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Food And Nutrition

Preparing Toad in the hole

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You’ve got to love a warming toad-in-the-hole recipe when there’s a nip in the air. Skip the garlic cabbage if you like and serve with another green vegetable of your choice. This is designed to be a low cost recipe.

Ingredients

For the batter

  • 175g/6oz plain flour
  • salt and black pepper
  • 3 free-range eggs
  • 300ml/10fl oz milk
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 8 sausages

For the onion gravy

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 onions, finely sliced
  • ½ tsp English mustard
  • 500ml/18fl oz stock (from a stock cube, ideally beef although chicken or vegetable is fine)

For the garlic cabbage

  • 1 Savoy cabbage, shredded, core discarded
  • ½ tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

Method

  1. For the batter, sieve the flour into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Make a well in the middle and break in the eggs. Whisk the eggs slowly into the flour. Once combined, pour in the milk while you whisk so that you have a smooth, lump-free batter the consistency of double cream (if the batter is too thick then add a little water). Cover the batter and rest in the fridge for one hour.

  2. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

  3. For the onion gravy, heat a heavy-based frying pan over a low heat. Add the oil, onions and a pinch of salt. Cook gently for 15–20 minutes, or until completely collapsed and dark golden-brown in colour. If the onions are cooking too quickly, then cover with a lid while they cook.

  4. Once the onions are completely softened and dark golden-brown, stir in the mustard and a pinch of pepper and then add the stock. Bring the mixture to the boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer for 10–15 minutes, or until the volume of liquid has reduced by half. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

  5. Put a roasting tray (about 30x20x6cm/12x8x2½in) into the preheated oven. Once really hot, add the olive oil and the sausages. Brown the sausages in the hot oven, turning now and again until coloured on all sides (they don’t need to be cooked through).

  6. Whisk the rested batter and pour it into the hot tin over the browned sausages. Return to the oven and cook for a further 30–35 minutes, or until the batter is risen and golden-brown all over.

  7. While the toad in the hole is cooking, prepare the cabbage. Wilt the shredded cabbage in a high sided frying pan or shallow saucepan with 3–4 tablespoons of water over a medium high heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the cabbage is tender pour off any excess water (or add it to the gravy) and then add the oil to the pan along with the garlic. Fry over a medium high heat for 2–3 minutes, or until the garlic is softened and aromatic. Season the cabbage with salt and pepper and keep warm.

  8. Reheat the onion gravy and serve the cooked toad in the hole in wedges with the cabbage alongside.

READ ALSO  One-pan gnocchi bake

Recipe Tips

In March 2022 this recipe was costed at an average of £4.56 when checking prices at four UK supermarkets.

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Food And Nutrition

How To Make Baileys French Toast

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Baileys French toast is made of fluffy, sweet challah bread soaked in a Baileys-infused egg wash and topped with a decadent chocolate and Baileys sauce. It’s easy to make, and the Irish cream offers so much flavor that you barely need to add any other ingredients.

Challah or brioche bread works best for this recipe since they are thick, rich, and already have great flavor. However, you can use another bread of your choice. Thinner, less sturdy bread will need less time soaking in the egg wash and will have a shorter cooking time.

This French toast can be served any time of the year. It’s great for Christmas morning or St. Patrick’s Day, but it’s also delicious on a weekend or served for a springtime brunch. It can easily be doubled or tripled for larger groups and you can turn it into an overnight French toast bake.

Ingredients

For the French Toast:

  • 4 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup Baileys Irish Cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 to 6 slices challah bread
  • 2 tablespoons butter

For the Chocolate Sauce:

  • 4 ounces dark chocolate
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons Baileys Irish cream

For Serving:

  • Whipped cream, optional
  • Fresh strawberries, optional

Steps to Make It

Make the Challah French Toast

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Bailey's French toast ingredients
  2. Whisk eggs in a shallow bowl until whites and yolks are completely incorporated.

    Whisked eggs in a shallow container
  3. Add in milk, sugar, Baileys, and vanilla extract to eggs and whisk again.

    Egg batter whisked together in a ceramic dish
  4. Soak each slice of bread in egg mixture, making sure to coat both sides. Soak for a minute or so, longer if bread is extra thick, and less time if you are using a thinner bread.

    bread soaking in egg wash
  5. Heat a skillet with a tablespoon of butter on medium-low heat. Cook French toast for 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and heated through.

    cooked French toast in the pan
  6. Keep finished French toast warm in a 200 F oven. Cook remaining French toast using remaining butter. While the French toast is cooking, gather ingredients for chocolate sauce.

Make the Chocolate Sauce

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    chocolate sauce ingredients
  2. Add chocolate chips, heavy cream, and Baileys to a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high for 30 seconds, stir, and then heat again in 15-second increments until the mixture is completely melted.

    chocolate sauce in a bowl with a spoon
  3. Drizzle French toast with chocolate sauce and top with whipped cream and strawberries if you wish.

    Baileys French Toast with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and strawberries
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Food And Nutrition

Lamb rogan curry

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This is a gentle, full-flavoured curry of Persian origin. It is worth grinding your own cardamom for an authentic flavour and mixing your own spices for the paste. If time is short, use a good-quality, shop-bought medium curry powder (about 1–2 tablespoons) instead.

Ingredients

For the curry paste

  • 10 green cardamom pods
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tbsp garam masala
  • 4 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil

For the lamb curry

  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 1kg/2lb boneless leg of lamb, cut into 2cm/¾in cubes
  • 2 large onions, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 red chilli, seeds removed and diced
  • 450ml/16fl oz lamb or beef stock
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp light muscovado sugar
  • 150g/5½oz full-fat Greek-style yoghurt
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • small bunch coriander, chopped, to garnish
  • freshly steamed rice, to serve

Method

  1. To make the curry paste, place the cardamom pods in a small bag. Bash the pods with a rolling pin to release the seeds. Place the seeds in a pestle and mortar and grind to make a fine powder. Tip into a bowl, add the remaining paste ingredients and mix to a paste.

  2. To make the curry, heat the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan or flameproof casserole over a high heat. Add the lamb cubes and brown in two batches to seal. Remove the lamb with a slotted spoon and set aside.

  3. Preheat the oven to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 2.

  4. Add the onion to the pan and fry for a few minutes. Add the garlic and chilli and fry for a few seconds. Return the lamb to the dish, add the curry paste and fry for a few minutes to bring out the flavour. Pour in the stock and add the cinnamon, bay leaves and sugar. Season with salt and pepper, cover with a lid, bring to the boil and transfer to the oven for about 1½ hours, or until the lamb is tender.

  5. Just before serving, add the yoghurt and stir until smooth. Remove the cinnamon and bay leaves, check the seasoning and sprinkle with the coriander. Serve with rice.

READ ALSO  How to Grill Pears (Recipe and Variations)

Recipe Tips

This curry can be made up to 2 days ahead. Add the yoghurt just before serving (it also freezes well without the yoghurt).

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Food And Nutrition

Green vegetable and feta pie

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Crisp, golden pastry with a light butter bean, greens and feta filling make this perfect for a summer dinner. Nothing goes to waste in Dr Rupy’s recipe. It’s the tastiest way to eat loads of greens.

Each serving provides 498 kcal, 24g protein, 42g carbohydrate (of which 7g sugars), 23g fat (of which 11g saturates), 13g fibre and 2.3g salt.

Ingredients

  • olive oil
  • 1 head spring greens, shredded
  • 2 courgettes (roughly 350g/12oz), grated
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed or grated
  • 400g tin butter beans, drained
  • 400g/14oz frozen spinach, defrosted and drained thoroughly
  • 2 free-range eggs, beaten
  • 150g/5½oz feta, crumbled
  • 1 lemon, finely grated zest only
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp dried mint
  • pinch ground nutmeg (optional)
  • 200g/7oz filo pastry
  • 30g/1oz butter, melted
  • pinch sesame seeds
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Heat a splash of oil in a large, non-stick frying pan and add the spring greens and a pinch of salt. Fry for 4-5 minutes, until softened and slightly caramelised. Tip onto a plate lined with a couple of sheets of kitchen paper and leave to cool.

  2. Add a little more oil to the pan, then fry the courgettes and garlic for 2–3 minutes, until softened. Add to the plate with the spring greens and cover with more kitchen paper. Put a second plate on top and press down to squeeze out as much excess moisture as possible.

  3. Tip into a large bowl and add the butter beans, spinach, eggs, feta, lemon zest, herbs and nutmeg, if using. Give everything a good stir, breaking up the butter beans as you mix. Season with salt and pepper.

  4. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

  5. Grease the inside of a non-stick, oven-proof frying pan with olive oil and lay a sheet of filo on top. Drizzle with oil, then top with a second sheet of filo, laid at a right angle to the first. Continue layering the filo in alternate directions, drizzling with oil between each sheet, until you’ve used up all the pastry.

  6. Spoon the filling into the middle of the pastry, then gather the edges in the centre and press together to seal, using oil to help. Brush all over with the melted butter, making sure the surface is completely covered and allowing any excess butter to run down the edges. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds.

  7. Set the pan over a medium-high heat and cook for 2–3 minutes until the underside of the pastry starts to turn golden-brown. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 30 minutes until golden and crisp.

  8. Leave the pie to cool slightly, then slide onto a board and slice into wedges to serve.

READ ALSO  Boston baked beans
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