Chicken soup: an ancient miracle drug containing equal parts of erythromycin, cocaine, interferon and TLC. The only ailment chicken soup can't cure is neurotic dependence on one's mother.
Marhta Boesing.
Toad in the Hole
Toad in the Hole is a great British dish that originated in Yorkshire and became popular all over the country. It is also a pub game that is said to have come over from the continent in the 1920’s, or alternatively it could be a renamed and updated version of a much older pub game, called Penny in the hole.
In the pub game brass or rubber disks, called toads, are thrown from a distance of approximately eight feet onto a table with a with a hole in the middle. Two points are scored if the toad goes through the hole and one point for a toad that ends up resting on the table.
Toad in the Hole the dish, despite the name, has nothing whatsoever to do with cooking cute little, or even big ugly toads in a hole. It is instead, a hot and savoury comfort food, which consists of sausages cooked within a Yorkshire pudding that is traditional served with a few vegetables and rich onion gravy.
F Watson
Toad in the Hole
Ingredients for batter
4oz of flour
½ a teaspoon of salt
1 egg
¼ pint of milk
¼ pint of water
Sausages
1lb of pork sausages
2 tablespoons of dripping
Gravy
2 medium onions
2 tablespoons of dripping
1 tablespoon of flour
¾ of a pint of beef stock
Method
Put flour and salt into a large bowl
Make a well in the centre and add the egg
Whisk and gradually add the milk and water,
Make sure that you whisk in all of the flour
Continue to beat until the batter is smooth
Put batter to one side and leave for thirty minutes
When batter is nearly ready for use
Put two tablespoons of dripping into a small roasting pan
Set oven 425ºF, 220ºC, Gas mark 7,
Put roasting pan in oven until hot.
Place sausages into the hot fat
And return pan to oven for five minute.
Remove from oven pour batter over the sausages
Return to oven and cook for 40 minutes
until risen and golden brown
While it is cooking make your gravy
Peel and slice the onions
Put two tablespoons of dripping into a saucepan
Add sliced onions and cook slowly until soft
Stir in the tablespoon of flour and cook until lightly browned
Remove from heat and gradually add beef stock while stirring
Return to the heat, bring to the boil and then simmer for ten minutes
(If you prefer a thicker gravy use a little less stock)
Serve hot with your Toad in the Hole and vegetables.
