HINTS FOR THE ALASKAN HOUSEWIFE'
SUGGESTIONS FOR COOKING WILD GAME - Wild game animals that are commonly used for
food include deer, moose, mountain sheep and goats, caribou, rabbits, squirrels,
ptarmigan, grouse, duck and geese. Some not so commonly used, but good eating,
are bear, porcupine, muskrat and beaver.
The larger animals are best if young and fat because gamy flavor increases
with age. Generally the flavor is strongest in the fat and is most objection
able when animals are in the mating season. If the carcass is not cooled and
cleaned properly strong flavor will be increased.
To cover the wild game flavor, remove excess fat and soak meat overnight in
vinegar solution (l cup vinegar to 1 quart of water). Use a variety of season
ing with game - bay leaf, garlic, celery, onion, parsley. If meat is tough, use
acid seasonings such as a small amount of lemon, tomato, catsup, sweet relish
juice or chili sauce. A pressure cooker makes any kind of meat more tender* An
other suggestion is to use a meat tenderizer.
SAVORY TOMATO POT ROAST OF CARIBOU (serves 6)
3 lbs. caribou pot roast l/4 t. pepper
l/4 cup fat l/4 t. ginger
2 medium onions, sliced 1 T. salt
1 cup tomato paste or tomato smeat 8 cloves, whole
sauce 6 potatoes, pared and halved
1 cup water 6 carrots, scraped and halved
Brown meat well in fat in heavy kettle or roasting pan. Slip a low rack under
the meat. Add the onions, tomato paste, water, salt, pepper, ginger and cloves.
Cover tightly. Simmer over low heat or bake in maderate over (350°) about 3
hours or until tender. Add the potatoes and carrots. Cook 30 minutes longer.
Serve the pot roast in a deep platter.
CRABS'- HOWTOvBUY .GRABS-~The .most common varieties are blue crabs from-the
Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and the larger Dungeness crabs from the Pacific coast.
All varieties have both hard and soft-shelled stages. Normally, crabs are hard
shelled, but as.they grow the shells must be enlarged, so' the old shell is dis
carded from time to time and a new one forms. If the crab is caught just before
the new shell hardens, it is called a s'Qft-shelled crab. Hard-shelled crabs are
available all year, but are most plentiful in the summer. Soft-shelled crabs
are in season from May. to October.. COOKINGHARD-SHELLED CRABS - Only live crabs .
should be cooked. Boil them in sea water if it is available because it contains
the amount of salt that gives the best flavor.- Or boil them in enough plain
salted water::to cover (add 1 tsp. salt to each qt. of water used). Actually I
boil the crabs for 20 min. or steam them for 25 min. Crabs turn red during cook
ing. Drain and plunge into cold water just long enough to cool slightly.’Again
drain, then remove the meat. The sweet, edible meat is found in the claws, legs
and body of the crab. After cooking, pull off the claws and legs, and crack the■
shells. Break off the segment that folds under the body at the rear. Holding,,
the crab in the left hand with the back toward you, slip finger of the right
hand under the top shell and pull the body downward so £s not to break it. Hold
ing the crab under cold running water, remove the digestive., tract. Then split
the crab along the central crease. Hold half the body in the left hand, and with
a sharp knife cut the hard membranous covering along, the outside edge. With a
nutpick, remove the tender sweet meat in each cavity, being careful not to break
off pieces of shell into the meat. Pick the meat out carefully so it will not
be necessary to wash it off, for washing results in a loss of both flavor and
food value. . ’ . .