Friday, September 21, 2012

Theme Recipe: Roast Bear


Still getting caught up on the recipes--this is for last week's Killer Wildlife.  It's a sort of you eat us....etc.  When I said last week that Cherokee's will cook up just about anything....I meant it! (that excludes, as a mentioned wolves and if you are a very observant Tsalagi, Eastern Diamondback Rattlers).   Actually a number of Native American groups, and other people around the world eat bear meat; which I have no problem with as long as the animals are not endangered and not killed for some stupid reason, like just for it's paws or gall-bladder....or fins in case of sharks.  Some native groups, like the Abenaki and the Apache (Indeh), have strict taboo on eating bear, but most others don't.  Not many, however, actually have stories about the bear offering itself to the people as food; the Cherokee do (if interested click here).  I could have gone with gator, or snakehead...or snake for that matter, even shark or buffalo (they are seriously dangerous!!!), but I'm going with bear--just keep in mind that we believe if you kill it, you use it.  Don't have bear meat, don't eat weird or wonderful animals...substitute beef.  Native food writer Dale Carson had a friend translate an old Cree recipe found in an old Canadian cookbook that basically starts like "first kill your bear....", well close anyway, that involves hanging it over a big ass fire and twirling.  Native communities have moved on a bit since then, and a charity book from the Lovesick Lake Native Women's Association (and others) has a tender roasted bear that has pineapple rings and everything!!



Modern Roast Bear

3 pound Bear roast
2 cups water
1 can pineapple slices (save the juice)
3 large onions

1.  Place bear roast in pan (ie:  a roasting pan for oven).  Cover with pineapple slices.  Slice onions and place with roast.  Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour (note:  they do not give a temperature, but 350 for initial roasting would be a good temperature, again, think of a beef roast).

2.  Add the pineapple juice to roast and continue to cook for 1 1/2 hours (note:  no temp given, but I would up it to 375).


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