Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding

Possibly the most famous of all English dishes. At one time the French used to call us "Les Rostbifs" - and probably still do out of earshot! This recipe is from an English family and has appeared on their Sunday Dinner table lots of times.

Yorkshire Pudding:
First a little about the Yorkshire Pudding. Different areas of England cook, serve and eat this in totally different ways. No single way is 'right' nor 'wrong'. It depends upon your family tradition and where you live. Originally the Yorkshire Pudding was eaten on its own as a first course with thick gravy. This was to fill your stomach with the cheap Yorkshire Pudding so that you would not eat so much of the more expensive meat in the next course.

Now Yorkshire Puddings tend to be lighter and crispier and they are served and eaten with the meat course. Irene Proudlock from Cumbria purposely cooks too many Yorkshire Puddings. The extra, uneaten ones are saved until the evening when they have a spoonful of jam dropped into them and her family eat them in the same way as small cakes.

When cooking Yorkshire Pudding, there are two essentials to remember:
- A HOT oven
- VERY hot fat covering the floor of the cake tin/tray where they are cooked.

Serving:
Some families carve the meat in the kitchen and bring it to the table on pre-warmed plates. Others carve the meat at the table so every one can see.

Roast Beef is best served with roast potatoes, Yorkshire Puddings, boiled carrots and boiled peas. Have a gravy boat brimming full of gravy for diners to help themselves.

For a family of 4:

Ingredients (Roast Beef):

Ingredients (Yorkshire Pudding):

Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Put the joint of beef into a shallow baking tray or tin.
3. Season the meat to taste with a little salt or a sprinkle of rosemary or a little black pepper.
4. Melt half of the beef dripping and pour over the meat and seasoning.
5. Place in the middle of the oven for 70 minutes.
6. After 70 minutes, keep the meat in the oven, but turn up the heat to 425ºF.
7. Pour the remainder of the beef dripping into a cake baking tray (The type of baking tray used to make small cakes/muffins). Put the tray, with a little bit of dripping in each of the depressions in the tray, into the oven for 3 minutes or until you see the dripping smoke.
8. Remove from the oven and pour 2 tablespoons of the Yorkshire Pudding batter (see below for batter recipe) into each cake depression and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the same oven as the beef.
9. 10 minutes after you have taken out the cooked Yorkshire puddings you can take out the beef. Leave to stand another 10 minutes to allow to cool a little before carving.

Directions to make the Yorkshire Pudding Batter:
1. Sift the flour into a large bowl.
2. Break the egg into the centre of the heap of flour.
3. Mix the water and the milk together in a jug. Pour the mixture slowly onto the flour and egg. As you start to pour the water/milk slowly beat the mixture together with a whisk. Add the salt and continue to beat. The puddings will be lighter if the batter includes a little air.
4. Once all the ingredients have been beaten together, let it stand, covered by a cloth, for 40 minutes or so.

Makes 6 or so puddings.

A Yorkshire Pudding filled with gravy.

Bronte Pie (Meat Pie)

I am not sure of all the other names for this pie, but I do know one name came into being after one of the famous Brontë sisters, Emily Brontë. Emily was in Belgium in 1843 and, in a letter to her sister Charlotte Brontë, said that she would rather be in Hayworth House making this pie than being abroad!

Note:
For those who do not like beef, this recipe also makes a lovely turkey or chicken pie. Just use meat from the breast or use breast fillets. Make sure that you remove any bones before cooking the meat.

This will serve 6 large or 8 small portions.

Ingredients:

Directions:
1. Trim off any large pieces of fat from the meat. Chop into small cubes then season with a little black pepper and salt.
2. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Put in the meat cubes and cook in the butter until the outside of the meat is sealed all over. This will take about 15 minutes.
3. Remove the meat from the pan and put to one side.
4. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
5. Add a little more butter to the pan, if needed, and fry the chopped onion and the button mushrooms in the mixture of butter and meat juices. Continue to fry until most of the juices have gone from the pan but take care not to burn anything.
6. Put these to one side too.
7. Roll out the puff pastry on a flour covered surface until it is rectangular in shape. The pastry has to be big enough to wrap the meat in to make a 'pastry envelope'.
8. Take the onion / mushroom mixture and spread it onto the pastry, then put the sealed meat on top of the onion / mushroom mixture.
9. Spread the pate onto the meat then brush all round the edges of the pastry rectangle with an egg that has been beaten.
10. Make the envelope with the pastry to hold the meat and onions. Seal the edges by squeezing together the egg covered pastry edges where they meet.
11. Brush all the visible pastry with the remainder of the egg (helps make the pastry go brown).
12. Bake in the centre of the heated oven for 20 minutes.
13. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn down the heat to 350ºF and leave for another 15 minutes. The pastry should be a lovely golden brown in color.

For a modern version use pre-cooked rice with small mixed vegetables instead of the onion and mushroom mixture.


Toad or Toad in the Hole

Another uniquely English dish and, yet again, one that can be prepared, cooked and eaten in a number of different ways depending upon where you live. This recipe came from Yorkshire and uses beef. It works just as well with lamb, pork, chicken or turkey. If you do not use beef then please make sure you half cook any meat before using it in this recipe.

This serves 4

Ingredients:

Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 450ºF
2. Put the dripping into a deep sided baking tray until it just starts to smoke.
3. Take the baking tray out of the oven, Pour in about a quarter of the batter mixture and return to the oven until the mixture just starts to go solid. This will take about 10 minutes or so.
4. Whilst the batter is cooking rub the outside of the meat with black pepper then fry it until the outside is sealed. This will take about 10 minutes.
5. Remove the tray of partially cooked batter from the oven. Spread the sealed meat on top of the solid batter in the tray. The pour the remainder of the batter on top of the meat.
6. Return the tray to the centre of the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
7. After 20 minutes keep the tray in the oven, turn down the heat to 400ºF and cook for another 15 minutes. DO NOT open the oven door or the rising batter mixture might collapse.
8. Once cooked, take out of the oven and cut into 4 pieces.

Note:
There are many ways of serving and eating this. Most people eat it with rich gravy. Usually, there will be beer or wine at the table.



Bacon Criss Cross (egg, bacon and sausage criss cross)

This is a simple lattice style pie that is meant to be eaten on picnics - but which is lovely for tea too! It is usually eaten cold.

Ingredients:

Directions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF.
2. Cut of piece of pastry about 2/3rds of the amount. Roll it out on a floured surface and when thin, line a pie dish or oven proof deep plate with it.
3. Slice up the boiled eggs. Chop up the bacon into small pieces. Pull the sausage meat into small pieces and mix the eggs and meat together in a bowl.
4. Beat an egg with the milk and then pour this mixture over the meat/boiled egg mixture in the bowl.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then place the mixture onto the pastry covering the base and sides of the pie dish (deep plate.)
6. Roll out the remaining one third of the pastry and cut it into long thin strips about ½ inch wide. Lay these strips across the top of the pie filling to make a 'Criss Cross' or lattice pattern. Seal the ends of the strips to the edges of the pie sides with a little water or egg.
7. Bake in the centre of the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.
8. After 10 minutes, leave the pie in the oven, but turn the heat down to gas 350ºF for another 25 to 30 minutes.
9. Allow to cool and serve cold.

This is delicious with most pickles and works very well with a salad.


Crown of English Lamb

Most people will associate roast beef with England. But, in reality, they should associate lamb with us instead. Lamb is a slightly fatty meat, but with such a delicate taste, a taste that is amplified by the careful use of herbs or other meats. Crown of English lamb is, basically, a roast meal. But this recipe is very, very unusual, easy to make, and will result in a stunning meal.

Served with a dark gravy, boiled potatoes, peas (with a hint of mint and a lump of butter on them) and carrots - all washed down with a light red or sweet white wine - delicious.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

Directions:
1. Peel and core the apple and pear. Chop them into small pieces.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF.
3. Trim the meat off the very top 1 inch of each bone. Bend the joints in a circle so that the fat side is inwards. The aim is to make a crown with the bare 1 inch of bones at the top similar to picture below.

Crown of English Lamb

4. Cover each bone with cooking foil and place the crown in a tray.
5. Melt the butter in a pan, then add the chopped onion, rosemary, chopped apple, chopped pear and cook for about 4 minutes.
6. Add the bread crumbs, egg and mint to the pan. Stir well and continue to heat. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Once the whole mixture is warm and thick remove from the heat. This is now your stuffing.
7. Place the stuffing into the centre of the crown of lamb. Cover the whole crown with cooking foil and put in the oven to bake for 70 minutes.
8. After 70 minutes baking in the pre-heated oven, remove the tray with the crown on it.
9. Carefully remove the foil from the crown and pour the clear honey down the sides of the crown. Replace the foil and return the crown to the oven for another 10 minutes.
10. Whilst the crown is in for those last 10 minutes, cut the black pudding into slices about ½ inch thick and grill for about 3 minutes each side.
11. Remove the crown of lamb from the oven. Remove the foil and garnish the crown with the black pudding slices.


Lancashire Hotpot

A filling, tasty and warming dish from the county of Lancashire. Originally it was baked in the oven then wrapped in an old blanket to keep it hot until it was eaten much later. A favorite for warming the men folk up whilst watching the horse racing on a cold autumn day.

Ingredients:

Directions:
1. Peel the potatoes and cut into ¾ inch thick slices.
2. Skin, core and chop the lamb's kidneys.
3. Chop the lamb meat into small cubes or chunks.
4. Brown a few of the cubes of lamb at a time in a hot frying pan with a little oil. Continue until all the pieces have been browned. Once the cubes have all been browned then put them in an oven proof casserole dish (or pot).
5. Now brown the kidneys in the hot oil and scatter over the cubes of lamb in the dish.
6. Keeping the same oil used to brown the meat, brown the onions which should have been chopped up too.
7. Once the onions are golden brown stir in a little flour to soak up all the oil and juices in the pan.
8. In a measuring jug (or cup) add the Worcestershire sauce to the hot water and then pour and stir into the pan with the flour etc. Take care to pour slowly and blend the mixture well, or else you may end up with a lumpy mixture.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Now gently heat the pan and bring the contents to a simmer. As soon as it is simmering, take off the heat, then pour over the meat and kidneys in the pot.
11. Add the thyme and bayleaf. Now carefully lay the potato slices on top of the meat to form a cover by overlapping the slices, just like tiles on a house roof.
12. Add a few small knobs (or dollops!) of butter on the potato roof and cover with a tight fitting lid.
13. Place in a preheated oven at 325ºF for about 1½ hours.
14. Remove the lid and return to the oven for another 45 minutes - to help brown the potato roof and finish the cooking. If you really want a 'crisp brown' covering then finish off under a grill until the desired shade is reached.

Serving:
For a really traditional way of eating, try serving with pickled red cabbage.


Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2) Peel and halve Potatoes, boil in lightly salted water until soft.
3) Mash Potatoes add milk and butter to make potatoes light and fluffy.
4) Season potatoes with salt to taste.
5) Cover mashed potato to keep warm, set aside.
6) Peel and slice onions.
7) Put vegetable oil in a saucepan and heat, add onions and cook on a moderate heat until soft and golden brown
8) Stir in tomato puree, herbs, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce and stir.
9) Add in the minced beef, continue stirring until mince begins to turn brown, add in the stock and stir for ½ minute.
10) Transfer ingredients to an ovenproof dish, cover with the warm mashed potatoes.
11) Run a fork over the top of the potatoes horizontally to create a pattern.
12) Sprinkle some grated cheese over top
13) Place in the center of the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown on top and hot through

Serve with carrots and green cabbage.


Steak and Kidney Pie

Ingredients:

Pastry:

Directions:
1. Wash the kidney, remove membranes and fat, and cut kidney in 1" cubes. Cube the steak into 1" cubes. Melt the shortening in a heavy pot.
2. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until well browned.
3. Add the steak and kidneys. When the meat is browned on all sides, pour on 2 cups of boiling water, Worcester, salt, and pepper. Cove and cook over a very low heat for 1½ hours, or until the steak is tender.
4. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Blend the butter with the flour to make a beurre manie. Drop small pellets of this paste into the sauce and stir to thicken it.
5. Put meat and sauce into a deep pie plate and sprinkle with parsley. If you wish to use a pastry topping, roll out the dough and cover the pie plate. Slash the top, crimp the edges, and bake about 30 minutes, or until well browned.

Pastry:
1. Mix the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender. Combine lightly only until the mixture resembles coarse meal or very tine peas; its texture will not be uniform but will contain crumbs and small bits and pieces.
2. Sprinkle water over the flour mixture, a tablespoon at a time, and mix lightly with a fork, using only enough water so that the pastry will hold together when pressed gently into a ball.