The Armadillo story

[wolf]

Anybody got recipes for armored puppy? Is it worth the trouble of extracting them from those darn shells, or do you cook 'em like clams or mussels and just sort of scoop them out?

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by wolf

Anybody got recipes for armored puppy? Is it worth the trouble of extracting them from those darn shells, or do you cook 'em like clams or mussels and just sort of scoop them out?

I did a quick search and there are a number of sites with reciepes. I have never done it. They are a big pest in this area and from stuff I have read they are slowly migrating up the coast and can now be found in some southern parts of North Carolina. Eventually they will be found everywhere as they adapt.

http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/misc/ar...armadillo.html

http://www.hunter-ed.com/wildlife/sm....htm#armadillo

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Originally Posted by wolf

Anybody got recipes for armored puppy? Is it worth the trouble of extracting them from those darn shells, or do you cook 'em like clams or mussels and just sort of scoop them out?

SF author Ardath Mayhar's contribution to Serve It Forth: Cooking with Anne McCaffrey was "How (and Why) to Dress and Prepare Texas Armadillo," basically as a staple rather than a single dish. Her procedure ran like so:

If an armadillo wakes you up at four-thirty scraping along the house foundations, take your .22, shoot the armadillo. You're already awake so the report is unlikely to surprise you. Hang armadillo in tree to drain 'til morning.

Hose down well before cleaning. The belly hair is always full of grit and sand.

Wear rubber gloves to avoid any (remote) chance of contracting leprosy.

'Dillos are clean to dress out; stomach generally contains roots and grass. The upper shell isn't much problem; a sharp knife can be slipped around between shell and meat without much trouble. The underbelly is of very tough hide, hard to get into.

Disjoint with a hatchet to take apart its legs, as they are about knifeproof.

Armadillo may be roasted whole, or the haunches and shoulders for boiling. There's hardly any meat on the ribs. Once you've cleaned the meat, you may roast, boil with dumplings, or cook in a covered pan. Sounds a little like it'd braise well. The meat, says Ardath, is very tender, and a coating of seasonings (salt, pepper, sage, or other favorites) and flour holds in the juices.

For dumplings, cut meat into 1" chunks, boil until tender, adding salt and pepper to taste. Make up dumplings, simmer with armadillo chunks.

"...[A]n armadillo hunt might be a good way to learn how to hunt an alien. They are about as alien as you can get."

Roasted 'dillo might go with another recipe from the same book, Nancy Etchemendy's "Basque Potatoes with Wine."

Ingredients:
5 TBSP Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, peeled, mashed
1 sm Onion, peeled, sliced thin
Garlic Salt, to taste, optional
5 med Potatoes, sliced thin
Black Pepper, to taste
4 TBSP fresh Parsley, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine, or red for a variation

Equipment: 12" frying pan, chef knife, spatula/turner. Stove too.

Heat Olive Oil in frying pan on med-high heat. Sauté Garlic and Onion until onion is transparent and just beginning to brown. Push everything to sides of pan, cover bottom of pan with layer of sliced Potatoes. Sprinkle with Salt, Pepper, and chopped Parsley. Add another layer of potatoes and sprinkle this with salt, pepper, parsley, and repeat yet again. Should have about three layers of potatoes. Scoop the onions from the pan sides onto the top of the potatoes, frying potatoes and onions until potatoes are tender, turning potatoes every four to five minutes, with the pan kept hot enough to brown the potatoes on the bottom. When all the potatoes are cooked through and some are browned and slightly crispy, pour the Wine over all. White makes for a light flavor, red more robust and better pairing with steak or lamb. A Bordeaux is particularly good this way.

On medium high heat, toss entire mixture lightly until wine has evaporated -- 2-3 minutes. Serves 4-5.