What’s for dinner? Funny you should ask, Mr. G.
Hollywood, MD – I had this bizarre idea for a Groundhog Day story that did not go over too well at our weekly writer’s meeting. How about a story on groundhog recipes? Didn’t know they could cook? Well, no, I mean killing, skinning and cooking the little suckers. I once ate groundhog stew at one of those “Calvert Eats Local” buffets a few years ago. It wasn’t bad. However, later on it occurred to me, “oh no, I just ate a rodent!!” So, if someone serves you groundhog or you boldly prepare it yourself, it’s best not to think too much about it. In fact, if you call it “woodchuck” it might make it seem more palatable. It can’t be any worse than eating octopus.
Over 30 years ago writer Everett J. Castro featured a few groundhog recipes in Mother Earth News
Woodchuck Pie – You will need one woodchuck, three medium carrots, three potatoes, a 1/4 cup of butter or margarine, one onion, diced; and two tablespoons of flour and piecrust dough. Quarter the woodchuck and place the pieces in a large pot with enough cold water to cover the meat. Boil it for 10 minutes, then discard the water, refill the pan, and bring the liquid to a boil again. Lower the heat and let the contents simmer for about one to one-and-a-half hours. Add the carrots and potatoes and continue cooking the stew for about another 30 minutes until the meat is tender and separates easily from the bone. By this time, you should be able to pierce the vegetables readily with a fork.
Woodchuck Stew – Prepare the meat and vegetables in the same way prescribed for woodchuck pie, but strain and reserve all the liquid — instead of just 2 cups — and put it into a clean pot. Then remove the meat from the bones and cut it, as well as the potatoes and carrots, into bite-sized pieces. Add the chunks to the pot liquor and bring the stew to a full boil. That’s it! If you like, you can also add dumpling batter to the broth in spoonfuls, cover the pot tightly, and cook the tasty meal for an additional 12 minutes.
From a web site called Wildlife Recipes is a recipe for making woodchuck patties. If you have a device for grinding meat you make a different kind of burger.
Woodchuck Patties – Remove meat from bones and grind. Add bread crumbs, onion, salt, pepper, egg, and fat. Mix thoroughly. Form into patties; dip into egg; then dip in bread crumbs. Fry in hot fat until brown. Cover with currant jelly sauce and place in slow oven for one hour.
From Newsmax.com comes this final groundhog recipe.
Groundhog and Sweet Potatoes – Ingredients: Groundhog, cold water, salt, pepper, sweet potatoes and cornbread. Dress the groundhog as quickly as possible, and let soak for several hours in cold, salty water. After the meat is cold, you can trim any excess fat. Parboil to remove any remaining fat. Drain well. Place in oven at medium temperature with potatoes. Season the meat with salt and pepper and bake until brown.
Some folks swear groundhog tastes just like chicken. With six more weeks of winter, a hot groundhog (woodchuck) dinner might be the perfect cure for cabin fever. Enjoy!
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com