Toad in the Hole with onion ale gravy

There is no better way to celebrate St George's Day than with this comforting classic. I have packed in plenty of English ingredients to add extra flavour and patriotism.

My overseas visitors need not worry, no amphibians were harmed in the making of this dish although a few sausages did fall upon St George's sword.

Ingredients (serves 2)

6 good quality pork sausages (the toads)
vegetable oil

Batter (The hole):

• 75g plain flour
• 1 large egg
• 75ml milk
• 55ml ale (I used Spitfire)
• 1tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• salt and white pepper

Onion gravy:

• knob of butter
• 225g onion, peeled and finely sliced
• 1tsp dark brown sugar
• 1tsp HP sauce
• 1/2tsp Marmite
• 1 bay leaf
• 300ml stock (beef, chicken or vegetable)
• 125ml ale 
• 2 tsp cornflour

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220c and add enough vegetable oil to two oven proof dishes (approx 15cm x 10 cm) to cover the bottom about 0.5cm deep.
2. Place these on a tray in the oven to heat
3. Add about a tbsp of oil to a non stick pan and fry the sausages over a high heat to colour on all sides
4. Once they have a good colour, remove, cut in half widthwise and set aside (they do not need to be cooked through)
5. Sieve the flour, salt, pepper and mustard powder high over a large bowl to allow it access to plenty of air, then add the chopped rosemary
6. Measure 55ml ale in a measuring jug then add the milk so that the total liquid is 130ml
7. Make a well in the flour and crack the egg into the centre and whisk, slowly pouring in the liquid (An electric hand whisk is best for this) making sure no dry ingredients are left around the sides of the bowl
8. Remove the dishes from the oven, which should now be piping hot. Quickly but carefully place the sausages in the hot oil. Top up each with the batter mix and cook in the oven for 30 minutes (DO NOT open the oven door during this time)
9. Add the knob of butter to the pan that the sausages were cooked in, season and gently fry the onions for 10 minutes
10. Stir in the sugar and cook for a further 5 minutes
11. Add the HP sauce, Marmite, ale and stock and bring to the boil, stirring well
12. Mix the cornflour with a little water or ales and stir this in. Simmer gently on a low heat until the rest is cooked.

Place your Toad in the Hole on a plate, top with the onion gravy and serve with some peas (English of course)

Tally Ho!

Vegetable Tagine with nutty fruit couscous (v)

This richly flavoured spicy recipe is my interpretation of the classic Moroccan Berber dish. Guaranteed to convert those who don't like fruit in savoury dishes, or those who find couscous "bland"

Tagine is from North Africa and is named after the special earthenware pot in which it is cooked.  It consists of two parts: a base unit that is flat and circular with low sides, and a large cone or dome-shaped cover that sits on the base during cooking. The cover is so designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom to keep the dish moist during cooking. With the cover removed, the base can be taken to the table for serving. These are available from most good cook shops or you can just use a large pan.


Recipe (Serves 4)


Ingredients:


Tagine

• good glug olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped thickly
• 1 yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 potato, peeled and cut into large cubes
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped into large cubes
• 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped thickly
• 150g chickpeas (tinned or frozen)
• 2tsp rose harissa paste (see note below)
• 2 preserved lemons, finely chopped and seeds removed (see note below)
• 1tsp chopped fresh ginger
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
• 1tsp ground turmeric
• 1tsp ground coriander
• 25g fresh parsley, chopped (use the stalks ad a few leaves in the tagine and save the rest for the couscous)
• 25g sultanas
• 1 tbsp orange juice (or if you have a satsuma, just squeeze that in)
• 200g passata 

Couscous

• good glug olive oil
• 400g couscous
• 30g pine nuts
• 30g flaked almonds
• 2tsp poppy seeds
• 30g sultanas
• 20g dried cranberries
• rest of the parsley
• grated zest 1/2 lemon
• 2tsp vegetable stock powder (I use Marigold)
• knob of butter

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in the pan and then cook the onions for 5 minutes until soft
2. Add the ginger, cinnamon, turmeric and coriander and stir for a minute
3. Add the carrot, potato and peppers and cook for a further 2 minutes
4. Add the rose harissa, parsley, preserved lemons, chickpeas, parsnip and sweet potato. Season and stir well
5. Add the passata, orange juice and 300ml water, stir well
6. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer on a very low heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally
7. Heat some olive oil in a large saucepan and then add the pine nuts, almonds and poppy seeds 
8. Stir until lightly browned and then turn off the heat
9. Finely chop together the parsley, sultanas and cranberries then add them to the pan with the couscous, lemon zest and stock powder. Stir well.
10. Once the tagine is ready, turn off the heat and allow to rest while you cook the couscous
11. Pour just enough boiling water onto the couscous to cover it and about a cm above, no more. Stir once then place a lid on the pan and allow it to cook for 5mins (No hob heat is necessary!)
12. Stir the couscous with a fork to separate the grains and add a generous knob of butter.

Tip: You can use any vegetables you like and can use a mixture of fresh coriander and mint in the couscous if you prefer.

Rose petals are one of over forty spices added to give this paste its complex and spicy taste. Harissa was originally a staple of Tunisian cooking but is used throughout North Africa as a seasoning. It has a hot kick to it but the rose petals in the sauce provide a unique balance to the chilli heat.

Preserved lemons can be used in stews and sauces.The flavour is mildly tart but intensely lemony.

Preserved lemons can be used in stews and sauces.The flavor is mildly tart but intensely lemony.

The Best Burger

This juicy bad boy is a chunk of half pound hamburger heaven. Thick moist beef topped with the crispiest bacon, soft melted cheese, bitter rocket and a simple burger sauce.
Best not eaten every day unless you want to head the way of Elvis, but it ticks every burger box you could want and then some...

If made, pressed and chilled well a good burger needs no extra ingredients such as egg or breadcrumbs to bind the mix. These just detract from the taste.

If like me you have a bread maker then go the whole hog and make your own fresh buns, it really makes a difference to this special treat.

Recipe (Serves 2):

Ingredients:

Burger:

• 1lb minced beef, don't get lean mince it will be dry, aim for something approx 23% fat. 
• good pinch, chilli flakes
• generous amount of salt and pepper

Crispy Bacon:

• 2 rashers streaky bacon
• olive oil

Burger Sauce:

• 3 tsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tsp mayonaise
• 1 tsp mustard

Buns:

• 350g OO flour, this is super fine pizza flour and will give you a very light fluffy bun
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp chopped rosemary, this adds a lovely delicate savoury flavour
• handful of sesame seeds
• 8fl oz water

To Top:

• mature cheddar or blue cheese
• very finely sliced raw onion
• handful of rocket or watercress which will balance the richness of the burger

                                                    Crispy bacon


Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160f
2. If you are making your own buns, place all the ingredients in the bread machine and set to a 45 minute dough programme.
3. Wipe the streaky bacon with olive oil and wrap in foil. Place it between two baking trays to keep it flat and place in the oven for 25 minutes until super crisp as pictured, then turn the oven up to full.
4. Mix the beef, chilli flakes and plenty of salt and pepper, divide into two patties and press well. Place them in the fridge to chill.
5. Mix together all the sauce ingredients and place with the rocket, onion and cheese for later.
6. Once the dough is ready make use enough to make two buns the same diameter as your patties and use the rest for spares and freeze them for another time.
7. Leave to rest for 10 minutes then mix a little salt and sugar with warm water and brush the tops before sprinkling on the sesame seeds.
8. Bake in the hot oven for 10 minutes or until golden and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped. Turn the oven down to 150f.
9. Heat a non-stick pan to medium high then remove the patties from the fridge, brush with a little oil and place carefully in the pan. Ensure both sides are well charred and the place them in the oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking.
10. Remove from the oven, turn off the heat then top with the sliced onion, your cheese of choice and pop back in for a couple of minutes for the cheese to melt and the burger to rest a little.
11. Half your buns, spread both sides with the burger sauce then top with the burgers and leaves.

Serve with a cold beer and chips (If you can manage them!)

Tip: If you have a burger press this will help you to create a better shaped burger. I got mine from Crate & Barrel in the States but they are readily available online.

     

Views from 53 Countries: mattbslovefood has gone global!

A big thank you to my visitors from the United Kingdom, United States, Russia, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Germany, Palestinian Territories, Malta, Georgia, Mauritius, Ireland, Israel, France, Indonesia, Gabon, Trinidad, Columbia, Norway, Poland, Ukraine, Singapore, Greece, Switzerland, Belgium, Mexico, Albania, Romania, Venezuela, Barbados, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Kenya, Thailand, Italy, Puerto Rico, Guyana, Malaysia, Denmark, India, Japan, Hungary, South Korea, Lebanon, Argentina, Czech Republic, Serbia, Vietnam, China, Azerbaijan and Iraq!

You are all very welcome, I will post some new recipes soon and if you have any requests, suggestions or feedback do let me know.

Matt