GOPHER STEW
6 lbs. gopher meat (a gopher is a land turtle)
1/4 lb. salt pork, cubed
3 Spanish onions, diced
5 stalks celery, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
3 (16 oz.) cans sliced tomatoes
10 c. water
2 datil peppers, whole
Salt and pepper to taste
3 potatoes, cubes
5 tbsp. brown flour
1/2 c. water
Clean gopher meat well and drain. Fry down salt pork in a large cast iron pot. Add meat and brown. Remove meat, drain on paper towels. Add onions, celery and bell pepper to salt pork grease and saute until tender. Add tomatoes and a little water if needed and cook down to a pulp on low heat for about 2 hours. Add gopher meat, 10 cups water and datil peppers and salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Add potatoes the last 30 minutes of cooking. Mix brown flour with water in a glass jar and shake vigorously. Bring stew to a boil and thicken with flour mixture. Serve over UNCLE BEN'S® rice.
BROWN FLOUR:
1 cup flour
Place flour in a cast iron skillet on low heat and stir continuously until brown, being careful not to burn it.
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GOPHER LOUIE SALAD
2 c. cubed gopher, cooked,
Lettuce leaves
Endive 8 tomato wedges
2 hard boiled eggs
20 black olives
8 lemon wedges
LOUIE DRESSING: 1 c. mayonnaise 2 tbsp. parsley 2 tbsp. chili sauce 1 tbsp. catsup 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp. A-1 sauce Combine all ingredients for Louie Dressing. Chill until needed. Arrange lettuce and endive on chilled salad plates. Place gopher on greens. Garnish with tomato wedges, hard cooked eggs, olives and lemon wedges. Spoon Louie Dressing over gopher. Serves 4.
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Baked Gopher Nuggets
YUM! -"Two Forks Up!!" ....Edna Cook
A real kid pleaser! Adults will enjoy this recipe for a tasty appetizer, too! Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauces if desired.
INGREDIENTS
3 gophers, skinned and cooked
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 cup butter, melted
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Cut gopher into pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, thyme and basil. Mix well. Put melted butter/margarine in a bowl or dish for dipping.
Dip gopher pieces into the melted butter/margarine first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place well coated gopher pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
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Coconut Gopher
1 1/2 lb cubed gopher nuggets
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c cornstarch
1 T salt
1/2 T white pepper
2 T vegetable oil
1 c ice water
oil for deep frying
2 c short shredded coconut
1/2 c orange marmalade
1/4 c Grey Poupon country mustard
1/4 c honey
3-4 drops Tabasco sauce
Wash gopher nuggets, dry well on paper towels. Set aside.
In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients for batter. Add 2T oil & ice water.
Stir to blend. To fry: heat oil to 350 in deep fryer or electric
skillet. Spread coconut on a flat pan a little at a time, adding
more as needed. Dip gopher in batter, then roll in coconut.
Fry in hot oil until lightly browned, about 4-5 minutes.
Bake at 300 5 minutes to finish cooking of the gopher.
Serve with sweet & sour sauce or the following sauce: Combine
marmalade, Grey Poupon mustard, honey & Tabasco sauce to taste.
