From the BBC, "Squirrel stew or badger burger, anyone?Like the roadkill of Sandwich, this Kent town's residents don't know what's hit them when Fergus Drennan turns up to convert them to the joys of foraging for their food.
You might expect a supplier of food to the Ivy and Jamie Oliver's 15 to get his supplies from Borough Market or Billingsgate. But Fergus tells us that foraging is best, and nothing beats squirrel stew, puffball mushroom omelette and duck cooked just after you've found it dead by the road."
Here's his recipe for Pan Raised Squirrels:
Ingredients: (serves four)
4 skinned and gutted squirrels -- feet also removed
8 milliliters olive oil
300 grams dandelion leaves
300 grams young sow thistles
100 grams young dock leaves
150 grams hairy bittercress
150g nettle tops 3 medium sized onions 100g wild chervil or parsley
80g dill
A few lemon balm leaves
Juice of one large orange
Pine nuts
Toasted sesame seeds
A few dried apricots or raisons
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Half a teaspoon curry powder
Quarter teaspoon of turmeric
Eighth teaspoon cinnamon
1 small chilli
Water
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Sweat the onions in the olive oil. Meanwhile, boil a pan of water and add the dock leaves sow thistle and dandelion leaves. Boil for about a 30 seconds to a minute. Strain off and discard the water (to remove excess bitterness from leaves). Add this as well as the chopped dill, parsley, nettles, hairy bittercress and all other ingredients to the meat pan. Also add about 3 cups of water. Simmer for about one hour with a lid on the pan, stirring occasionally to ensure no sticking and add a little more water if necessary. Serve with good rustic bread to soak up the juices.
You can find more recipes on his web site Wild Man Wild Food.
