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Quick & EasyBy Beverly Barbour
Alaska is all that it's cracked up to beI've had a couple of strokes of great, good luck lately. It all began with a friend of my husband's, named Bob. He came back from Alaska laden with tapes, photos and lots of enthusiasm. Actually he stated that he came back a changed man...he wants to go back. When those tapes hit our player and my hero's eyes, he turned to me and said as casually as he could manage, "Any interest in going to Alaska to check on your God-daughter, Julie? You haven't seen her for a while, have you?" The answer was, "You bettcha (as they say in Fargo)." So with the wave of a magic wand, in the form of airline mileage earned at the grocery store (we're big eaters), we hustled on up from the "Lower 48" as the Alaskans say. We soon found out that friend Bob had been, If anything, too modest in his tales from Alaska. We were overwhelmed in many, many ways. The Alaskans take for granted what we regard as wild, wonderful and exotic. Example: The moose who wandered through the streets on the TV series "Northern Exposure, " seems remarkably like the moose who visited Julie's garden and kept her children out of school for half a day, not to watch the big fellas feast, but because they are to dangerous to risk the distance between house and car. He is a regular caller, or maybe it's his family. The Coghill residence, in the middle of Fairbanks, is definitely high on the moose-mooch-a-meal circuit. There is plenty going on up there, plenty to see, and plenty of things old and new to eat. Alaska is as close to the pioneer-frontier as anything I've seen yet. I guess what I enjoyed most (aside from being with Julie and her family) was the seemingly classless society. Alaskan's native Americans (five major tribes each with their own language, style of dress and housing, and with differing traditions) appear to blend seamlessly and affectionately with the wide diversity of people who have made their way north from the lower 48. There is a lot of respect and admiration among the people for each other and for the visitors who happen along in the summer time. We saw a lot of wildfowl and big game and found the reindeer sausage beats any other sausage ever tasted. Hunting season was about to open for moose in Alaska and one out of four hunters would be successful in bringing home enough meat to feed a family of four for a year. A good reason for running the risk and hunting moose. The other is that moose meat really does taste good and tongue is considered a delicacy. ROAST MOOSE SUPREMERecipe taken from the Fairbanks daily newspaper, This could be used with any big game animal such as buffalo, deer, elk, bear or even antelope. 3 to 4 lb. roast Soak roast in water with 1/2 cup vinegar overnight. Rinse and dry well. Brush with some of the wine. Shake on tenderizer, salt, pepper and garlic powder (or lard the roast with bits of fresh garlic). Place lemon slices on top of roast. Place salt pork over lemon slices and secure with toothpicks. Cover roasting pan and place in 300F. oven for 4 to 5 hours or less. The long, slow cooking will help tenderize the meat. To help keep it moist bast often. Basting Sauce: In top of double boiler melt butter; add honey, orange juice, remainder of wine and rosemary. Baste frequently to keep moist while roasting. When we visited the treasured old Kitty Hensley House in Fairbanks we bought the cookbook put out by Pioneer Auxiliary No. 8 as one way of raising money to save some of the old buildings in what is now a modern middle-sized city. The book can be ordered for $15.00 plus $3.50 postage and packing, by contacting: Kitty Hensley House, P.O. Box 70656, Fairbanks, AK 99707-0656. There are lots of recipes for all kinds of wild birds and animals plus a lot of other down-to-mother-earth recipes in the 315 page, spiral-bound book. MARILYN NIGRO'S POOR MAN'S LOBSTERAlaskan halibut and salmon are the best ever tasted but heir lobster come from Maine. water Bring pot of water to a boil with the sugar and salt. Add halibut and boil until pieces rise to the top. FLUFFY LEMON SAUCE FOR FISH1 tablespoon butter Melt butter; blend in flour, salt and paprika. Add milk gradually and cook, stirring constantly until thickened. Stir in mayor and lemon juice. Heat, but do not boil. Serve warm over poached or baked fish. Makes almost 1 cup. DEFINITELY PUT ALASKA ON YOUR GOTT-DO-IT LIST
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