Armadillo Eggs

Did you know armadillos lay eggs? Well, not exactly. These are jalapeños stuffed with two cheeses and covered with a spicy sage sausage “biscuit”. Yum !!

Ingredients:
10      lg    Jalapeño Chilies, green and fresh (whole)
¾       lb    Monterey Jack Cheese
¼    lb    Orange-Yellow Cheddar Cheese, sharp
½    lb    Spicy Sage Sausage (bulk)
1¼     c    Flour
1½    ts    Baking Powder
¼    ts    Salt
1    c     Breadcrumbs, fine

Preparation:
Cut the cheddar cheese into ⅜” cubes. Roll each cube between your palms to form a ball for the armadillo egg “yolk”.  Grate the Jack cheese, and then press a few teaspoons together to form an oblong shape around each “yolk”, to form the egg “white” — just enough to fit inside the jalapeños.

Remove stems and slit the jalapeños down one side only; scrape out the seeds and pith.  Stuff each jalapeño with a cheese assembly, adding more Jack cheese as necessary to completely fill the chilies.  Do not over-fill; the chilies must be able to close completely.

Mix the baking powder, salt and the flour. Combine the flour mix with the raw sausage and kneed with your hands until a stiff biscuit-like dough is formed. Grab a handful of dough, flatten it out into a circle big enough to engulf a jalapeño about 1/8- to 3/16-inch thick all around, and then mold it around in the shape of an egg. Do this for each jalapeño.

Roll the armadillo eggs in the breadcrumbs. Deep-fry until golden (for a lower fat version, bake on a baking sheet at 350ºF (180ºC) for about 15- to 20-minutes, or until golden).

Allow to cool 5-minutes before serving. Serve as an appetizer with ice-cold dark ale.

Note:  Try making a few “bloody” armadillo eggs mixed in with the others. Simply add a dab of extra-hot and thick hot sauce or taco sauce to the inside of the jalapeños before stuffing with cheese.