Breaking News: An opossum (more commonly known by the affectionate nickname: “possum”) was spotted by the eagle-eyed John McElhenny of Matter Communications walking down the street in downtown Gloucester last night. It occurred to me that, if John knew what I know about these little critters, he might have snatched that possum right off the street and brought it home to mama for the kind of protein you just can’t buy at Stop ‘n Shop.
My own grandpa was a world-class consumer of possum. Oh, the stories he told. Of course, he was the product of another era: the Great Depression and general resourcefulness compelled people to discover all sorts of culinary delights that would otherwise have gone untasted. So, in honor of our own time of recession, where we are being forced to cancel our vacations to Disney World because we can no longer pay for the trip by refinancing our homes or getting yet another credit card, I want us to consider the possum for the first time since my grandpa’s generation. Your kids will love it, I promise. It might even replace pizza on Friday nights.
Stuffed Possum
Ingredients:
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1 possum (whole) |
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1 qt. cold water |
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1/8 cup salt |
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5 beef bouillon cubes |
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2 bay leaves |
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3 celery stalks (chopped) |
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2 onions (sliced) |
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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.
p.s. Make sure your possum is dead before handling. But not too dead. And for more possum recipes, click HERE. And git to eatin’!
Good Morning Gloucester 