Scratchin My Rear Drinkin’ Beer And Roastin Varmints: Is There Anything Better?

Thanks to my friend Uppity Woman for this tip!

http://bertc.com/subfive/recipes/possum.htm

Three Possum Recipes
Possum and Taters

Ingredients:
1 young, fat possum
8 sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sugar
salt

Directions: First, catch a possum. This in itself is excellent entertainment on a moonlight night. Skin the possum and remove the head and feet. Be sure to wash it thoroughly. Freeze overnight either outside or in a refrigerator. When ready to cook, peel the potatoes and boil them tender in lightly salted water along with the butter and sugar. At the same time, stew the possum tender in a tightly covered pan with a little water. Arrange the taters around the possum, strip with bacon, sprinkle with thyme or marjoram, or pepper, and brown in the oven. Baste often with the drippings.
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Stuffed Possum

1 possum (whole)
1 qt. cold water
1/8 cup salt
5 beef bouillon cubes
2 bay leaves
3 celery stalks (chopped)
2 onions (sliced)
1 bag packaged stuffing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Soak possum in cold salt water for 10 hours. Rinse meat in cold water and refrigerate 2-4 hours. Prepare stuffing according to package directions. Stuff possum cavity with prepared packaged stuffing. Close cavity tightly. Place stuffed possum in roasting pan, add water, bouillon cubes, bay leaves, celery and onion. After 2 hours turn meat. Reduce heat to 300 degrees. Cook for 1 more hour. Test roast, if not done reduce heat and cook until done.

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Cajun Possum Chili – NUCLEAR HOT !!!

Ingredients:
Tomatoe Sauce (depends on possum)
1 tsp.-1 cup Chili Powder (Depends on Taste and possum)
1 Large possum or 3 small (If you ran over the possum better make it 4)
1 large pot or two large ones if the first isn’t enough.
5-10 chili peppers (depends on taste and possum)
5-10 red peppers (depends on taste and possum)
5-10 jalapenio peppers (depends on taste and possum)
How ever much Cayenne Pepper you like, it depends on your taste and possum.
1 tsp. Black Pepper
a pinch of salt
Chili Beans for extra flavor
And whatever other ingredients that are hot and spicy you would like to add.

Directions:
1. Skin possum(s)
2. Remove internal organs, head, claws, and bones. There is no flavor or use for these. But if you want to add them, Go ahead.
3. Put some tomatoe sauce in the pot(s). Then add the possum.
4. Chop peppers
5. Skip step four if you don’t want chopped peppers; it doesn’t matter.
6. Put the rest in and let set for a long dang while.
7. Before serving make sure you have enough bread, Milk, and Toliet paper for after dinner.
8. Serve. Enjoy
9. Race for bathroom. Whoever is first will make a large stench. Have enough air freshner.
Serving size of Meal-depends on how much you put in and on the possum.

Warning-You’re a redneck if you try this. (Either that or you like really hot chili.) May cause sudden urges to go to the bathroom. May cause burned tongues and mouths. May cause severe indigestion!! —Anonymous

Dave Baker
Lakeland, Florida

Collected by Bert Christensen
Toronto, Ontario

Like Mr. Sinatra Sang: I Did It My Way

Well, let me change this to the present tense; “I am doing it my way” This is to say that if I am going to make this tangled relationship between food, conservative views, and my ever beloved, and most sacred BEER, work, I am going to have to find some recipes that fit my lifestyle and reputation. So this is really going to be a barrel of rusted, and tangled barbed wire…NOT.

When it comes to cooking, I really don’t do it. I pretty much mold my outdoor grilling menu to fit the indoor options. So instead of the chicken,pork,beef, zucchini, and baked tators Occupying Grill Street, they instead get their marching orders to Occupy Frigidaire Street, or Crock Pot Avenue. The only constant is the 12oz Beer Force that patrols the area in order to keep everyone, that’s me, happy.

So the Hillbilly is calling on his new, and very well liked Foodie-Nation friends to give me some recipes that are extremely spicy, and down right as hot hog snot on a July afternoon in Death Valley. And hot enough to make my Hillbilly buddies curse me the morning as they are dropping off “Obama in the Brown Room.” See, I am really starting to make this work!

All amount of heat is welcome. Large, slow cooking flesh is my favorite items, as it allows for maximum time to spend with the Suds Patrol. The recipes must also allow for leftovers, or a better term would be “Right Overs” because they are good buddies with that hard ass officer “Hang Over.”
And Elvis! Sing along.

Mince (No Meat) Pie

This is the best pie there is. Beats out apple,cherry, and peach. Don’t mention pumpkin…yuk!
Thanks once again to Back Road Journal for this.

Mince (No Meat) Pie.

Mince (No Meat) Pie

* 1 large Golden Delicious apple (or similar sweet, flavorful apple)
* 1 large Granny Smith apple (or similar tart, flavorful apple)
* 1 cup golden raisins (sultanas or dark raisins can be used or a combination)
* 1 Tbsp. dark rum (for plumping)
* zest of 1/2 orange
* juice of 1/2 orange
* 2 tsp. lemon juice
* 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
* 4 or more Tbsp. dark rum
* 1 jar of Crosse and Blackwell Mincemeat
* Optional ingredients include chopped candied orange peel, or other dried fruit

Peel and dice apples to about the same size as the raisins. Add the lemon juice and toss. Plump the raisins with the 1 Tbsp. of rum. (I microwave covered for 10 seconds). Combine diced apples, plumped raisins, zest of the orange and juice, brown sugar and dark rum.

Put this mixture into a sealed container and let sit at room temperature for at least 4 days or more. Turn or shake the mixture every day. When you mince is to your liking add the jarred mincemeat. Mix well and let sit at least 2 more days. The longer your fruit mixture ages the better the taste will be.

Pasta with Pecorino Herb Walnut Sauce via Savoring Every Bites’ Blog

You gotta visit Savoring Every Bites’ blog. It gets a big four out of four cans of chew from the Hillbilly. (That means it is really good).

http://savoringeverybite.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/pasta-with-pecorino-herb-walnut-sauce/

Pasta with Pecorino Herb Walnut Sauce

1/2 lb. dried pasta

1 cup walnuts

Small bunch of fresh parsley

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup heavy cream

Combine the walnuts, parsley and cheese in a food processor. Process while slowly adding in the olive oil. The mixture should be crumbly; not wet as a pesto. Set aside. Can be made several hours ahead, refrigerate until needed.

Cook the pasta in a large pot seasoned with kosher salt according to the directions on the package until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce in a large skillet heating 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add in the the walnut mixure and toast lightly, stirring often, do not allow to burn. Add in the cream, allow to simmer gently, stirring well. Stir in a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to blend the sauce to a rich thickness. Drain the pasta (reserving some more cooking water) and add to the skillet, tossing gently. Add in additional reserved pasta water if pasta seems dry, tossing to continue to combine the sauce well. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately with additional grated Pecorino. Makes 2 for dinner or 3-4 for appetizer.

411: The Hillbilly Is Just Fine

I am fine people. I have not been “billynapped” I am just proving that there is more to this Hillbilly than beer, tractors, barbed-wire, duct tape, mud-fartin, and squirrel giggin. Well, not much more though.
I just have to post this response from my very good pal Uppity. Please UW, do not worry, I still have my NASCAR videos waiting to post to your site!
Uppity Says:

Oh. My. Gawd. John! Are you feeling all right!!!!? You are pimping recipes!!! I just KNOW I made this happen!

Now, I just made linquini with anchovies last week. However, my dago grandmother taught me that it must include garlic. Lotsa garlic. Lotsa lotsa garlic. In Italian it’s called aglio olio sauce.

The way I learned it was you lightly sautee the garlic and anchovies in good olive oil, not the crap that comes with the anchovies! Do not let the garlic brown! Slowwwwwwly simmer down the anchovies till they disappear and then add some white wine and let it simmer a bit and then add water. I add a bit of broth if needed but it can take a good deal of water before losing it’s taste. You just want enough for the toss. Then, crumble some Italian red pepper flakes in and let that baby simmer till the pasta is done and then toss.

The broccoli’s not a bad touch though! In Southern Italy they add capers. That’s why you see anchovies with capers in the dago section of that market.

In the meantime, John, please see a doctor!

Tourtière, avec l’Amour du Canada

Tourtière, avec l'Amour du Canada.

Makes two Tourtière logs
Ingredients

1 pound (450g) ground pork
1/2 pound (225g) extra-lean ground beef
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp savory
2 pinches ground cloves (optional)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme
salt and pepper
6 tablespoons (50g) spelt (or regular) bread crumbs

1 recipe savory tart dough (below)
milk, for brushing

Things That Should Break But Don’t

As I was enjoying my commute to work the other morning, an interesting thought began to bounce around my dome like an empty, wind-blown beer can in the bed of my 1974 Ford truck. Why is it that everything on your vehicle can go on the fritz at some point, except the “shut the door stupid the key is in the ignition buzzer”? I have a buddy who owns a wrecking yard, and there are cars that have a hood, trunk, and two-wheel, and if you pry the door open, and insert the key, the buzzer will sound even sans battery!

Thank goodness my truck pre-dates all that gobbledygook. My interior light is the most advance tech I have. I still have to track my mileage for the oil change. No ding ding informing my tires are low on air, or the wiper fluid needs to be filled. How the heck did folks ever care for their vehicles before the computer age? That’s right, we did it the old fashion way; we paid attention to details.

It is also nice to be able to open the hood of my truck and know what I am looking at. Most vehicles don’t have identifiable engines any more, they have something that looks like a cross between a N.A.S.A. concept rocket engine, and a 4ft by 4ft computer chip. How the heck do you work on that without a PhD in Physics? And you could not drink beer under the shade try while you were working either.

My next major upgrade on the truck will be a stereo. I have held off because there are those evil people who take great joy in stealing from others, what they refuse to earn themselves. And no, it will not be an 8-track!

Pasta with Broccoli and Anchovy Sauce

Pasta with Broccoli and Anchovy Sauce.

Pasta with Broccoli and Anchovy Sauce adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

■One bunch of broccoli (about 1 1/2 lbs)
■1/4 cup olive oil
■6 anchovy fillets
■2 hot dried chili peppers or chili flakes, to taste
■12 ounces pasta, such as orecchiette, fusille, concilige (3/4 a standard box)
■2T parmesan cheese (grated)
■1/4c pecorino romano cheese (grated; i.e. twice the amount of parmesan)

10 reasons why I’m not British and I probably never will

10 reasons why I'm not British and I probably never will.

1. I don’t stand outside a pub at 5PM on a Friday in December drinking lager, smoking a rolled up cigarette, wearing tracksuit and a vest, when it’s only 4degrees C (or 39 degrees F )

2. I don’t go out on Friday or Saturday night during the winter wearing only a Lipsy dress with a clutch bag and peep toe shoes (my outfit could be more likely to be jeans, leggings underneath, socks, another pair of socks, long sleeve t-shirt, jumper, jacket, scarf, and I will be still so brave to claim I’m cold!) See the daily mail article (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2067391/Why-DO-young-women-dressed-like-We-meet-nightclubbers-unsettling-answer.html)

The Hillbillly Food Blog?

Ok, this is starting to get out of hand. Maybe I can balance food and politics by posting a beer home brew recipe! But for now, check out this pasta dish that is posted from Back Roads Blog.

http://backroadjournal.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/orecchiette-pasta-with-broccoli-rabe-and-sausage/#comment-4107

Orecchiette Pasta With Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In the meantime, trim off the thick woody part of the stems of a large bunch of broccoli rabe (also known as rapini). Cut the broccoli into 2 to 3 inch pieces, adding the stems to the boiling water before the leaves. After a minute or two, add the tops of the broccoli rabe and cook for about one minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside in a large bowl. Save the water and return to a boil. Add 1/2 pound of orecchiette to the boiling water and cook until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp. of olive oil in a large sauté pan. Take 1/4 to 1/2 pound of sausage and cut into bite size pieces or remove from the casing and brown until just cooked through. Add 1/4 c. olive oil to the pan and then sauté 1/2 chopped small onion until soft. Add 2 to 4 cloves of minced garlic and 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli to the pan. Season with salt and pepper.

When the pasta is al dente add to the broccoli and sausage. Save a cup of the pasta water. Add a large handful of Parmesan or pecorino cheese and toss. If pasta appears dry, add some of the reserved pasta water or some extra olive oil.

In less than 30 minutes, you have a tasty pasta dish on your table that could be found on many a table in the Italian countryside.