Toad in the Hole

We couldn't come to Yorkshire and not make Yorkshire pudding but I'll be honest, its not the easiest thing to make in the caravan oven. There are many different recipes with varying quantities of flour, eggs and milk so as its the Easter holidays I'm going for the holy trinity of 3, 3 large eggs, 300ml milk, 300g flour. It is good to make your batter earlier in the day and let it rest in the fridge for a while but do let it come up to room temperature before cooking. You also need to use a high smoke point fat like lard or dripping, rapeseed oil or trex.

Ingredients:

Sausages, as many as you need.
3x Large eggs
300ml Milk
300g Plain flour
Fat, lard, dripping, rapeseed or grape seed oil, trex
Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and add the flour. Whisk until combined then slowly add the milk until it resembles single cream. Season with salt and pepper, I like white pepper in batter. Rest in the fridge if you can, otherwise set aside.
2. Put the fat and sausages in a roasting tin and roast in the oven on gas mark 7 for 5-10 minutes, just until the sausages are slightly turning brown.
3. Pour in enough batter to come half way up the sausages then pop back in the oven. Cook until the batter is golden brown but be careful, the top of a caravan oven can get very hot and the batter can easily burn, keep a close eye on it.

We served ours with some sauteed cabbage and leek, crushed new spuds and Marmite and onion gravy as follows:

Ingredients:

2x Large red onions, sliced
1x tsp Sugar
1x tbsp Plain flour
Stock cube of your choice, made up with 500ml hot water
2x tsp Marmite
Oil for frying

1x 700g Bag of new potatoes
1x Garlic clove, crushed
Butter

1x Savoy Cabbage, sliced
1x Leek, sliced
Butter

Method:

For the Marmite and Onion Gravy:
1. On a low heat on the hob cook the onions and sugar until caramelised, for about 25-30 minutes.
2. Stir in the flour and cook through for another couple of minutes.
3. Add the Marmite and stock then bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.

For the Crushed Spuds:
1. In a pan of water boil the potatoes and garlic for about 15 minutes.
2. Drain, add a knob butter with salt and pepper and gently crush with a fork.

For the Cabbage and Leek:
1. In a wok or large frying pan cook the leek and cabbage in a big knob of butter for 4-5 minutes then season to taste.

Marmite Onion Gravy

Onion gravy is delicious but the addition of Marmite takes it to another level. If you are a Marmite hater just omit the Marmite but the Larry tribe love the stuff and this gravy goes down well with all of us. This recipe is based on the Official Marmite Gravy and all credit goes to them. It goes with many a meat dish from sausages, faggots and meatballs to pies, brisket and chops.

Ingredients:

2x Large red onions, sliced
1x tsp Sugar
1x tbsp Plain flour
Stock cube of your choice, made up with 500ml hot water
2x tsp Marmite
Oil for frying


Method:

1. On a low heat on the hob cook the onions and sugar until caramelised, for about 25-30 minutes.
2. Stir in the flour and cook through for another couple of minutes.
3. Add the Marmite and stock then bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Marmite onion gravy is perfect with sausages and mash and for a novel way of serving try Sausage Henge.

Shepherds Pie

It's Easter Sunday and traditionally folk celebrate with a roast lamb dinner but as we are on the North York Moors we are having our lamb in the form of a shepherds pie, served with cavolo nero and some mint jelly.

Ingredients:

6x Potatoes, peeled and quartered
1x Garlic clove, peeled
Butter
Milk

800g Lamb mince
2x Onions, diced
2x Garlic cloves, crushed
2x tbsp Tomato puree
1x Glass of red wine
3x Anchovy fillets
1x Carrot, peeled and diced
1x Celery stick, diced
1x Thyme sprig
1x Lamb stock cube, made up into 500ml stock
Henderson's Yorkshire relish
Cornflour

Method:

1. Bring the potatoes and the peeled garlic clove to the boil in a pan of water on the hob. Simmer until soft then drain and mash with butter and hot milk. Season to taste.
2. In a frying pan sweat off the onion for 5 minutes then add 2 crushed cloves of garlic and cook for a couple more minutes then transfer to a pie dish.
3. Brown the mince in the frying pan then transfer to the pie dish.
4. Squeeze the tomato puree into the frying pan and cook for a minute then pour in the red wine and stir well.
5. Add the anchovies, thyme and a good glug of Henderson's relish. You can use Worcestershire sauce if you haven't got Henderson's Yorkshire sauce.
6. Pour the lamb stock into the wine and bring to a simmer. Thicken with cornflour mixed with water, season to taste and pour into the pie dish.
7. Mix the celery and carrots into the pie dish.
8. Top with mashed potato and fluff the top with a fork.
9. Pop it in the oven on gas mark 6 until golden brown.
10. Plate up! We served ours with some cavolo nero simply sauteed in butter for 3 minutes, and a dollop of mint jelly.

Venison Pie with Wensleydale and Cranberry Mash

We are staying in the lovely North York Moors and following the theme of trying to cook regional dishes I figured you can't get more Yorkshire than a pie, pair it with mashed spuds with Wensleydale cheese and we have a Yorkshire dish. Wensleydale with cranberry goes very well with the venison and makes the mash a bit more interesting, Mrs Larry enjoyed it very much, which is lucky because I made 2 pies and we've got it again later in the week.

Ingredients:

500g Venison rump, chopped into cubes and seasoned
1x Onion, finely diced
200g Smoked bacon lardons
1x Garlic clove, diced or crushed
1x Carrot, peeled, quartered and sliced
1x Celery stick, finely diced
2x tbsp Tomato puree
6x Large white mushrooms, quartered
2x Black pudding slices, diced
1x Beef stock cube
1x tbsp Redcurrant jelly
1/2 Bottle of red wine
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Lard
Cornflour
Shop bought puff pastry
Milk for brushing the pastry

Potatoes
150g Wensleydale with cranberry cheese
A big knob of butter
A glass of milk
1x Small garlic clove, peeled
Dried cranberry's


Method:

1. In a frying pan cook the onion in a little lard for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the lardons and cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. In goes the garlic and venison, lightly brown the venison.
4. Stir in the tomato puree and cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Pour in the wine and the balsamic vinegar then stir in the redcurrant jelly.
6. Add the black pudding and crumble in the stock cube then simmer for about 15 minutes.
7. In goes the celery, carrot and mushrooms and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.
8. If needed thicken the gravy with a bit of cornflour mixed with water.
9. Pour into your pie dishes.
10. You can skip this step and go straight to 12 if you like. Allow the filling to cool, cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.
11. The next day top the pie with puff pastry and brush with a little milk. Cover loosely with foil and pop it in the oven on gas mark 5 for 30 minutes.
12. Remove the foil and turn the gas up to 7, the pie is done when the pastry is golden brown.

For the mash:

1. Boil the potatoes and garlic clove until soft.
2. In another saucepan warm the milk then crumble in the cheese, stir until melted.
3. Drain and mash the potatoes then combine with the cheesey milk and butter, season to taste.
4. Serve up with a handful of dried cranberry's on top.