A treat today if you are peckish, the full on belly busting, diet denying, tum-expansion inducing carb and fat fest that is the good old English Toad in the Hole. Get in mah belly!!!!
Batter for the pudding
100g plain flour, 2 medium (always free range) eggs, third of a pint of milk, salt and pepper. Sift the flour into a bowl (air, darling, air) and crack in the 2 eggs and add the milk and seasoning. Whisk briskly and combine into a thickish emulsion. Leave to rest for at least an hour before use.
Preparation
Pre-heat oven to 200c (450f). Cut a selection of seasonal vegetables into equal sized chunks - I would suggest carrot, potato and parsnip for a winter treat, alongside perhaps turnip or sweet potato and red onion and place these in a roasting tray in the oven to roast off for 45 mins. Once cooked, remove to serve and deglaze the roasting tn with beef stock, a glass of red wine and a tablespoon of redcurrant jelly to make the gravy.
For the toad
When you begin roasting the vegetables, put a round pyrex dish in the oven with some lard or odourless fat to become smoking hot and brown the outsides of 3 quality butcher's sausages (Powters or similar are very good)
then with 40 mins cooking time remaining, transfer to the pyrex dish and pour in the batter mix to cover the sausages (do this immediately and return quickly to the oven). The sausages will be the 'toads' hidden in the yorkshire pudding.
To serve
If the fat was nice and hot, the pudding should come out whole and sit nicely on a dinner plate. Place the roasted veg inside the pudding and smother the lot with the gravy you have prepared. Eat and save the regret for hotter, more whimsical days. This is all about feeling well-fed and contented!
Variations on a theme
Try italian sausage and/or Chorizo instead of pork sausages. A small amount of English mustard powder in the pudding mix adds a kick to a Yorkshire pudding as well.
Enjoy!
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Thursday, 28 October 2010
The Mudpuddler's guide to food, part the third, Thai broth and Mussels
Thought I'd treat you this week to an extremely low fat, and very fragrant dish that you can have for a light dinner or supper, or as a starter to a formal meal. It features mussels steamed open and served with a fragrant thai broth and is exceptionally easy to prepare.
For the broth
Set a small amount of water to boil and add in a thinly chopped shallot (or two), a finely sliced chilli and julienne ginger alongside a couple of minced garlic cloves. Add thinly sliced spring onions. Allow these to infuse for a bit before adding a handful of chopped kaffir lime leaves and some fish sauce (Nam Pla) along with a glass of dry sherry or rice wine vinegar.
Meanwhile
Prepare the Mussels by washing and 'debearding' them, discarding any which remain open after a sharp tap. The mussels should be added to the broth and allowed to steam open, any which do not open should be thrown out. The mussel liquor will add bulk and flavour to the broth.
And to finish
Chop a good handful of coriander which should be added at the end for garnish and flavour. Whilst this broth is an excellent slimming supper or starter, it can easily be bulked out to main portion size with the addition of vermicelli or rice noodles.
For the broth
Set a small amount of water to boil and add in a thinly chopped shallot (or two), a finely sliced chilli and julienne ginger alongside a couple of minced garlic cloves. Add thinly sliced spring onions. Allow these to infuse for a bit before adding a handful of chopped kaffir lime leaves and some fish sauce (Nam Pla) along with a glass of dry sherry or rice wine vinegar.
Meanwhile
Prepare the Mussels by washing and 'debearding' them, discarding any which remain open after a sharp tap. The mussels should be added to the broth and allowed to steam open, any which do not open should be thrown out. The mussel liquor will add bulk and flavour to the broth.
And to finish
Chop a good handful of coriander which should be added at the end for garnish and flavour. Whilst this broth is an excellent slimming supper or starter, it can easily be bulked out to main portion size with the addition of vermicelli or rice noodles.
Saturday, 23 October 2010
The Mudpuddler's guide to food, Sea Bass Supper
Thought I would share another of my favourite recipes with you, this one is perfect for a supper dish, or a light evening meal or luncheon, and is pan fried Sea Bass fillets with a chunky salsa side.
For the Salsa side (serves 2 good portions)
Put 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a mixing bowl and dice a red onion and add. Dice a red pepper into the same size of dice and the same with a half cucumber (cut the cucmber lengthways and scrape out the watery seeds first leaving just the outer flesh). Add to this mixture a half teaspoon of dried chilli flakes and a chopped chilli of your preferred heat and the juice of half a lemon (or the whole lemon to taste) and mix well, seasoning with sea salt and black pepper until the flavour is balanced to your liking. Serve as a side with halved cherry or plum tomatos added.
For the Sea Bass Fillets (2 per portion)
Heat a non-stick pan on high and ensure that you oil the fish and NOT the pan, fry the fillets skin side down for 3 minutes until the skin is crispy (crispy skin is delicious, if you prefer not to eat the skin, 2 minutes here will suffice). Remove the pan from the heat and flip the fillets over, squeezing the juice of half a lime into the pan and allowing the flesh to cook off in the residual heat for 2 minutes (3 if thicker fillets and on the hob for the first minute).
Serve with the remaining half of lime as garnish/condiment.
For a more substantial early summer meal, delicious served with Jersey royal potatos and butter.
For the Salsa side (serves 2 good portions)
Put 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a mixing bowl and dice a red onion and add. Dice a red pepper into the same size of dice and the same with a half cucumber (cut the cucmber lengthways and scrape out the watery seeds first leaving just the outer flesh). Add to this mixture a half teaspoon of dried chilli flakes and a chopped chilli of your preferred heat and the juice of half a lemon (or the whole lemon to taste) and mix well, seasoning with sea salt and black pepper until the flavour is balanced to your liking. Serve as a side with halved cherry or plum tomatos added.
For the Sea Bass Fillets (2 per portion)
Heat a non-stick pan on high and ensure that you oil the fish and NOT the pan, fry the fillets skin side down for 3 minutes until the skin is crispy (crispy skin is delicious, if you prefer not to eat the skin, 2 minutes here will suffice). Remove the pan from the heat and flip the fillets over, squeezing the juice of half a lime into the pan and allowing the flesh to cook off in the residual heat for 2 minutes (3 if thicker fillets and on the hob for the first minute).
Serve with the remaining half of lime as garnish/condiment.
For a more substantial early summer meal, delicious served with Jersey royal potatos and butter.
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Dave's Friday night curry feast - a taste of Dave in your home!
Bet you didn't think you were coming here for cooking tips did you? Well, my fine band of Mudpuddlees, I am thinking of your culinary as well as your cerebral wellbeing.
Today's recipe is for the curry I usually treat myself to on a Thursday or Friday night, it packs a punch but is ideal for the hearty appetite and asbestos lined tums.
Start by sweating off a chopped white onion, a clove of garlic and a thumb of grated fresh ginger in a large, flat bottomed pan, adding in a chopped red chilli of your favourite heat.
Beforehand you will have prepared your curry paste/garam masala. Use a pestle and mortar (or a spice grinder) to grind together half a teaspoon of coriander seeds, cumin seeds and a few peppercorns and add a half teaspoon of turmeric and mild chilli powder. Finish with a sprinkle of sea salt, a quarter teaspoon of chilli flakes, a chopped chilli as above, the zest of a lemon, the juice of half a lemon, 2 cloves of crushed garlic and a teaspoon of coriander paste. Mix together well with a little stock to form a paste.
Add as much diced chicken breast as you desire and turn in the pan to ensure the outside is well sealed before adding whole small mushrooms or quatered large mushrooms to the pan. Once these have mingled together with the base ingredients, add the paste/garam masala and mix well together adding a splash of stock to keep the dish moist.
Allow the ingredients to mingle and marry for about 10 minutes before adding a handful of cherry tomatos and then a dash of double cream to blend into a creamy curry sauce. Once mixed in, the dish is ready, but can be left to simmer until you are ready.
Add a handful of chopped fresh coriander to the finished dish and serve with your choice of rice, or a warm Naan. Hot, spicy and very Mudpuddle.
Next week - Thai broth and mussels
Today's recipe is for the curry I usually treat myself to on a Thursday or Friday night, it packs a punch but is ideal for the hearty appetite and asbestos lined tums.
Start by sweating off a chopped white onion, a clove of garlic and a thumb of grated fresh ginger in a large, flat bottomed pan, adding in a chopped red chilli of your favourite heat.
Beforehand you will have prepared your curry paste/garam masala. Use a pestle and mortar (or a spice grinder) to grind together half a teaspoon of coriander seeds, cumin seeds and a few peppercorns and add a half teaspoon of turmeric and mild chilli powder. Finish with a sprinkle of sea salt, a quarter teaspoon of chilli flakes, a chopped chilli as above, the zest of a lemon, the juice of half a lemon, 2 cloves of crushed garlic and a teaspoon of coriander paste. Mix together well with a little stock to form a paste.
Add as much diced chicken breast as you desire and turn in the pan to ensure the outside is well sealed before adding whole small mushrooms or quatered large mushrooms to the pan. Once these have mingled together with the base ingredients, add the paste/garam masala and mix well together adding a splash of stock to keep the dish moist.
Allow the ingredients to mingle and marry for about 10 minutes before adding a handful of cherry tomatos and then a dash of double cream to blend into a creamy curry sauce. Once mixed in, the dish is ready, but can be left to simmer until you are ready.
Add a handful of chopped fresh coriander to the finished dish and serve with your choice of rice, or a warm Naan. Hot, spicy and very Mudpuddle.
Next week - Thai broth and mussels
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