Man Food Recipes from the Iron Trade, Sloss Furnaces, Pig Iron Rough Notes

Muskrat Stews Skin, decapitate and remove entrails, being careful not to puncture musk gland. Cut into 2" pieces. Place in cast iron pot and simmer until tender, allowing 2 cups of water for each cup of meat, adding 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper for each cup of meat. Take another cast iron pot and heat fat (olive oil is best), allowing 1/2 cup fat to each cup of meat. Add to fat one large chopped onion for each cup of meat. When onion is brown, add one can of tomatoes and one green pepper chopped finely. Simmer while muskrat is cooking. When muskrat is tender, pour sauce into muskrat pot. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes for each can of tomatoes added. Serve hot directly from pot. Corn sticks or hushpuppies are very good with this dish. *Readers who may not have muskrats running around their front yards can easily substitute veal or lean pork with excellent results. --From thePig Iron Rough Notes, 1948Utz, Karen R. is the author of 'Man Food Recipes from the Iron Trade, Sloss Furnaces, Pig Iron Rough Notes', published 2007 under ISBN 9780817354510 and ISBN 0817354514.