Saturday, March 04, 2006

Whats in the pot, Granny?



Ptarmigan, the Alaska State Bird.

Thats right. We eat our state bird. In the form of Ptarmigan Enchiladas. Every March Mr. Fishtaxi goes birdhunting in the back yard. Valdez is a mecca this time of year for Ptarmigan. In the winter they turn white to blend in with the snow. When he gets over a dozen ptarmigan (the "p" is silent) I pressure cook them 75 minutes at 15# of pressure. The meat just falls off the bone and is so tender. Perfect for enchiladas. Ptarmigan flesh is red and when cooked tastes like the dark meat of chicken.

I use El Paso's Green Enchilada Sauce and Campbells Cream of Chicken. At the store I saw Campbells have a New Creamy Chicken Verde so I'm trying that this time. Says its great for enchiladas. I add green chilis and chopped black olives to the sauce anyway. And lots of cheese when building. I let everybody add their own hot stuff later since some people can't take hot.

Got busy while listening to the UAF Nanook Hockey game at Notre Dame on the radio and swept my kitchen and bathroom floor. Since it was sunny I hung the throw rugs outside for some fresh air. What a game! The Nanooks shut out Notre Dame in a best of 3 series in 2 games! Wylie had 39 saves tonight! The boys, er I mean men, wearing the blue & gold now head to somewhere in Michigan, possibly Michigan State for the next round of the CCHA playoffs next week-end. We all have a much appreciated day off Sunday from nerve wracking hockey. Thank-you Nanooks!

Getting ready to throw ptarmigan in the pot!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dear Martha,
Great photography. The recipe sounds really good...thank you for showing and telling the truth. I love you fishtaxi.

Sistah Sue