9. Drain on paper towels.

0. Serve hot. . .topped with butter. Goes great with nearly everything, and even

works as a snack.

And finally, from Farmer John we have:

Hey Caj, listen up! Before your good Chief Cooks go scrambling down the trail

through my recipes, they better pay strict attention to this WARNING: I like my

food spicy, real spicy. So that being the case, and since this fact is reflected in

my recipes, I'd suggest they go easy on the spices I use. Do a taste test, then

add if desired. You can always add more, but it's pretty hard to get back an over-

do.

Thanks for the warning, Farmer John, always knew you were different, were

one-of-a-kind. What's that? You're not finished? Well, excuse me, Farmer J. The

floor is yours!"

You've been playin' around out in cyberspace too long, Caj. Every thing is rush,

rush, rush. Click, click, click. Relax and pay 'tench.

Before we continue, which means before you get too far into my favorite foods,

another explanation is in order.

Whether I'm cookin' raccoon ("coon") or opossum ("possum") certain basics

apply. Everything I know about skinnin', cleanin' and fixin' I learned while growin'

up. In this part of the country, when you live in the "real" country, huntin' is a part

of life. But I was taught, as many of us were, to only hunt those birds or

mammals that are good for food. Or to put it another way, ya don't kill somethin'

just to kill it. And before you ask, this is the same trainin' we're givin' our kids

today.

Now, if you happen to be given one of these potential feasts, you better hope the

person giving it to you knew how to clean it, and did so. If not, you'll be spending

some time skinnin', gettin' rid of glands, entrails and all that good stuff. Once you

have this chore finished, you can get to cookin' it.

Most nearly all us "connoisseurs" use a lot of spices in our marinades, then again

we season to taste during or after the cookin's done. We also know that the

older--many times the bigger--the game, the longer ya got to marinate it.

Once marinated, and usually the next day, I'll boil a raccoon or opossum down.

Cover it with water, simmer it for a couple hours. This little trick reduces the fat,

and give you some good meat for the next step: roasting, broiling, smoking or

barbecuing. That's right, you parboil (your fancy word), the finish cooking by

whatever method strikes your fancy.

Cajun Recipes