepper, deseeded and chopped very finely
1 tbsp olive oil
50g chorizo sausage, cut up small
1 celery stalk, washed and chopped finely
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped finely
1 teasp turmeric
225g white rice,
15 fl oz water or chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful cashew nuts, chopped
Squirt of Hot Pepper Sauce, optional.
Method
Put the squirrel, onion, garlic, chilli, oil and chorizo sausage into a large heavy-based saucepan and fry gently for about 10 minutes to soften the onion and infuse the flavours. Add the celery and red pepper and cook for a further five minutes. Now add the turmeric, white rice, liquid and salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a simmer.
Cook gently for about 15 minutes adding water if necessary if it is drying out.
The final consistency should be a moist rice dish. Add the cashew nuts, pepper sauce and check seasoning.
Serve hot. |
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