Halloween horror d'oeuvres

Last year when we hosted a Halloween dinner party for our friends one of the things I served was this HEAD cheese. Seriously? you ask. Well, yes I did.

I found the mold at Michaels so it can't be that bizarre can it?

OK, maybe it is... and it was a little hard to make that first cut into it. No one wanted to do it so I had to take matters into my own hands and I chopped off a cheek. I would have chopped off the nose but wait... there was no nose...

resting in a bed of lettuce...

chin up...

serious set of choppers going on here...

RIP Mr. Head Cheese

gah... I can't believe I broke my blogging drought with this post....

I will stand by the recipe though - I've made it several times and if you like head cheese, this is pretty darn good!

bwahahahahaha!!

Head Cheese

PREP 45 MIN | TOTAL 3 HRS

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed and cubed

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons dried parsley

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning

3 cups water

4-5 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1 cup boiling water

HEAT the oil in a 4 quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the cubed pork, and brown on all sides.

REDUCE heat to medium, and add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic.

SEASON with parsley, basil, salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Pour in 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Cover, and simmer over medium heat for 2 hours, stirring vigorously every 15 minutes. When the pork is ready, it should be completely shredded and reduced to a stringy consistency.

DISSOLVE the gelatin in 1 cup of boiling water, then stir into the pork mixture very well. Pour into a mold or casserole dish, and chill until set, about 8 hours. To unmold, dip the bottom of the mold in hot tap water for about 1 minute, then invert onto a serving tray. If it doesn't seem to be setting - reheat and add more gelatin.

SERVE with your favourite crackers.

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