Little Irish Hog Recipes

OLD FASHIONED ENGLISH BREAKFAST SAUSAGE (OR SAUSAGE PATTIES)

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in a large bowl,mixing well to assure spices are evenly distributed.
• Form into patties, refrigerate several hours to allow spices to blend.
• Fry over medium heat until well browned and cooked through, with no pink showing.
• NOTE this mixture may be stuffed into small casings, making 3-4 inch links, your guests will be so impressed!

TIM O'TOOLE'S FAMOUS STUFFED QUAHOGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring water to a boil over high heat. Add sausage links; reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove links from broth; reserve the broth. Remove casings from the sausage.
• Bring the broth back to a simmer and add the quahogs; cook until they open, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the quahogs; reserve the broth. Remove the cooked quahogs from the shells. Separate the shell halves. If necessary wash the shells.
• Place the sausage and quahog meat into the bowl of a food processor; process until chopped, about 12 seconds, depending on your processor. Scrape mixture into a bowl. Add chopped onion to the processor; chop about 5 seconds. Stir in to the meat mixture.
• Make the full container of stuffing according to package directions, using the margarine, and substituting the sausage/clam broth for water. There may be more broth than you need.
• Mix together the stuffing and sausage/clam/onion mixture. Spoon filling into empty clam shell halves and top each with a small pat of butter (about a third of a teaspoon).
• Place the shells on a baking pan; bake in the preheated oven until toasty brown on top, 15 to 20 minutes.

LITTLE JEWEL "IRISH CHANNEL" ROAST BEEF PO'BOY WITH DEBRIS GRAVY

Steps:

• For the roast beef: Preheat the oven to 270 degrees F or to 250 degrees F on a convection setting.
• Combine the cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, salt, basil and thyme in a bowl and incorporate. Completely cover the roast with the dry rub ingredients.
• Combine the beef broth, beer and Worcestershire in a large roasting pan, then add the bay leaves, carrots, onions and celery all around the edges. Put the roast in the center. Cover pot tightly with 2 layers of aluminum foil. Bake "slow and low" until it is soft, 8 to 10 hours.
• Remove the roast and shred with a fork. Save all the meat juices in the pan for the gravy.
• For the debris gravy: Melt the butter, then add the flour a little at a time, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking, until a blonde roux forms, about 10 minutes.
• Put roast beef drippings in a pot with 2 cups shredded beef and bring to a boil, then reduce heat. (Add canned beef stock if you want it thinner.) Slowly whisk in the blonde roux and cook, whisking, until it achieves desired gravy thickness.
• New Orleans-style po'boy sandwiches are traditionally served "dressed". That means lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and mayonnaise (the eggier the better!).
• You will need toasted and split French baguettes (hollow them out to make more room for the beef). Fully dress those suckers! (Add onions if you like.)
• Also, a good Louisiana-style hot sauce is recommended. Put lots of hot shredded roast beef on the sandwich and top it generously with piping hot "debris gravy". Eat it with an ice-cold beer for the authentic experience. Bon appetit!

THE LITTLE IRISH WHISKEY CAKE

Steps:

• Place lemon zest and the raisins in a small bowl and cover with 1/4 cup of whiskey.
• Cover with plastic wrap and leave to soak overnight.
• When ready to prepare the cake, lightly butter a 7-inch square cake pan.
• Line the base with parchment paper.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer (or mix by hand).
• Beat the butter until creamy.
• Add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is light and creamy.
• Add the egg yolks and beat them into the mixture one at a time.
• Remove the lemon zest from the raisin and whiskey mixture.
• Chop some of the zest very finely, about 1 Tbsp, and add to the egg and sugar mixture along with the raisins and whiskey.
• Gently stir into the mixture.
• In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff.
• Fold them into the egg and sugar mixture alternately with the flour.
• Don't overmix.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface.
• Sprinkle with the sugar and bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until it springs back gently when touched and a tester emerges clean.
• Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes.
• Turn out onto a cake rack set over a plate so that the cake is upside down.
• Use a skewer to make about 6 or 8 little holes in the cake's base (don't go all the way through) and pour the remaining bit of whiskey into the holes.
• Let sit for another 15 minutes, then invert and let cool completely before cutting into thick fingers and serving.

HOGS IN BLANKETS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°.
• Cook sausage according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, make pancake mix using 2 cups of pancake mix and 1 1/2 cups of milk. You want the pancake to be thinner than normal. They are easier to wrap around the sausage when they are thinner.
• Heat a non-stick griddle.
• Pour a scant 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle. Make 12 pancakes or however many sausage you have.
• Cook pancakes until golden brown.
• Remove to a wire rack to cool.
• Wrap a pancake around a sausage and place seam side down in a greased baking dish.
• Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes at 350° or just until heated through.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
• Serve with syrup.

PIGS IN A BLANKET FOR BIG KIDS....ALSO CALLED HOGS IN A SLEEPING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Open the crescent rolls and separate them down the lines into the triangles.
• Cut the sausages in half so you have 8 pieces.
• Start with the tall side of the triangle. Roll the sausage in the crescent dough, tucking the bottom point up when you start to roll. You should finish with the point. My Dad said they looked like they were wrapped up in a sleeping bag -- hence the name he gave them "Hogs in a Sleeping Bag" since it was the big smoked sausage.
• Bake them on a cookie sheet at 375 for 11-13 minutes, or until the crescnet rolls are golden.
• You can serve them with spicy mustard, honey mustard, or barbecue sauce.

LITTLE IRISH HOG

Steps:

• Pound out the pork cutlets to 1/2 inch thickness.
• You can use smaller pieces of meat, and divide the ingredients accordingly.
• Mix seasonings together. Season both sides with the seasoning, just to coat lightly.
• Lay half of the corned beef on each piece of pork, to within 1/2 inch of edge.
• Spread the sauerkraut, on top of the corned beef.
• Place the cheese slices on top of this, then start rolling the meat toward the opposite end. (Like you would with cinnamon rolls).
• Secure with butcher string, in two or three places, tuck ends in if you wish.
• I use a heavy cast iron skillet, heated, with a drizzle of olive oil in the bottom.
• Cook over medium-low heat, on all four sides, rotating every 5 minutes.
• More oil may be added if necessary.
• Put a lid on and cook an additional 10 minutes.
• When all browned, and you can see the cheese start to ooze out the end, plate and let rest a few minutes before cutting away string.
• I appreciate your comments on this one!
• I may be off on the amount of filling for each one.
• ** these may be grilled also, but finish the cooking with the meat rolls placed on aluminum foil, or the goodies will run out!
• Freezes well, from the raw stage. Un-thaw before cooking.