So with this recipe, I was initially intrigued by it because of its interesting shape and use of ingredients. I was a bit confused about why they used grapes in the recipe and wanted to see what it tasted like. But I thought that the sweetness of the grapes would taste weird with the rest of the ingredients, so I thought that olives might serve as a better tasting substitute for the irises, so I decided to use both and try each one.
To be honest, the grapes ones weren’t as bad as I initially thought, but I think that the salty bitterness of the olives works better with the savory meat mixture. Though I guess the naming pun doesn’t really make sense if you use olives. I guess instead maybe you could call it the Great Olive Wons or something…
Speaking of which, this dish is inspired by HP Lovecraft’s creature called the The Great Old Ones, which is the title for a group of giant cosmic entities, with the most famous of these probably being Cthulhu. I’m not really sure why these are shaped like eyes, but apparently the birthplace of the Great Old Ones, known as Lu-Kthu, looks kinda like an eye, so I guess that’s what it’s based on. Maybe if I incubate it, we’ll see a grown up Great Old One next week…
Ingredients:
- 16 Wonton Wrappers
- 1/4 Pound Bulk Italian Sausage
- 1/4 Pound Ground Beef
- 1 1/2 cups of Shredded Colby Jack Cheese
- 1/2 cup of Mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup of sour cream
- 1/4 cup of milk
- 2 teaspoons of ranch dressing
- 16 Red or Black Grapes [Substitute: Olives]
- Wasabi Paste
- Sriracha
Special Equipment:
- A cupcake pan
Step 1: Preheat Oven to 375°F
First, preheat the oven to 375°F. While we wait for that to warm up, we’ll cook the meat.
Step 2: Cook Meat Until No Longer Pink
In a large pan or skillet, cook about 1/4 pound of sausage and 1/4 pound of beef together over medium heat until no longer pink. This should take about 4-7 minutes.
While the meat is cooking, make sure to break it up, so that it’ll be easier to mix later.
Then, once that’s done, we will prep the wonton wrappers.
Step 3: Fold Wontons into Eye Sockets & Bake for ~3 Minutes
To fold these, first fold the top and bottom so that they touch. Then, fold the sides behind. And then open up the eyelids and place it into the muffin well.
These are kinda difficult to fold, but once you do it enough, it gets easier.
When those are ready and the oven is done preheating, put the wontons into the oven and let them bake for about 3 minutes or so, so that they firm up a little but are still pliable.
Once that’s done, take it out of the oven and let it cool. While we wait, we will create the mixture to put into the wontons.
Step 4: Mix Together Meat Filling & Fill Wonton Eye Sockets & Bake for 7-8 Minutes
In a large bowl, combine the meat mixture, 1 1/2 cups of cheese, 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, 1/4 cup of sour cream, 1/4 cup of milk, and 2 teaspoons of ranch dressing.
When that’s all mixed up, grab your wontons and carefully spoon the mixture into the wonton eye sockets.
When the eyes are ready, bake them for about 7 to 8 minutes.
Step 5: Prepare Grape/Olive Irises
While we wait for them to cook, we will prepare the grape or olive irises. In order to do this, cut off the tip of the grape to create a flat surface and then dot it with wasabi paste. Similarly, with the olives, cut it in half and dot it with wasabi paste.
Step 6: Remove from Oven & Garnish w/ Irises & Sriracha Sauce, & Serve
Once your eyes are ready, take them out of the oven and let it cool. While this is happening, press the prepared irises into the eyes while it’s still hot.
Then, garnish the eyes with sriracha, making it look bloodshot.
And with that, your Grape Old Wons are ready to eat.