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Squirrel Doggin' 2017: The Chronicles of Lefty and Slick, Chapter II

Jamie

Senior Member
5,690
177
Ohio
Saw this and thought of you Jamie. Sounds like a meal you'd enjoy. Especially with your canned mushrooms.

https://honest-food.net/agnolotti-r...452081&utm_medium=social&utm_source=instagram

I got around to making this on Saturday, finally. this is a stellar meal. Surely, as fancy as I've ever gotten with cooking a rat, and a little complicated. it was considerably more work than I envisioned. This took every bit of my limited skill and experience in the kitchen to put together, and it still took me three times as long as Mr. Shaw claims. If you are not real comfortable in the kitchen, this is not a meal you would want to try unless you are feeling most ambitious.

I used a package of squirrel backs (loins) that I had frozen for something else. cooking squirrels, making filling was pretty straight forward. I did add a half pint of drained/dried chantarelles to the meat when I ran it through the food processor, and as expected, it was a welcome addition. rolling out the past sheets from scratch was a little tricky, making the Agnolotti was not so easy, either. my first batch of pasta dough was a bust and I had to toss it and start over. used the food processor on the second try and dough turned out pretty nice. the food processor bit my thumb pretty good when I was pulling the ball of dough out. that blade might as well be a straight razor. I've seen a "stuck hog" bleed, and this was pretty close. by the time I rolled out all the past sheets, made the Agnolotti and was ready to boil them and finish in the browned butter and sage, I had been in the kitchen for 5 hours. tired, bleeding, out of patience, hungry and probably a little tipsy. I was so happy to be eating that I forgot to take a pic of the plated finished product. This makes enough to feed four hungry people, so I only cooked half of the Agnolotti, froze the rest for an easy dinner sometime soon. I'll take a pic of it then. It did look pretty nice on the plate, and it was really some fine dining. making pasta will be much easier next time now that I've done it, fucked it up and then got it right. it is all about the consistency of the dough and a matter of feel, really. home made paste is probably totally worth the effort as it was delightful to eat. tastier, softer and lighter than dried, store bought pasta. was a pretty big effort for kitchen hack like me, but in the end, I'd say worth it.

hard part done
squirrel agnolotti.jpg

ready to finish
squirrel agnolotti 1.jpg
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
Great update Jamie! I bet the canned shrooms make this next level. You've inspired me to try my hand at those this year. Really a cool thing you do there.

I'm definitely going to dedicate a shitty weather Sunday to this in the next couple of months. I'm going to use duck breast since I don't have any squirrels, and morels since that's all I have mushroom wise. Having never made from-scratch pasta, I expect a challenge and a few mishaps. But with some good tunes and booze, it'll be fun! Plus my oldest daughter really likes to cook with me and bake with mom, so it's a good teaching opportunity.
 

Jamie

Senior Member
5,690
177
Ohio
I'd be willing to bet that if Hank Shaw had canned Chantarelles on hand, he'd put them in, too. those things are so damn delicious. I sautéed some the other night in butter with some green onions to put on top of some pan seared venison loin chops. what is really cool about them is that they are almost as good from a jar as they are fresh. once cooked, the difference is small.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
I'd be willing to bet that if Hank Shaw had canned Chantarelles on hand, he'd put them in, too. those things are so damn delicious. I sautéed some the other night in butter with some green onions to put on top of some pan seared venison loin chops. what is really cool about them is that they are almost as good from a jar as they are fresh. once cooked, the difference is small.

Can't put a price on that, especially given the "hands on" satisfaction that exists.
 

Jamie

Senior Member
5,690
177
Ohio
since I've been under the weather since the last day of squirrel season I haven't done anything with the dogs, or much of anything at all for that matter. have not been sick like this for 20 years, at least, and I'm not very good at it.on the mend now and have some energy back, and since it was so nice out, I decided to take the dynamic duo out for some squirrelin'. we ran into impassable high water nearly every place we went. still, for no more ground than we actually covered, they each found one, plus treed a ditch grizzly. full grown ground hog up a 3 inch tree is pretty hilarious. I was packing my G 27, but I didn't have the heart to cap the poor thing. probably flooded out of his abode for forseeable future. still, was a nice day to get some fresh air and sunshine.

2-27-18.jpg2-27-18 1.jpg

where'd all the rabbit hunters go?
 

Jamie

Senior Member
5,690
177
Ohio
nice morning for a walk in the woods. downright cold with that wind. we terrorized some rats, though. Lefty and Slick singing on trees, a trio of biggle dogs singing on tracks out in the briars someplace nearby. a delightful duet of different gun dogs doing their things. rabbit dogs' owner came into the woods looking for us when these two were on this tree pretty near the edge of the rabbit cover. nice fellow. we had a good little chat. dogs rule.

3-25-18.jpg
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,738
274
North Carolina
nice morning for a walk in the woods. downright cold with that wind. we terrorized some rats, though. Lefty and Slick singing on trees, a trio of biggle dogs singing on tracks out in the briars someplace nearby. a delightful duet of different gun dogs doing their things. rabbit dogs' owner came into the woods looking for us when these two were on this tree pretty near the edge of the rabbit cover. nice fellow. we had a good little chat. dogs rule.

View attachment 60234

Sounds like all the fun with none of the mess... Congrats....