Just for fun... A Groundhog Day Feast!

[MaggieJ]

This has been such a bleak, snowy, windy, cold winter that I am thinking of preparing a Groundhog Day feast. Groundhog Day, Candlemas Day... call it what you will, February 2 is halfway to spring.

I've been amusing myself this afternoon by browsing recipes for a special supper to mark the occasion. My favourite homemade rabbit pie is on the menu with a sidedish of red currant chutney, maybe a sweet potato dish, a mushroom dish... Something like apple crisp for dessert. Or maybe I will pull out all the stops and try to duplicate my Aunt Dorothy's taffy tart recipe. No one made taffy tarts like Aunt Dorothy did, but she did not use a recipe so the art died with her.

I'm just having fun with this today, diverting my attention away from the blowing snow outside.

If you were planning such a supper, what would you serve?

 

[AmysMacdog]

Mmmm. That sounds like a great idea and yummy too.
I think I'd have Rabbit tetrazzini, with asparagus spears and/or Lesuere (sp?) peas. Deep dish apple pie for desert.

 

[Homer]

Groundhog Day feast...homemade rabbit pie... red currant chutney...sweet potato dish, a mushroom dish... apple crisp... Or maybe Aunt Dorothy's taffy tart ...

Now that you've made me HUNGRY what time should I be there?

 

[TwoAcreDream]

My SIL a few years back, decided to have a outside barbeque to celebrate groundhogs day. She cooked the meat outside. Good thing she let us eat inside the house. It was cold that day.

I been thinking about making some kind of apple cake. Today might be the day

 

[MaggieJ]

Homer... that's a long way to come for a supper! But if you're here at 6 PM, I'll find you a plate and knife and fork. :chef:

No outdoor cooking or eating here, TwoAcreDream. These days I am delighted to have the oven on. The kitchen can be chilly. Apple cake sounds delicious. I used to bake a lot, but none of us need the calories so rich foods are for special occasions only.

I love Groundhog Day. :cute: I use it for new beginnings, the way other people use New Year's Day.

 

[Homer]

No worries Maggie, I'll bring a spork and a paper plate.

:lol:

 

[MaggieJ]

What's this, Homer??? :? :x

You would dishonour the Groundhog by eating its feast with paper and plastic. Horrors!

 

[MOSSY NUT]

I have never heard of rabbit pie. I had to Google it. It sounds great. If I don't sell all my Americans I know where they will be going :twisted: I know how people are with their recipes so I won't even ask but do you debone yours?

 

[MaggieJ]

Mossy Nut, there is no secret about my rabbit pie! How could I justify not sharing something so delicious with my fellow RTers?

i-m-making-a-rabbit-pie-t3094.html

I don't really work from recipes, so you should be aware that substitutions work very well. As long as you stick to the basic method, the variations are limited only by your imagination and ingredients.

I know you are new to the forum, but I do suggest you check out our Rabbit Recipes forum. Lot of wonderful rabbit recipes to enjoy!

 

[MOSSY NUT]

WOW if that pie tasted anywhere near as good as it looked that must've been some feast. you've got my mouth watering. I can't wait to try this. My wife and I have been sick for the past week so tonight it's pizza so this didn't help. Also atleast down here alot of people guard their recipes and will not give them up which I never understood. but then again I've always heard that you Canadians were a right friendly bunch :lol:

 

[MaggieJ]

Hope you give it a try when you're feeling better, Mossy Nut. It IS very good, if I do say so myself. I don't mind sharing recipes here on RabbitTalk but I do think if I ever get enough good original ones together that it might be fun to write a recipe book.

 

[Homer]

What's this, Homer??? :? :x

You would dishonour the Groundhog by eating its feast with paper and plastic. Horrors!

Just checking to see if you're paying attention MJ. :lol:

 

[DogCatMom]

Candlemas is laid over an ancient cross-quarter day, Imbolc/Imbolg.

I just read this thread for the first time and am mildly surprised that the groundhog isn't being featured....but perhaps groundhogs aren't "ready" that early in February to be featured as the "guest of honor." :wink: Many gardeners, esp. in the Northeast (Canadian Southeast), fight with groundhogs every year for the privilege of eating their own hard-won produce. Since many of these gardeners live within city limits, the methods available to them for defeating the wily groundhog are...ah...limited.

Is this feast menu being limited (for purposes of super-charging the chef's creativity) to menu items traditionally available at this time of year? If so, dried fruits would be highly featured, as would nuts, seeds, root veggies, and whatever else the householder had on hand (e.g., butter, grains, what we consider "staples"). Dried fruits and root veggies were a winter staple for my ancestral cold-climate cultures: pre-industrial England, rural northern Italy (the South Tirol), pre-famine Irish and through them the ancient Celts. Occasionally dried meat, but RT folk need not necessarily observe that particular challenge!

 

[MaggieJ]

DogCatMom, we are making no effort to limit our menu in any way. We're just trying to have a little fun to brighten up the dreary winter.

I did think that putting groundhog on the menu (maybe in a pie) would be appropriate or ironic, depending on one's point of view, but since they are deep in hibernation under the snowdrifts, it would be impossible. They are not a big garden pest here. I've seen them closer to town, in parkland or greenbelts, but I've never seen one here on our land or nearby.

 

[DogCatMom]

Hmm...totally forgot that the dratted things hibernate!

Looking at "dried fruit, nuts, and seeds," as well as butter and sugar, I espy the beginnings of a decadent dessert/sweet dish. I'm not at all sure what it would be called--I just now thought it up--but a riff on pate (needs an accent mark):

Rough-chop with a knife the larger nuts and seeds (e.g., pecan halves, pumpkin seeds) and dried fruits (e.g., apricots, apples) until all fruit/nut pieces are a size between currants and raisins. Then add sufficient butter and brown sugar or honey (oooh, definitely decadent!) so that the ingredients hold together. Mold into whatever shape is desired--a small bowl might serve as a mold, or just the cook's hands, or perhaps knife blades if straight sides are desired. Cut/slice portions and eat!

No cooking, no refrigeration after the prep. Just eat.

 

[MaggieJ]

In spite of the unfavourable report from Ontario's oracle groundhog, Wiarton Willie, we went ahead with our modest feast. We are now stuffed.

Rabbit Pie
Red Currant Sauce ~ Candied Sweet Potatoes
Mushrooms in Sour Cream Sauce

Apple Crisp ~ Taffy Tarts​

No one had room for dessert, so I suppose we will have them with our coffee in the morning. And there are enough leftovers that I won't have to cook tomorrow... Always a bonus.

I think we have a new family tradition. My sister (the one with the cool restaurant in Ontario's cottage country) thinks a Groundhog Day Feast is a great idea. Maybe she will incorporate it into next year's plans for her restaurant.

 

[ilovehome]

I did not do it for groundhog's day, but did make rabbit pie last week. I use the recipe from The Pioneer Woman's turkey pot pie, but I add potatoes. It is delicious, and has become of of our favorites. I use a pint of canned rabbit. Her pot pie and crust recipes seem similar to yours. I bet yours was fantastic, too!

 

[MaggieJ]

Rabbit pie is delicious no matter when you make it! :dinner: