Who doesn't love Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow where Ichabod Crane is chased by the Headless Horseman and is never seen in Sleepy Hollow again? One can assume that he either did not survive that harrowing and unpleasant evening, or was so incredibly frightened that he kept going as far out of town as possible. The story is often told or shown on the big screen around Halloween, and anyone having a BOO-ffet will want to feature Ichabod's Innards as a main dish.

In keeping with the Halloween rules for gross and disgusting food, these innards (intestines) are made from highest quality bratwurst sausages, onions, fresh jalapenos and a few other fresh ingredients, and they taste really good. The suggestion that they are offal makes them fit right in as an absolutely disgusting foodstuff, and some guests may not dare eat them. That’s okay, however, because there will be more for you to eat after the party. I like to serve these with either Transylvanian Coffin Buns or Wicked Witch’s Fingers (made shorter and fatter than when they are made into breadsticks), with plenty of good hot mustard. You can substitute any kind of favorite sausages, such as New York or Red Wine (made by Colosamo’s) which are slightly spicy, or even Italian sausages. Although these intestines are much better when made with uncured (raw) sausage, you can also use fully cooked ones such as frankfurters, Polish sausage, or Chorizo.

18 Servings

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 medium onions, quartered and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 to 6 fresh jalapeno peppers, cored and sliced
3/4 cup brown sugar

3 pounds bratwurst sausages, or other uncured sausage, preferably attached with casings
2 12 oz. bottles beer
2 teaspoons caraway seeds

1. Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven.
2. Add the onions, garlic, and jalapeno peppers.
3. Stir over medium heat until the onions begin to soften.
4. Add the bratwurst sausages (don't separate them - they look more like intestines when they are connected by the casings).
5. Sprinkle with the brown sugar; pour the beer over all and sprinkle with the caraway seeds.
6. Cover and bring to a boil.
7. Turn down to a simmer; tilt the lid slightly and let the mixture cook down until there is very little liquid, about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
8. Serve on buns with plenty of good hot mustard.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 300 Calories from Fat 185
Percent Total Calories From:
Fat 61% Protein 16% Carb. 20%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 21 g
Saturated Fat 7 g
Cholesterol 45 mg
Sodium 428 mg
Total Carbohydrate 15 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 12 g

Vitamin A 22% Vitamin C 49% Calcium 0% Iron 8%