Recipe for "muskrat-1"

NAME

     MUSKRAT-1 - Muskrat roasted in tomato sauce
     In  northwestern  Ohio  and  downriver  Detroit,   we   have
     ``muskrat suppers'' in the winter, sponsored by churches and
     volunteer fire departments to raise money,  rather  the  way
     other people have chicken and ham dinners. This recipe comes
     from Fred Witty, via the cookbook put  out  by  my  parents'
     church.
     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
     250 g     oleo
     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 roas-
               ter 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.

NOTES

     Muskrats are small rodents that  live  in  swamp  and  build
     beaver-like  houses out of cat-tails and mud.  In New Jersey
     and Ohio, at least, they  are  trapped  for  their  fur;   I
     suspect  that  knowing a trapper is the only way you can get
     muskrats.
     The recipe book I have has  a  recipe  for  muskrats  for  a
     crowd,  that  (for  20 rats) uses the above ingredients (but
     quantities unspecified, except it only  uses  100  g  oleo),
     plus  chopped green and red peppers, garlic salt, 5 bouillon
     cubes, and 3 bay leaves. Around Detroit, muskrats are cooked
     with cabbage and potatoes, and some folks at home roast them
     with apples and onions.

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
     nvuxa!nvuxb!pjc2