Squirrel and dumplings, page 49

This weekend we made one of the two remaining squirrel recipes: squirrel and dumplings. It's a recipe in the book that author Bernadette Dryen put in from "squirrel aficionado Kevin Lohraff. The recipe is more like a telling of how to make squirrel and dumplings than specific directions. In a couple of paragraphs, Kevin tells the story of how he makes this dish, with no specific measurements or times.

I had a queer combination of feelings when making this dish. I'd just been watching a cooking show on T.V. which got me inspired to feel all gourmet-like. On the other hand, I was making a gravy with fried squirrel drippings!

First I boiled two squirrels in an electric skillet outside to keep the heat out of the house. Then, I sauted mushrooms, garlic (and this I added to the recipe) and shallots in butter in a big pot on the stove. In the same pot, I browned the boiled squirrel pieces that had been floured. Then, all that is scooped up and a gravy is made in the pot with water and flour and the drippings (and I added milk). Next, the squirrel and mushroom mixture plus parsley is added back in with the hot gravy, drop biscuit dough from your own favorite recipe is added in balls into the pot, and the whole thing cooks with a lid on on the stove top.

It's a mighty fine dish. I liked it much more than I thought I would, Henry ate too many servings to be thought of as decent, and Fred liked it as well. O mostly liked the dumplings.

My sister and her kiddos came to visit this week. She warmed up the leftover squirrel and dumplings for lunch and was unsure about the wee little bones in the dish. It was a bit of a turn off for her. But, after she tried it, she was convinced. Squirrel is very good! And, her kids gobbled it up, too.