Urban Dark Days - Local Eating Challenge - 11/15

Today was rainy and dreary - but I did get out a bit and walk the dog. Lexi and I also made Quesadillas with the leftover taco stuff from the other night and found some fresh cilantro still coming up in the garden. The cheese was local raw milk cheese and the meat was from our meat share at the CSA.

For dinner tonight we went British. I had purchased some local venison sausage and decided to try Toad in the Hole. This is a weird looking Jamie Oliver Recipe - but it came out pretty good. I did not make the gravy - but I think it may have been better with the gravy. We also made butternut squash from the CSA farm and homemade applesauce from the larder. It was quite yummy!


Toad in The Hole
• sunflower oil
• 8 large good-quality sausages
• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 2 large red onions, peeled and sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• 2 knobs of butter
• 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 level tablespoon
good-quality vegetable stock powder or 1 vegetable stock cube

for the batter
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup plain flour
• a pinch of salt
• 3 eggs


Mix the batter ingredients together, and put to one side. I like the batter to go huge so the key thing is to have an appropriately-sized baking tin – the thinner the better – as we need to get the oil smoking hot.

Put 1cm/just under ½ inch of sunflower oil into a baking tin, then place this on the middle shelf of your oven at its highest setting (240–250ºC/475ºF/gas 9). Place a larger tray underneath it to catch any oil that overflows from the tin while cooking. When the oil is very hot, add your sausages. Keep your eye on them and allow them to colour until lightly golden.

At this point, take the tin out of the oven, being very careful, and pour your batter over the sausages. Throw a couple of sprigs of rosemary into the batter. It will bubble and possibly even spit a little, so carefully put the tin back in the oven, and close the door. Don't open it for at least 20 minutes, as Yorkshire puddings can be a bit temperamental when rising. Remove from the oven when golden and crisp.

For the onion gravy, simply fry off your onions and garlic in the butter on a medium heat for about 5 minutes until they go sweet and translucent. You could add a little thyme or rosemary if you like. Add the balsamic vinegar and allow it to cook down by half. At this point, I do cheat a little and add a stock cube or powder. You can get some good ones in the supermarkets now that aren't full of rubbish. Sprinkle this in and add a little water. Allow to simmer and you'll have a really tasty onion gravy. Serve at the table with your Toad in the Hole, mashed potatoes, greens and baked beans or maybe a green salad if you're feeling a little guilty.