Cooking for Today

Mains

Mains
Cooking for Today offers the chance to prepare, cook and taste unique combinations of ingredients to create surprisingly simple dishes. Perhaps you have something special to celebrate or just a cosy evening in. For those days when you want to try something light and healthy, or need inspiration for something equally simple, but more substantial. A collection of dishes, which are nothing short of perfection for your palatte.

1 Fried Beaver Tail 2 Barbecued Bear 3 Seal Brain Fritters 4 Tuna Twinkie Souffl 5 Crow Casserole 6 French Fried Skunk 7 Whale in Mushroom Sauce 8 Smothered Muskrat & Onions 9 Elephant Stew 10 Hoot Owl Pie

ingredients

13 hours prep.

30 minutes cooking ingredients

Fried Beaver Tail

2 ts c c 1tb c Beaver tails Pepper Vinegar Butter Salt Sherry or cooking wine 2ts 1ts c 1ts ts 1tb Soda Dry mustard Flour Sugar Salt Worcestershire sauce

1 Skin beaver tails, clean thoroughly and wash well in a solution of salt water. 2 Let soak overnight in cold water to cover, adding cup vinegar and 1 tablespoon salt to water. 3 The next day, remove from the brine, wash, then cover with solution of 2 teasoons soda to 2 quarts water. 4 Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. 5 Drain. 6 Dredge beaver tails in seasoned flour. 7 Melt butter in heavy fry pan and saute tails at low heat until tender. 8 Mix wine with mustard, sugar, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce. 9 Add to beaver tails and simmer gently for 10 minutes, basting frequently.

serves 2

Page 6

method

3 hours cooking

Barbecued Bear
3lb l 1c c 2tb 1 Bear Steak1 s Salt Pork Catsup Steak sauce Tarragon vinegar Onion, diced ingredients 1tb 1ts 1tb Lemon juice Salt Chili powder

1 Trim all fat from bear steak and cut into 2 inch cubes. 2 Sear meat on all sides with salt pork in a heavy fry pan. 3 Place meat in casserole. 4 Add rest of ingredients to fry pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. 5 Pour sauce over meat in casserole. 6 Cover and bake for at least 2 hours in a 325 degree F. oven, stirring occasionally until meat is tender.

serves 8

Page 8

method

2 hours prep.

2 hours cooking

Seal Brain Fritters

2 1tb 1tb 2tb 6tbl c Seal brains Salt Vinegar Egg powder, mixed with Luke warm water Flour c ts ts ts 2tb Milk Salt Pepper Mixed herbs Melted butter Fat for deep frying ingredients

1 Wash the seal brains in salted water.Remove loose skin and blood. 2 Soak the brains in fresh cold water for 1 hour, changing the water two or three times. 3 Cover with water to which 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon vinegar has been added and boil for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry. 4 Mash the brains until soft and light. 5 Mix the flour, eggs and milk together, beating well to make a soft smooth batter. 5 Add the brains, melted butter, herbs, salt and pepper to the batter, and mix well. 6 Drop tablespoons of the mixture into hot fat and deep fry until golden brown. 7 Drain the fritters well before serving.

serves 4

Page 10

method

40 minutes prep.

70 minutes cooking ingredients

Tuna Twinkie Souffl

1tbl 12 tsp 4 2 Rendered chicken fat Hostess Twinkies Salt & Pepper Dry mustard Eggs Cans tuna in oil

1 Preheat oven to 350 F. 2 Grease a 7-inch souffl dish with 1 tsp of chicken fat and 1 tsp tuna oil. 3 Slice Twinkies in half lengthwise. Remove and reserve cream filling. 4 In a large food processor, combine Twinkie cakes, half of the Twinkie filling, and the remaining chicken fat and tuna oil. 5 Blend until the mixture has reached the consistency of a thin batter. 6 Transfer ingredients to a medium saucepan and cook over low heat. 7 Stir in salt, white pepper, and mustard. Remove from heat. 8 Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. 9 Fold in tuna. 10 In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. 11 Fold beaten egg whites into tuna mixture. Pour into greased souffl dish. 12 Bake in 350 oven 40 to 45 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Top with remaining Twinkie cream. 13 Serve with a tossed salad.

serves 2

Page 12

method

15 minutes prep.

2 hours cooking ingredients

Crow Casserole
6 6 c Crow breasts Suerkraut Strips bacon Chopped onions

1 Brown the crow breasts in a skillet, when browned, place them in a casserole dish on top of a 1 inch layer of sauerkraut. 2 Lay a strip of bacon on each breast and sprinkle the onion on them. 3 Next layer over them again the sauerkraut and some of its juices. 4 Bake at 350 deg, for 2 hrs.

serves 6

Page 14

method

20 minutes prep.

2 hours cooking ingredients

French Fried Skunk

2 Skunks 1tbsp Salt Water 2c Bear fat or lard 2 Egg yolks, beaten 3c Milk or cream 1c Flour tsp Salt 2tbsp Baking powder

1 Clean and wash the skunks, making sure the scent glands are removed. 2 Cut into small serving size pieces. 3 Put a soup kettle on the stove and add the meat. 4 Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. 5 Lower the heat and boil until the meat is tender, about 40 minutes. 6 Remove all the scum that rises to the surface of the water. 7 Make a batter by mixing together the egg yolks, milk, flour, salt and baking powder. 8 Mix real good until the batter is like cake batter. 9 Heat the bear fat or lard in a deep fryer to about 360 degrees F. 10 Dip the pieces of skunk in the batter and fry them in the deep fryer til golden brown. 11 Drain well and serve.

serves 4

Page 16

method

zz prep.

hours cooking ingredients

Whale in Mushroom Sauce

2lb 2tb 1tb 3tb ts Beluga whale meat Water Salt Soda Butter or margarine Salt ts 1tb 1c lb 2tb Pepper Flour Water Mushrooms Lemon juice Salt and pepper

1 Slice the whale meat into 4 steaks. 2 Soak the meat for an hour in a brine made from one gallon of cold water and 2 tablespoons salt, to remove the blood. Drain the meat. 3 Place the meat in a pot, sprinkle 1 tablespoon soda over it then cover it with fresh water. 4 Bring the water slowly to a boil and let the meat simmer for for 20 minutes, skimming the surface of the liquid as necessary. Remove the meat, spread it out and pat dry. 5 Melt the butter in a heavy fry pan, sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper then place it in the melted butter in the fry pan over lowest heat and let stand of 1 hour, turning the steaks over once during this time. 6 Pour off the butter into a saucepan and use it for making the sauce. 7 Brown the meat on both sides in fry pan over high heat. 8 Serve hot with mushroom sauce. 9 Mushroom SauceAdd flour from melted butter poured from meat. 10 Stir until well blended, then add water and sliced mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are tender. 11 Add the lemon juice, season to taste, and pour the sauce over the meat.

serves ##

Page 18

method

12 hours prep.

2 hours cooking ingredients

Smothered Muskrat & Onions

1 Muskrat 1tbsp Salt Water 1tsp Salt tsp Paprika cup Flour 3tbsp Fat 3 Large onions; sliced 1c Sour cream

1 Skin and clean the muskrat, remove fat, scent glands and white tissue inside each leg. 2 Soak muskrat overnight in a weak brine solution of 1tbsp salt to 1 quart water. 3 Drain, disjoint and cut up. 4 Put flour, salt & paprika in a paper bag. 5 Add muskrat pieces and shake until each piece is well coated. 6 Melt fat in heavy fry pan, add the muskrat pieces and saute slowly until browned. 7 When meat is browned, cover with onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper and pour the cream over. 8 Cover fry pan and simmer for 1 hour.

serves 4

Page 20

method

2 weeks prep.

4 weeks cooking ingredients

Elephant Stew
1 Elephant 200c Water 700ts Salt Pepper to taste 10oz Gravy 2 Rabbits 1 Remove tusks; wash well; cut into chunks - takes about 2 weeks. 2 Place meat in large kettles; season with salt and pepper. 3 Cover with water and gravy. 4 Cook over kerosene fire at 455 degrees for about 4 weeks, or until tender. 5 This amount should serve 3,800 people. 6 if more guests are expected, you may add 2 rabbits the last hour of cooking, but do so only if necessary because most people do not like to find hare in their stew.

serves 3,800

Page 22

method

40 minutes prep.

1 hour cooking ingredients

Hoot Owl Pie

1 Cooked hoot owl 1 Stalk celery, diced 1 Onion 1tb Oil 10oz Broccoli1 c Sour cream 10oz Owl Soup 1c 1c Salt and pepper to taste Warm tortillas Hoot owl broth Grated rat cheese

1 Mix the chopped owl, celery, onion, oil, cooked broccoli, sour cream, hoot owl soup, salt, and pepper together. 2 Then you let them sit while you and the boys play Never beat your Mother with a Great Big Stick. Be sure you dont play more than 6 choruses. 3 Roll all of this stuff into the warm tortillas and place them in a baking dish. 4 Then pour the hoot owl broth over them. 5 You cook all of this stuff in a 325F oven for 20 minutes, or 3 choruses of Dirty Me, Dirty Me, Oh How I Hate Myself. Make sure the onions are done. 6 Then the last 5 minutes of cooking, place the grated rat cheese on top. 7 Dish out the warm tortillas and hot sauce.

serves 5

Page 24

method

colophon

28pp 74 120mm Graphic Design by Aaron Skipper www.aaronskipper.co.uk Illustration by Alice Vine www.alicevine.co.uk Set in the following typefaces: Adobe Caslon Regular LL Brown Regular Other titles in this series: Tastes of TodayDrink Tastes of TodayMains Tastes of TodayDesserts