Moose Meat Tamales

BATTER FOR SHELLS:
1/2 cup Sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs
2/3 cup Milk
1 tablespoon Oil
FILLING:
1 pound Ground moose
1 small Onion, chopped

Mix flour and salt; beat eggs, milk and oil. Add 1/2 of the egg mixture and stir until lump free. Add remaining, mix until smooth. Grease 5 inch fry pan; heat to sizzle. Pour in 1 tablespoon batter; tip pan to make shell even and thin. Cook until golden. Turn and cook other side. Roll shell as you remove from pan; set aside. Saute in 1 tablespoon oil for 10 minutes. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup chopped olives. Dissolve 1 bouillon cube in 1 cup boiling water; add 1/2 cup to above mixture. Blend 1 tablespoon paprika, 2 teaspoons chili powder and 3 tablespoons flour with remaining 1/2 cup bouillon. Stir into meat mixture; cook until thick. Unroll shells placing a tablespoon of filling in each; reroll. Put in a greased glass dish. Brush with butter and sprinkle with minced onions and grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. You may thin remaining meat mixture and use as a sauce over tamales.

Serves: 6

Nettle Soup

2 cups nettle leaves
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon minced onion
4 cups chicken broth
salt
lemon or sour cream, salted

To pick the nettles us a pair of gloves and a pair of shears. Pick enough so that you will have 2 cups of the tender top leaves, firmly packed. Pour boiling water over the leaves to remove the sting. Drain and chop. Melt the butter in a saucepan and saute the onion for a minute or two, being careful not to brown. Add the broth and the nettles, and salt to taste. (I like to run the soup through the blender for a second or two.) Simmer for a few minutes. Serve topped with either a lemon slice of a spoonful of salted sour cream per portion.

Serves: 4

Sorrel Soup [Irrish]

1 pound Sorrel
3 ounce Butter
Large onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons Flour (heaped)
2 1/2 liter Stock
2 Tablespoons Breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
2 Egg yolks
150 milliliters Cream

Wash the sorrel well and chop it up. Heat the butter in a saucepan and just soften the sorrel and onion in it. Shake the flour over the vegetables and mix well. Let it cook for about 1 minute. Meanwhile bring the stock to the boil, then add to the pan. Add the breadcrumbs, season to taste, and bring to the boil, then simmer for about 1 hour covered. (It can be liquidized at this point, but needn't be.) Beat the egg yolks with the cream and add a little of the hot soup to the mixture, stirring well; then add gradually to the soup pot, stirring well, over the heat, but being careful not to let it boil.

Serves: 8

Texas Country Style Dove

30 Dove breasts
1 Pound Bacon
Salt and pepper
1 medium Onion, thinly sliced
3 Egg yolks
2 cup Half and half
1 teaspoon Sweet Hungarian paprika

In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Place sliced onion and doves in the skillet and brown in the bacon fat. Salt and pepper the birds. Remove birds and onions from skillet and place in a warm oven (about 150 to 300 degrees). Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of bacon fat. Mix the egg yolks and the half and half. Add mixture to the bacon fat in the skillet and cook over low heat just to thicken, stirring constantly. Do not boil. Stir in paprika and serve sauce with dove and fried potatoes.

Servings: 6

Beer Batter Cat

3 lb "fresh" catfish
1/2 c Cornmeal
1/2 c Flour
2 Eggs, beaten
12 Pack of beer (brand of your
Liking)
1/2 c Minced onion
3 c Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Absolutely the best catfish you can eat, make sure you have plenty of beer left after you make the batter. In a medium mixing bowl blend flour, cornmeal, salt, and pepper together. In a separate medium mixing bowl beat egg well, add 1-12 oz. can of beer and minced onions, mix well. Cut the catfish into 2 inch cubes or strips. Heat up the shortening or vegetable oil. Roll the cat into the flour mixture, then dip into the beer-egg mixture, then back into the flour mixture. Place flour and dipped cat into the deep-fry, cook until golden brown. Since you have 11 more cans of beer left "now" will be a good time to get started on the rest of the 12 pack. Serve up the cat with tarter sauce, ketchup, or just like it is. Make sure you add a little tossed green salad, french fries, or some hush puppies for a delicious meal.

Potted Pigeons

Pigeons enough for family
1 cracker per pigeon
1 egg per pigeon
Salt pork
Piece of suet or butter the size of an egg
Sweet marjoram or sage, 1/2 tsp. per bird
Flour

Note: the "cracker" specified in this recipe is more the size of a Civil War hardtack, not a modern soda cracker. Use 5-6 soda crackers if hardtack is not available.

Pigeons may be potted, roasted or stewed. Potting is the best, and the least trouble. After they are thoroughly picked and cleaned, put a small slice of salt pork, and a little ball of stuffing, into the body of every pigeon. The stuffing should be made of one egg to one cracker, an equal quantity of suet, or butter, seasoned with sweet marjoram or sage, if sweet marjoram cannot be procured. Flour the pigeons well, lay them close together in the bottom of the pot, just cover them with water, throw in a bit of butter, and let them stew an hour and a quarter if young, an hour and three quarters if old. Some people turn off [pour out] the liquor [pan juices] just before they are done, and brown the pigeons on the bottom of the pot; but this is very troublesome, as they are apt to break to pieces.

From The American Frugal Housewife by Mrs. Child, published 1833.

Gooseberry Cobbler

2 cups Flour
1/2 cups Corn meal plus 2 Tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
1 teaspoon Salt
3/4 cup Butter or margarine
3/4 cup Boiling water
30 ounces sweetened Whole gooseberries
1 teaspoon Honey
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Sift the flour with 1/2 cup corn meal, baking powder and salt. Using pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter or margarine. Quickly add the boiling water, mixing in well. Divide the dough in half, and pat half of it in a buttered 8"x8"x2" baking pan. Sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon corn meal. Mash half of the gooseberries in their syrup, then stir in remaining gooseberries, honey and lemon juice; pour over the dough. Top with remaining dough; sprinkle with remaining Tb corn meal. Bake in very hot oven (425F) oven for 30 minutes, or until top is lightly browned. Cut into squares and serve.

Serving Size: 6

Cactus Pickle

2 quarts prickly pears fruit
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
3oz red cinnamon candies
whole cloves (Opt)

Measure the 2 quarts prickly pears whole. Remove the skins, cut each fruit in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cook pear halves until transparent in a syrup made of the sugar, vinegar, and cinnamon candies. If you choose to use the cloves, put them in a little cheesecloth bag so they can be removed before the pickles are put in jars, that are equipped with standard canning lids. Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Acorn Gingerbread

1 ¼ cups Acorn flour
1 ¼ cup flour (wheat or white)
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp cloves
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
1 cup molasses
½ cup oil
1 cup boiling water

1. Sift dry ingredients together

2. Combine eggs, sugar, molasses, and oil in separate bowl.

3. Mix together, add boiling water and stir until smooth.

4. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Acorn Gingerbread is really good served warm with fresh whipped cream on top!

Fried Cholla Cactus

Cholla flower buds and stem joints
Cornmeal
Whole wheat flour
Garlic salt
Salt and pepper
Oil

Collect the buds and tender stem joints with tongs, cutting them off at the juncture. Burn off the spines, then peel the vegetables (if you use the fruits, remove the seeds). Place the pieces in a pot of water and boil them until tender, about 15 minutes. Then make a batter with 2 parts cornmeal to 1 part flour, adding the seasonings to taste. Roll the cholla pieces in the batter, and fry them in a pan with hot oil.

Zuni Sunflower Gravy

1/4 c Tiny pieces of suet or
Finely chopped bacon
6 tb Fine sunflower meal
1 tb Cornstarch
2 c Water
Pinch of salt
2 To 3 T. finely chopped onion

Fry suet pieces or bacon and onion until onion is translucent but not beginning to burn. Add sunflower meal, cornstarch and salt and cook for a minute, stirring and watching so that it does not burn. Slowly add water, while stirring. Lower heat and cook until thick. Add more water if necessary. Use as a sauce for vegetables or such.

Bar Cookies

Bar Cookies:
3/4 cup margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup wheat germ

Cream together margarine and sugar. Add flour, baking soda, salt, oatmeal, and wheat germ. Mix thoroughly. Sprinkle half of this mixture in a 13x9-inch rectangular pan. Press down firmly. Cover with filling. Sprinkle with other half of crumbs and press down. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until surface is lightly browned. Cut into squares and remove from the pan.

Variation: 1. Use crushed cookie crumbs in place of wheat germ and reduce oatmeal to 1 cup. 2. Use any jam or conserve for filling.


Bar Cookie Filling:

3 cups fruit
sugar, to sweeten
water, to make fruit spreadable.

Combine the ingredients in a saucepan and cook the combination of fruits and sugar over low heat until it thickens, about 10 minutes. Set aside while you mix crumbs for bar cookies.

Source: Foraging For Dinner
Copyright: 1975

Cherokee Hucklebery-Honey Cake

1/2 cup Butter, softened
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Honey
3 Eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Milk
1 1/2 cup Plus 1 tablespoon unbleached flour
2 teaspoon Baking powder
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Fresh huckleberries or Blueberries or frozen or Canned Berries, well drained

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and honey. Beat in eggs and milk. Sift in 1 1/2 cups of flour, baking powder and salt. Combine thoroughly. In a small bowl, toss berries with remaining flour. Gently fold berries into batter. Pour batter into a 5x9 inch loaf pan. Bake for about 1 hour, until the cake is golden brown.

Serves 6 to 8.

"Spirit Of The Harvest, North American Indian Cooking" by Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs

Acorn Bread

1 cup Acorn meal
1 cup Flour
2 tablespoon Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoons Sugar
1 Egg, beaten
1 cup Milk
3 tablespoons Oil

Sift together, acorn meal, white flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, and oil. Combine dry ingredients and liquid ingredients. Stir just enough to moisten dry ingredients. Pour into a greased pan and bake at 400F. for 30 minutes.

Rabbit Stew

Servings: 4

1 Rabbit

Clean and skin the rabbit. Cut meat into parts - include bones. Put meat in a pot. Add water to cover. Add 4 Tbsp Lard and 1 tsp salt. Let meat cook for about two hours, adding water as needed. Keep water boiling and gradually add 1/2 cup rolled oats, barley or rice, if desired. Cook about another 10 minute.

Instead of oats, barley or rice you can add dumplings made like this: 2 cups flour, 4 Tbsp Lard, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt. Make a dough of this. Break and add to top of stew in pieces.

Cattail Griddlecakes

Servings: 4

1/2 c Cattail pollen
1 c Milk
1 1/4 c Self-rising flour
1 tb Sugar
1 Egg, beaten

Combine the pollen and flour. Add the egg, milk, and sugar and beat until smooth. Drop onto a griddle, using « cup of batter for each cake. When the first side is brown and bubbly, turn and brown the other side. Makes 8 griddle cakes.

Short Intro

Well, I'm Native American Indian and the way they survived before the white man came here in force has always been of interest to me. This blog is to chronicle my experiments with wild foods that my ancestors ate.

Until I can better experiment [I.E. have more time to go foraging] it will be a recipe a day thing, all having to do with wild edibles.