Greetings, fellow roadkill enthusiasts! This issue's recipe page comes to us courtesy of Dr. Spencer Thornton, who has compiled a book on roadkill recipes. Here, he shares with us some do's and dont's of acquiring roadkill, and he ends off with a nice tasty recipe for good ol' Canadian Beaver. A patriotic feast for anyone from Newfoundland to British Columbia. Happy eatin'!
-M-A
Deer are a favorite target for road kill, and probably give the greatest satisfaction for a perfect shot. If you hit it just right you'll get it square on the grill so all you have to do is tie it to the bumper and spread it across the hood. That way you look like all the other macho hunters who tie their kill across the bonnet in such a way as to show off the antlers to their buddies as they drive back to town.
Of course the down side of a perfect shot with your grill is that the deer has permanently rearranged the front of your car - sometimes to the tune of a couple thousand bucks (we're talking dollars). You've got to be a real roadkill enthusiast to look forward to paying that kind of money for venison.
....Deer crossings? Deer pay no attention to them. I'm not quite sure how it is that these signs end up in the locations they do, but you can bet the deer haven't petitioned for them, and they're not looking for these as some kind of safe crosswalK. Of course they can't read, and I really don't think they could be expected to learn to recognize a particular route to safety. If deer were capable of this kind of Pavlovian conditioned response, wouldn't we see more of them in the IQ Zoos? And even is they were capable of being trained to respond in a presceibed way to a set stimulus, like crossing roads at deer crossing signs, how would they get good at it? One mistake and they're road kill. It's kinda like cliff diving. After that first dive, you pretty much know if you've got what it takes. If you're alive, you've got what it takes. If not, you're water fodder.
Moose is another animal that I would advise avoiding for road kill. I know you really want that rack of antlers on your mantle, but if you hit one of these mothers at 50 miles an hour it may be YOUR head on the mantle. Moose can be a problem for drivers from Maine to Alaska and all across Canada. Several engineers have discovered that the moose can rearrange the front end of a train too. Just what Amtrak needs - another reason to derail.
...And now, a recipe:
The beaver is found today mostly in Canada and northern Europe but may be found in isolated pockets in other areas. They eat mostly leaves, bark and saplings of aspens, willows and alders, but an occasional evergreen adds variety to their diet and gums up their dentures.
First, scoop up a beaver. Skin it and take it the skin your local trading post. It's as good as cash. After skinning the beaver, remove all fat. Cut into serving size pieces. Soak in salted water overnight. Rinse meat well in cold water and drain. Roll meat in flour. Brown in skillet with bacon drippings and season with salt and pepper. Place in roaster alternately with bay leaves and onions. Add a small amount of water to remaining drippings in skillet and pour over meat. Roast at 350 degrees for 2 and one half hours or until tender. Uncover and brown 15 minutes before serving. Goes great with a California Merlot.
This has been a sampling of the book entitled "We're having WHAT For Dinner?" If this looks like your kind of book (and it probably is, if you've gotten this far) then why not drop a line to Dr. Spencer Thornton.
