3 Pure Michigan Recipes for Groundhog

It really doesn't matter what the groundhog predicts on February 2, now does it? (Punxsutawney Phil says there'll be six more weeks of winter, by the way.)

We're not even close to being done with winter in Michigan — and we know it. We still have weeks and weeks of cold temperatures and snow to deal with before things begin to moderate once again.

Are you tired of winter? Maybe you can get on board with this. Maybe it's time we send Punxsutawney Phil a little... message.

READ MORE: Michigan Has Its Own Weather-Predicting Rodent

Here are three tasty Pure Michigan recipes for groundhog.

Groundhog Pasties

Works especially well in those recipes that call for ground "chuck". (We're going to use woodchuck.)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground groundhog or woodchuck meat
• 1 small Vidalia onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup rutabaga, sliced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 baking potato, peeled and diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper (your preference)
• pie crust

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix together groundhog meat, all vegetables and all seasonings in a large bowl. Roll pie crust dough into 4 circles (about 6" to 8" across) and place onto cookie sheet. Place about 1 cup's worth of the groundhog mixture onto one side of each dough circle and fold over. Crimp edges to seal groundhog mixture inside dough pocket. Using a fork, poke holes in the top for steam to get out. Cook for roughly 60 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 4.

Cherry Groundhog Stew

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of groundhog meat, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup of pitted dried cherries
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• salt and pepper (your preference)

Directions:

Soak cherries in a bowl with about 1/2 a cup of warmed beef stock. In a large pan, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of butter over high heat. Season the groundhog with salt and pepper and add to pan, browning all sides. Move browned meat to large pot. Reheat large pan with remaining olive oil over medium-high heat, and sauté onions until they become translucent (10 minutes or so). Add coriander, cinnamon and ginger and sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup of beef stock, then add onion/spice mixture to pot with the groundhog meat. Simmer covered pot over low-medium heat for 45 minutes, then add contents of bowl with soaked cherries and beef stock. Simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes or until groundhog meat is very tender. Stir in honey, and additional salt and pepper to taste. Serves 2-4.

Groundhog Coneys

Start with your favorite bun, and favorite hot dog (we recommend Koegel's.) The secret is in this groundhog sauce.

Sauce ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground groundhog meat
• 5 beef hot dogs, ground up
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 cups of water

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large pan and cook over low-medium heat until mixture cooks to a dry and crumbly consistency. If too greasy, add bread crumbs to soak up excess. Serves 2-4.