Girl Hunter Part 33

1 cup canned chickpeas

1 cup corn, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup sh.e.l.led and minced acorns

1 tablespoon Worcesters.h.i.+re sauce

Salt and pepper

1. Place the squirrel parts in a pot and cover with water. Add the lemon halves, rosemary, bay leaf, cayenne, and about a tablespoon of sea salt and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook until the meat is tender, about 1 hour, skimming the foam from the surface as it forms. Once the meat is tender, turn off the heat and let the liquid cool.

2. In a separate pot, render the bacon. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened. Deglaze the pot with the beer, sc.r.a.ping up the brown bits at the bottom of the pot with a spatula. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, okra, chickpeas, corn, and acorns and stir.

3. Add 2 cups of the squirrel cooking liquid and stir in. Add the squirrel and Worcesters.h.i.+re sauce and simmer for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste. With this stew, as with most, it is best to let it sit for several hours before serving.

Also try: rabbit, dove, turkey, upland game birds

Squirrel Dumplings

Serves 6 These dumplings are vaguely like dim sum. They have a very tender texture and are versatile-they can be flavored with your other favorite herbs and used with any meat. They are good alone with a dipping sauce or also nice on the same plate as a Brunswick stew or other tomato sauce. They also reheat well for several days afterward.

1 squirrel, whole or cut into portions

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Place the squirrel in a pot and cover with water. Add the bay leaf, cayenne, and the tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook until the meat is tender, about 1 hour, skimming the foam from the surface as it forms. Once tender, turn off the heat, transfer the squirrel to a plate, and let the liquid cool.

2. In a medium-size bowl, beat the egg. Whisk in the flour, parsley, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the garlic powder. Whisk in 3/4 cup of the squirrel cooking broth until well incorporated, then stir in the squirrel.

3. Bring the squirrel poaching liquid to a simmer. Take walnut-size spoonfuls of the squirrel mixture and drop them into the simmering water. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, turning every so often. Remove with a slotted spoon or drain them in a colander, and place in a serving bowl. Serve with a dipping sauce, in a tomato sauce, or with a stew.

Also try: any other meat you please

Traditional Squirrel Putach

Serves 4 to 6 Unlike Dove Putach (page 38), which is my more elaborate version, this is a true putach in all of its simplicity, as taught to me by one of the experts in the Village. The secret is the vinegar, which can be increased or decreased to your tastes. Remember that the putach cooks down over several hours, so it is good to be generous with the vinegar in the beginning.

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large onion, roughly chopped

Salt

6 squirrels, quartered, plus rib cage and loin

5 garlic cloves, skin on

Freshly ground black pepper

A mixture of 2 parts white wine vinegar and 1 part water (I start with 2/3 cup of vinegar to 1/3 cup of water)

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil and add the onion. Season with salt. Sweat the onion slowly over low heat until soft and translucent, about 15 minutes.

2. Add the squirrel and garlic cloves, and brown slowly for about 10 minutes. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

3. Add the vinegar mixture as well as the rosemary. Cover with tinfoil and cook slowly over low heat for about 2 hours, or until the meat falls off the bone. Add more salt and pepper to taste and serve with crusty bread or rice.

Also try: rabbit, dove, turkey, upland game birds

b.u.t.termilk Fried Rabbit

Serves 4 Introduced in France in the Middle Ages as a game animal, rabbit became pervasive and overtook crops, providing more incentive to hunt them. King Louis XVIII became such a connoisseur of rabbit that he could tell which region of the country a rabbit was killed in, simply by smelling its flesh. You are what you eat, after all, and Provence was flush with sage. Young rabbits are best fried, because they are so tender. The best way to check a rabbit's age is to tear one of its ears lengthwise; if it tears easily, the animal is young. Also look for very white teeth. Before cooking a rabbit or a squirrel, I also typically soak it in salt.w.a.ter for several hours, if not overnight. This helps extract impurities and retain its moisture during cooking.

1 young cottontail rabbit, cut into serving pieces

2 cups b.u.t.termilk