6-8 generous servings

This is Mom’s recipe for her favorite crock pot meal. She swears there is nothing better to make in a slow cooker. She is a really wonderful cook, so it is worthy of passing on to my fellow frozen Alaskan foodies.

Ingredients:

1 pound Michigan Navy beans, rinsed and drained

2 pounds of moose, venison or beef; basically, any red meat you can cut into 1 inch cubes

4 large onions, sliced thin

1/2 pound of salt pork or bacon cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon oregano

Salt and pepper

1 or 2 pound package of carrots cut into 2-inch chunks

1 12-ounce bottle of beer

Directions:

The night before the day you plan to serve the soup, pour six cups boiling water over beans in a big bowl and allow to soak overnight.

Fry the salt pork or bacon until lightly browned, remove from pan; add red meat to fat in pan and brown. Refrigerate until morning. In the morning, drain the beans, and pour into slow cooker set on high.

Add remaining ingredients in the following order on top of the beans: a little salt and pepper, bottle of beer, one bay leaf, onion slices, a little salt and pepper, bacon or pork cubes, one bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, a little salt and pepper, carrot chunks, a little salt and pepper, meat cubes, and one more shower of salt and pepper.

Cook covered 5-6 hours. Check beans for tenderness after 4 hours. If things seem to be cooking fast (I have a slow cooker that does cook quite high), turn cooker to low after about 2 or 3 hours and allow dinner to cook another 2 to 3 hours.

DILLINGHAM SOUP

Makes 3 or 4 servings

From Gordon Nelson’s

Lowbush Moose (and Other Alaskan Recipes)

I received this cook book when my husband and I were stationed on Adak Island in the Aleutians over 25 years ago. It cost $5.95 and was authored by a retired trooper who was a father to six kids. It is dog-eared and the binding is taped from being used so many times — the best compliment that could be made to its author.

Ingredients:

2 cups celery, diced

4 tablespoons butter

5 tablespoons flour

2 cups chicken stock or broth

Salt and black pepper

2 egg yolks, beaten

1/4 cup milk or cream

1/4 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

Sauté the celery in a little butter or olive oil until tender. Remove from pan and set aside.

Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the flour, mixing until smooth. Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the chicken broth and some salt and pepper. Stir until smooth. Mix the egg yolks into the milk or cream and add to the mixture. Return to the stove and simmer 10 minutes.