How to Cook A Kitten.

My wife, children and I went out for lunch, and came home with two kittens. And, God, were those kittens delicious. Here's what I do:

In about 1/4'' of extra-virgin olive oil I sautee' slivers of garlic. Not slices, because they'd just melt. Take the sauteed garlic out and dry it on a paper towel.

Next, reduce the oil to about 250F --use a candy thermometer if you have one-- and drop in the kittens. (For you novices out there, the kittens should be parboiled, which aids in the removal of the skin.)

Fry them at 250F for about 90 seconds each side. Then remove them, heat the oil to about 450F and put 'em in again. This flash fry will seal in the delicious juices, while the pre-fry makes the meat more tender.

Once the kittens are done (probably3-5 minutes), put them aside and discard all but 3 tablespoons of the oil. Stir-fry 4 oz. of water chestnuts, 4 oz. of baby corn and diagonally-cut broccoli rabe. 30 seconds or so should do it.

Serve them together with a cold ginger reduction, topped with chopped wild scallions and 1/2 tsp. of Flying Fish roe.

As an aside, starting this course with a Belgian Endive and Salmon en Papillote makes the kitten meat really pop with flavor.