Sheeps Pig

Slash food blog always comes through when I'm looking for something....different ~
Getting tired of plain ol' bacon? How about trying some tasty sheep pig? Yup, that's right: Sheep pig. It's not actually a cross between a sheep and a pig, but rather a really woolly pig -- imagine a pig with a perm and you get the picture.

The pigs are an ancient rare breed hailing from Hungary. They're called either Mangalica, Mangaliza or Mangalitsa hogs (depends what suburb of Budapest you come from) and their maroon hued meat is very rich and fatty. They fell out of favor because they can't be kept in small pens and the demand for marbled pork fell, but in the last few years the breed has been revived.

In the 1990's, a Spanish jamon company established a breeding program in Hungary and now D'Artagnan (a specialty meat purveyor) distributes the ham throughout the New York region.


I want to share this delicious pate I found on BH&G a few years ago. It's one of my favorites, especially after you let the flavors meld...
Lemongrass Shrimp Pate

ingredients
1/2 cup water
2 stalks lemongrass, cut up
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
1/3 cup snipped fresh cilantro
3 cloves garlic, quartered
1 small fresh red chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups finely chopped, cooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp (8 ounces)
Cooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp (optional)
Cilantro sprigs (optional)
Assorted crackers
directions
1. Bring water and lemongrass to boiling in a small saucepan. Remove from heat; cover and let stand until cool, about 30 to 45 minutes. Strain, reserving liquid; discard lemongrass. (Add water, if necessary, to liquid to equal 1/2 cup.) Return liquid to saucepan. Sprinkle with gelatin; let stand 5 minutes to soften. Cook and stir over low heat just until gelatin dissolves; cool slightly.

2. Combine cream cheese, sour cream, cilantro, garlic, chili pepper, and salt in a food processor bowl or blender container; add gelatin mixture. Cover and process or blend until well-combined. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl; stir in the 1-1/2 cups shrimp.

3. Line a 7x3-1/2x3-inch loaf pan or a 3-1/2- to 4-cup bowl or mold with plastic wrap. Spread shrimp mixture evenly in container. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours. Unmold onto a serving platter; remove plastic wrap. If desired, garnish with additional cooked shrimp and fresh cilantro sprigs. Serve with assorted crackers. Makes 12 servings.

nutrition facts
Calories 138, Total Fat (g) 11, Saturated Fat (g) 7, Cholesterol (mg) 70, Sodium (mg) 145, Carbohydrate (g) 2, Fiber (g) 0, Protein (g) 8, Vitamin A (DV%) 0, Vitamin C (DV%) 3, Calcium (DV%) 5, Iron (DV%) 5, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Enjoy!
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