Mock Rabbit

[catnhatnh]

...This recipe is for an Irish immigrant dish passed down from my Grandmother who needed a cheap way to prepare meals for her 12 children.Though it looks pricey now, at the time the ingredients were among the cheapest available-hamburger meat,slab bacon,cheese, tomatoes, and onions. That's right-a casserole that is basically a bacon-cheeseburger.Call it what you want but PLEASE don't call it meatloaf...poor old Granny would spin in her grave.

3 LBS ground beef
1 1/2 LBS slab bacon
1 1/2 LBS sharp cheddar
2-3 large onion
2 28 oz cans whole tomatoes

This is a peasant dish and it shows in the preparation. Pre heat your oven to 400 degrees. Bacon should be cut into 1/2-3/4 inch cubes..depending on the quality if the slab some will be mostly fat-that's ok add them anyway for the flavor. Anyone who can't bear the thought of eating chunks of fat (think of the pieces in pork and beans) can easily remove them at the table.Add the bacon to the ground beef in a LARGE oven proof bowl and gently mix by hand.Coarsely chop the onions add and mix.Open tomatoes and drain into meat mixture.Now comes the fun part...you'll want your sink running to wash your hands after this or your significant other standing by with paper towels.Take the whole tomatoes and crush them by hand and hand mix into meat mixture along with the can juices..you want to leave large chunks of crushed pulp.Now remove your GREASY hands and clean.Cut your cheddar into sticks about 1/2 x1/2 by 2-3 inches.Insert the sticks vertically into the dish pushing to the bottom with some and others only to the level of the top.Place in oven.After 30 minutes remove from oven and set oven to 350 degrees.The mock rabbit should have shrunken back from the edges of the bowl and still contain large amounts of pan juice-remove this to a small sauce pan for your gravy base (I use a turkey baster for this).Skim away any grease you wish though the family recipe calls on retaining some.Pop the bowl back into the oven for 1 hour.Remove pan juices again halfway through this cooking and again on completion.
The gravy is thickened with either flour or cornstarch-again to taste (I'm a cornstarch guy).In our family the traditional side with this dish is (oddly enough) large ziti noodles smothered in gravy though I suppose mashed potatoes would be fine. Enjoy....

PS:Why "MOCK RABBIT"??? I think it is because even fully cooked the meat remains very red due to the presence of tomato juices and the strong overall flavors.

PPS:On edit-I have refused to share this recipe with others locally, but for my DU family...well-you're different.Enjoy.

[NMDemDist2]

1. wow! I think my hubby would LOVE that! I'll have to try it n/t

[catnhatnh]

2. For all who try it....

...please let me in on your results and opinions...Thanks

[mandyky]

3. I buy Italian stewed tomatoes

and crush them with my bare hands all the time because it looks like they are sliced in quarters. I use them in chili and my spaghetti sauce and most of my other tomato sauce recipes.

I'll have to try this one. Would it ruin it adding some green pepper and mushrooms?

[catnhatnh]

4. Add what you like...

...and green pepper might be good.I'm afraid the strong flavor of the basic dish would probably drown out the mushrooms -but nothing ventured,nothing gained....

[catnhatnh]

5. Also.....

I am a texture freak and often add stuff I know I won't "taste" to pop a texture surprise into the blend....so while for me it would be sacrilege to add your suggestions, a cook's gotta do what a cook's gotta do...Cheers

[OldLeftieLawyer]

6. Sandwiches?

This sounds like, cold, it would make brilliant sandwiches. Does it?

Please excuse me. I just licked my monitor.

[Stinky The Clown]

7. Ewwwww

hahahahahahahahahahaha

[catnhatnh]

8. The sandwich would be delicious...

...but probably messy as hell.Unlike meatloaf, which holds up so well on bread,this has no egg or breadcrumbs to bind it and tends to chunk apart rather than slice...then if you are like me, the amount of gravy you use is ANOTHER bread hazard....