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 There
are certain dishes, certain foods, that appeal to a deep need within
us. It's a need that has nothing to do with nutrition, or common sense,
or diets. It doesn't care what's in it, where it came from or how
long it takes to make. It's been called comfort food, soul food, and
home cooking, but whatever you happen to call it, all of these dishes
have one thing in common - they're bad for you.
Gloriously, stodgily bad for you. The sort of bad for you that gives
you an inner glow when you're sad and warms you up when you're cold.
You wouldn't want to eat only these foods (you'd probably be dead
at 30), but there are times when nothing else will do. Every culture,
every region, and every family has its own dishes and they usually
have fascinating names that give no hint of what the dish might
actually be. It's mystery food in its best and truest sense. In
this series we'll take a break from the high-falutin' cuisine of
cookbooks and TV shows and examine some of those old favorites whose
aromas live in our memories and warm our homes.
So let's begin with one of the classic traditional English dishes
that confuses foreigners no end - Toad in the Hole. Is that a great
name for a dish, or what? Along with such other English staples
as Lobscouse and Spotted Dick (to name only two), Toad in the hole's
name is a source of endless debate. A pan of fat sausages surrounded
by light-as-air Yorkshire pudding, the dish itself probably dates
back to the 18th century.
Batter puddings first appeared on the scene in the early 18th century
as ovens became more prevalent (as opposed to simply cooking over
an open fire). The best known today is, of course, Yorkshire pudding,
but there are many variations on the theme. The first reference
to sausages cooked in a baking tin with batter poured around them
appears in The Diary of Joseph Turner 1754-1765, and although
it isn't called toad in the hole, that is clearly what is being
made. The earliest source to call the dish by name is a provincial
glossary of 1787 which is quoted by the OED as mentioning, "the
dish called toad in a hole meat boiled in a crust." This isn't the
modern method, but we're clearly headed in the right direction.
By 1861 Mrs. Beeton is including a recipe for toad in the hole that
features steak and kidney cut up and put in a pie dish and surrounded
with Yorkshire pudding batter (she uses 3 eggs which would certainly
make it rise!). She also suggests using this method with left over
beef (preferably very rare) and mentions that diced onion or shallot
could be added.
This certainly sounds like an interesting dish, but eventually toad
in the hole came to mean one thing - sausages. The best sausages
to use in toad in the hole are Cumberland sausages, but failing
that, any nice, fat, herb-y sausage would do. Spicy sausages (such
as Italian sausage) would not work because the spice would overpower
the batter.
Everything, of course, depends on the batter. Toad in the hole can
be a fabulous winter meal, or it can be hopelessly stodgy and weigh
you down like the stones in the stomach of the wolf in Red Riding
Hood. How to ensure great batter? First, beat it to death. Beat
it until you're sure it must be done and then beat it for another
ten minutes. Use a blender or electric mixer if your wrist wears
out - just make sure it's beaten. Second, let it rest (preferably
at room temperature) for at least half an hour before you use it.
My grandmother (who was from Yorkshire) always made the Yorkshire
pudding batter first thing in the morning and just let it sit on
the counter all morning until she was ready for it. Lastly, the
fat in the pan must be hot before the batter goes in. Once
the dish is in the oven don't open the door.
Serve it with simple vegetables, like peas and carrots, and with
a dark peppery gravy. A nice red wine (Merlot or Cabernet) will
be just the thing.
Your stomach will love you. Just don't tell your doctor.
Toad
in the Hole
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