Tufty the Squirrel

 

ready for the axe

August 4th 2010

I’d wanted to try squirrel for a long time – especially since friends of mine had eaten it at the St. John in Clerkenwell.

Squirrel pot roast recipe:

I jointed the squirrel, coated it in seasoned flour and browned the pieces in some olive oil. I gently fried some onion, celery, carrots, garlic, fresh tomatoes and bacon in a smallish Le Creuset, added Tufty, deglazed the frying pan with red wine vinegar and red wine and added that with some more wine to the pot. The final ingredients were some bay leaves, ground thyme, rosemary, sage, salt, pepper (with a mortar and pestle), a spoonful of the leftover seasoned flour and a squeeze of anchovy paste. Pot roasted in the oven at 100º C for 60 – 90 minutes. It tastes a little bit like rabbit.

lightly browned, not fried

I found Tufty on the web, from the Wild Meat Company.

I just noticed this from the Sunday Times, August 8th, 2010 by Melanie McDonagh:

“Those recipes for grey squirrel, so fashionable nowadays among the politically incorrect, could I fancy, be easily adapted for guinea pig. Sautéed, then finished with cream and madeira, they would make a nourishing and delicious, if insubstantial, meal.”

Melanie is, of course, referring to the pointlessness of keeping guinea pigs in England and the fact that giant guinea pigs (Capybara) are eaten in South America. Well count me in! The Capybara is considered to be a delicacy and is very popular in Venezuela.

Anthony Bourdain eats squirrel pot pie in the Ozarks.

Squirrel curry at the Cinnamon Club.

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