Toad in the Hole

Fact: I don´t like pork.

The exception that proves the rule: I love bacon. And cured ham. And gammon. And ribs, especially with barbecue sauce. And doughnuts (let's not kid ourselves, doughnuts are around 90% pork fat).

And, of course, I deeply love sausages.

 
But honestly, I don´t like pork.

Next week is National Sausage Week. A whole week, from the 4th to the 10th November, to enjoy delicious sausages in all sort of shapes, stuffing and recipes especially for those who, like me, don´t like pork. Don´t miss the sausages´ photo gallery in the official website, it´s stunning. Never a sausage looked that beautiful in front of a camera. And with no Photoshop, promised.

This week´s recipe is my little contribution to this particular celebration: Toad in the Hole.

According to the Wikipedia, "toad in the hole is a traditional English dish consisting of sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter, usually served with vegetables and onion gravy."

Yorkshire Pudding is an English dish which dates from around 1737, when the recipe was published in The Whole Duty of a Woman. It's usually served with roast meat and is a staple of the traditional British Sunday Roast.

A 2008 ruling by the Royal Society of Chemistry has it that "A Yorkshire pudding isn't a Yorkshire pudding if it is less than four inches tall".

Challenge accepted.
 

WHAT DO YOU NEED

For the Yorkshire Pudding: 

- 4 Large eggs, measured in a jug
- Equal quantity of milk to eggs
- Equal quantity of plain flour to eggs
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil

For the gravy

- 3 Red onions, peeled and sliced (can also be done with normal onions or shallot onions, but you wouldn´t have a lovely pink gravy)
- 1 cooking apple, peeled and sliced
- 1tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 small stocking pot (I´ve used an herbs one)
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 4 tbsp Water
- Salt and pepper

And of course, the sausages. This time I've bought 8 really nice Port, Thyme and Citrus sausages from my local butcher.

- 1 jar of cranberries jam

WHAT DO YOU DO

Gravy

Put the oil in a saucepan and give it a gentle heat. Add the onion and the apple and cover with a lid. Cook slowly for approx 10 mins or until the onions are soft.

Pour the balsamic vinegar and stir well. Cover with the lid and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add the stock and the water and boil gently uncovered for 5 minutes.

Finally, season with salt, blend all the ingredients and keep warm until ready to serve.

 
Yorkshire Pudding

Preheat the oven to 250°.

Put the olive oil in the bottom of a baking pan, and place the sausages forming a line. Bake for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, whisk together in a big bowl the flour, eggs and half of the milk. Little by little pour  the rest of the milk until have a smooth mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Take the sausages out of the oven, and pour the batter over them until the sausages are 3/4 covered. Return to the oven and bake for around 30 more minutes.

 
Trick: if you wish the pudding to rise completely, do not open the oven door until it has reached its maximum height. Don't worry if the centre of the dough seems slightly undercooked , as this is normal.

 

Serve the sausages with the pudding, the gravy and a generous dollop of cranberries jam.

Speaking of which... challenge achieved :)