Food Photo of the Day ~ Toad-in-the-Hole

Recipes like Toad-in-the-Hole appeared in print dating back to 1762, where it is unpleasantly described as, vulgar... largely for the meagre pieces of beef baked in a large pudding. Toad in the Hole, originated from the United Kingdom in particularly, England, and was originally created as a way to stretch out meat in poorer households. Today this once vague dish has become more clear with pork sausages being the preferred meat although you may use pieces of beef or lamb. Many have revised this dish with the addition of fresh herbs, chunks of apples and lashings of gravy to refresh and stretch Toad in the Hole even further, reaching a new culinary palette. I made this as our Samhain dinner and served it with a mushroom gravy. The recipe I used was from Tony Singh's Tasty cookbook, which I highly recommend! 

- JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Sausage, Mushrooms and Tomatoes with Penne

 

There are plenty of comfort food recipes to reminisce and devour however sometimes the best recipes are done on a whim. Which is the case with this meal. Sautéing sliced garlic sausages, sliced mushrooms and a bit of purple onion with crushed garlic before adding a tin of low salt diced tomatoes and a good heaping dose of smoked paprika and Herbs de Provence. Toss in cooked penne pasta and you are ready to sit down and enjoy a handsomely rich, smoky herb meal in minutes. Inviting and substantial comfort food packed with flavour... Autumn has arrived!

- JD 

Dublin Coddle

I searched through many recipes for a Dublin Coddle and I found that although there may be similarities there are also slight variations. I made my recipe true to the meat and veg form however the method is where I tweaked it. Opting for a bit of less time and less clean up. This traditional Irish dish is absolutely tasty, one of my favourites! 

Dublin Coddle

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6 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 leeks, sliced into rounds

1 onion, sliced into thin rounds

1 pound chicken sausages

1 pound thick smoked bacon, cut into cubes

salt

fresh black pepper

thyme, fresh or dried

3 cups low sodium chicken stock

fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 375ºF

In a large frypan cook the sausages, according to package or on medium/high heat for 17 to 19 minutes, turning half way through cooking time, until browned and an internal temperature of 165ºF (74ºC) has been reach. Remove from frypan and drain on a plated lined with paper towel (kitchen towel).

Using the same fry pan, add the chopped bacon and cook over medium/high heat until just crisp. Drain on a plate lined with paper towel (kitchen towel). Remove and reserve  some of the bacon fat, if there is an excessive amount, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan, add the sliced onions and sliced leeks to the pan. Sauté for a few minutes then add the chopped potatoes. Gently sauté the onion, leeks and potatoes until they have slightly softened. Add a little more bacon fat if necessary. 

Take a large casserole dish and spray with cooking oil. Spoon the potato vegetable mixture on the bottom of the casserole dish. Sprinkle salt over top, grind some fresh black  pepper over top and sprinkle with thyme. Arrange the cooked bacon over the potato mixture. Cut the cooked sausages in half and arrange on top of the bacon. Pour the stock over everything. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and bake in the preheated oven for about  45 to 55 minutes, until bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle the chopped fresh parsley on top. Serve with soda bread.     

 

Haute Dogs

Hot dogs were and still are reserved for fairgrounds and baseball games However, restaurants and cafés becoming specialized in one menu item motifs seems to be the trend.   

It is an all American classic that has endured over the years to include street vendors and backyard barbeques. Whether you like a traditional hot dog wiener, a smokie, a sausage or a bratwurst; how you dress your dog says something about your personality and your environment and ultimately where you live. Haute Dogs are American classics, Modern America, South and Central America and are European, African and Asian. Hot dogs are global. This book has every hot dog possibly imaginable... including a waffle dog? 

Yes, a waffle dog for breakfast or brunch. Oooh fancy dipping that into maple syrup! Which now I have an idea for a breakfast dog... A bun, toasted, filled with a sausage, some grated cheese, salsa and scrabbled egg on top. Or ditch the salsa and add maple syrup because maple syrup is fantastic with everything!  

My favourite is the vegan or vegetarian dogs. Plenty of options to get your veg on! 

Cooking methods vary from open flame, grill or boil, flat top or pan fry, deep fry, simmer or boil, roast, roller, steam, barbeque or smoke. This cookbook has it covered and smothered in anything your taste buds can imagine. Unique and delicious for something so basic and well known is how I would sum up this cookbook. Plenty of recipes for condiments, sauces and toppings. The one that stood out was the pineapple relish. Which I have to make because this would be great on burgers too.

Pineapple Relish

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Makes about 1 cup

3/4 cup pineapple, fresh and finely chopped or from 1 can crushed

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients. Store in a airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

Here in E-town there is a vendor called Fat Franks which offers a variety of hot dogs. I usually opt for the jumbo vegetarian dog which is a jumbo soy veggie dog. However this time I gave the turkey jumbo dog a try because it was low in fat and sodium. I loaded it with ketchup, mustard, onions, zesty relish, if only I had pineapple relish instead, hot banana peppers and two pickles. It was delicious! 

Hope everyone had a great weekend and a good start to the week. Go get your Haute Dog on!  - JD 

   

Oven Baked Sausages

I always cooked sausages by the traditional method, frying, however one night I decided to bake them in the oven. It is a bit more healthier than frying and pretty simple. All you have to do is... Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Toss the sausages lightly in a bit of oil... olive oil is good however I used Camelina oil. Place the sausages on the prepared baking tray and bake for 30 minutes. Turning only once to brown evenly. The sausages should have an internal temperature of 165 degrees with no pink showing. 

Definitely a more easier and simpler way to cook sausages. - JD 

Breakfast and Cricket

Over the past few days we have been watching the last of the England vs. India test matches in Cricket. They have been very exciting and finished with England winning, today! Here are the breakfast I made and served during the past few matches.  

Scones with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, and a pot of Earl Grey tea.   

Pancakes, bacon, breakfast sausage with watermelon, and blackberries and a pot of Royal Assam tea.

English crumpets, deviled eggs, and bacon with a pot of Darjeeling tea.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! - JW  

Slow Cooker Curry Sausages

Last night I whipped this comforting dish up in the slow cooker. First you want to chop and place all the veggies (onion, carrots, broccoli, peppers, peas, corn, string beans) in the bottom of the slow cooker. Then add 1/2 cup of low sodium chicken or vegetable stock. Slice up the garlic beef and turkey sausages and place on top of the vegetables. Add a large can of diced tomatoes. Add about 3 tablespoons of curry paste. Give it a gentle stir. Set the slow cooker on high for about 4 hours. When the slow cooker has 1 hour remaining... take a large can of lentils and drain the excess liquid off. Add the drained lentils to the slow cooker. Give it another gentle stir. At this point I add some perogies, at my kidlets request. They like adding perogies to butter chicken and curries. When done serve over saffron rice. It was very delicious and had a lovely curry flavour.  

My son lent a hand in the kitchen and decided to grid some pepper using the mortar and pestle. He was quite pleased with his efforts until a pepper dust particle went into his eye. That did not deter his sister from getting in on the act. She then had to grind some pepper as well. Needless to say their efforts were greatly appreciated and now we have a nice bowl of ground pepper. - JW 

Leftovers #4 Garlic Herbed Spaghettini with Sausage and Red Pepper

Leftover sausages not a problem! First take about a 1/2 cup of olive oil and warm in a pan  over medium heat. Then add 3-4 crushed cloves of garlic. Let the garlic brown nicely. Making sure not the burn the garlic. Remove from heat. Boil water in a pot. Add whatever pasta you fancy. I chose spaghettini. Cook until al dente. Drain. Pour the olive oil with garlic over the drained pasta. Toss to coat. Add the chopped sausages and red peppers or whatever meat, soy or veggies you have. Add the herbs. Then toss again. Making sure everything comes together and all is coated. You can grate some parmesan cheese on top and serve immediately! An excellent way to use leftovers. A very filling meal or side dish. An all around feel good meal! - JW         

Spanish Rice

The other night Spanish rice was on the menu. A fairly simple meal. I cut up gluten and lactose free sausages into random pieces. One chopped yellow onion. Two chopped and minced cloves of garlic. Olive oil. A large, 796ml tin of crushed tomatoes. A bag of mixed frozen veggies... I was short on time... you can use fresh if you like. You'll need about 3-4 cups of precooked rice and fresh or dried herbs.

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add the pieces of sausages. Sauté together for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the veggies. Stirring the onion, sausages and veggies all about. While the veggies are cooking add the fresh or dried herbs. When the veggies are tender and everything is seasoned well, add the rice. Stir together. Then add the can of crushed tomatoes. Stir again to make sure everything gets coated. Add more seasoning... maybe it's best to taste it at this point to see how much seasoning you need to add, if any. It's all personal preference. Simmer on medium heat for about 15 minutes. All the while stirring to prevent sticking.

Serve in a bowl or on a plate with a dollop of sour cream and green onions. If you are feeling artistic poke a few corn chips on top. The garnishes are endless... cheese, black olives, corn and beans. Also except for the cheese, the black olives, corn and beans could be added to the dish as well. Cornbread would go nicely but I find this dish very filling so it's best just to serve it as is! - JW

For Comfort

I acquired this cookbook very inexpensively! The Ultimate Cooking Course and Kitchen Encyclopedia by Hermes House editor Carole Clements is 512 pages thick. It is a very heavy book. Just lifting it gives you a workout! It is broken down into two parts. Part One: The Cook's Kitchen Bible comes with a full Introduction on kitchen know how and the sections are Meat, Pasta & Grains, Vegetables, Eggs, Sauces, Fruit, Breads and Pastry & Cakes... etc. With numbered step by step instructions and colour photos to guide you. The recipes in this section could be more for the experienced cook or someone who is looking to expand their palette. Part Two: American Home Cooking is broken down into more condensed sections. For example: Salads, Vegetables, Eggs and Cheese are one section, Meat and Poultry are another and Pasta, Pizza & Grains are together as well... you get the idea. Still included are the numbered step by step instructions and coloured photos. The recipes here have more to do with comfort food and down home cooking. Cooking for a hectic lifestyle. Overall this is a pretty good cookbook. Lots of recipes worth trying. Some standard and some no so standard. The recipes I have tried are, Rice Pudding, Blueberry-Cinnamon Muffins, Pound Cake, Pancakes and Baked Sausages and Beans with Crispy Topping.

Here is the Baked Sausages and Beans with Crispy Topping, served with a side of rice. I found the recipe fairly straight forward and the ingredients easy. This recipe is from the American Home Cooking part. I did find the dish a bit on the sweet side. It did have 1/4 cup maple syrup and 1/4 cup brown sugar. So fairly sweet I would say. That being said the flavours did come out in this dish. My nine year old reluctantly ate it. He is a creature of habit with his food. If I was to make this dish again, next time I would switch the crushed tomatoes for stewed tomatoes and lessen the sugar. The recipe called for three meats; Sausages, Bacon and Kielbasa. A meat lovers heaven. As always I search for the lowest sodium ingredients that are offered. - JW