(Apologies for the long ass recipie but I liked it so much)
Recipie for Possum Stew:
Take 1 whole possum, skin it, remove the glands and quarter the meat. Place the possum in a large pot, cover completely with cold water, and stir in 1/2 cup of salt. Allow this to soak for about 12 to 24 hours (it seems like a long time but you're very busy in the woods, im sure)
Drain the soaking water and rinse the meat in cool running water, then put it in a large pot once again, cover with water like last time, and bring to a rolling boil for about 30 minutes, skim out anything that floats to the top
Drain boiling water once again, and refill the pot, bring to a gentle simmer and allow this to sit for 6-8 hours (again, you have time, theres cryptid buisness to tend to) or until the meat falls off the bone
Remove meat from pit with slotted spoon and allow to cool, do not discard the broth, you will need it. Once the meat is cooled, remove it from the bone and shred it, discard the bones.
In a second large pot, add 4 oz of salt pork, cook on medium high for 8-10 minutes until the fat is rendered off. Next, add 1 diced yellow onion, 2 peeled and chopped carrots, and 2 chopped celery sticks into the pork fat and cook for about 10 minutes
Then add in the shredded possum, as well as 4 peeled and cubed russet potatoes and 2 bay leaves. After this, add in about 7 cups of the saved broth and optionally add 1 can of diced tomatoes. Be sure to have enough liquid to cover all the ingredients, then boil and reduce for about 35 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are soft
In a small separate bowl, mix together 2 tbsp of flour with 1/4 cup of cold water, stir together to create a slurry and slowly add this into the stew, stirring as you add.
Taste test and add salt and pepper, and thyme optinally, to your liking as well as other seasonings if you so choose, PLEASE REMEMBER TO REMOVE THE BAY LEAVES BEFORE EATING
I made this for land dwelling cryptids specifically, if anyone would like one for marine cryptids I would be happy to do so!
