Tasty Treats

March 14th, 2003

Muskrat roasted in tomato sauce

Muskrats are small rodents that live in swamp and build beaver-like houses out of cat-tails and mud. I suspect that knowing a trapper is the only way you can get a muskrat.

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.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

• 3-4 muskrats (all fat and glands removed)
• 250 g bacon
• 1/2 bunch celery, chopped
• 4 onions, chopped
• 2.5 ml cayenne pepper
• salt
• pepper
• 600 ml canned tomato soup (2 standard cans)

PROCEDURE

1. Saute bacon, celery, onions, oleo, and cayenne pepper together for 10 minutes.
2. 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).
3. Pour sauteed mixture over the rats, and then cover with tomato soup. (Don't add water to the soup.)
4. Bake, covered, for 21/2 hours at 175 deg. C or until done.

RATING

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

CONTRIBUTOR

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

Random | Comments (3) | words in this post

Comments

1. mook

   March 14, 2003 05:56 PM

   Do you think muskrat is kosher?

2. dclal

   March 14, 2003 06:29 PM

   It's only breaks kosher law if you mix it with cheese.

3. Mom

   March 14, 2003 11:18 PM

   If it doesn't cook well, you can always make a coat out of it and wear it to dinner.

   And where do you find such bizarre recipes?
   What ever happened to Kraft macaroni and cheese?

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