Some Favorite British Recipes

I mentioned in an earlier post that we loved British foods, so I thought I would talk a bit more about it. British foods are not difficult to cook; what is difficult is finding the proper ingredients. We have been fortunate in the past to live in cities that have 'British shops'; where we could find the proper foodstuffs. One of our absolute favorites was "The British Gourmet" in Scottsdale, Arizona; oh how I miss that shop. We have found a number of on-line shops that we have ordered from; the biggest difficulty is having to pay the shipping on a case of beans! You may be wondering why I think it is so important that I have 'true' British ingredients? It is the taste for one thing. Let's digress for a minute and I will explain.

The Beans: Heinz Baked Beans in tomato sauce - Perfect for 'Beans on Toast' (Recipe to follow). I don't know exactly what the difference between these beans and the a)Pork and beans or b) baked beans we have in the US; but they just taste different! Maybe our tastebuds were spoiled when we were in London, but Beans on Toast just doesn't taste right with Pork and Beans or Baked beans.

Bangers(Sausage to us here in the US): I have never been a big fan of sausage in the US, there is something about biting down on chunks of fat that is yucky. In all the different places we have eaten in London; the bangers are great. One difference is the texture of British bangers is very smoothe (almost like a pate). Also they tend to put interesting bits of stuff like leeks which add an interesting flavors. British bangers are essential for a good Bangers and Mash, and Toad in the Hole (Recipes to follow). I have found that substituting our sausages is okay, just not the best.

These are just a few of the great recipes I cook on a regular basis; they are quick and easy. But before I get to the recipes, let's chat a bit more about the pubs and eateries that we love to go to; Oh, and I can't forget our favorite English Teas!

During the two times we have been to London, we tried to visit as many different pubs as possible; in all we visited, we had great meals (and a great pint too!). A few of the Pub's we like to visit: The Dickens Pub near Paddington Station, Bag o' Nails near Buckingham Palace, and The Sherlock Holmes Pub near Trafalgar Square. On our last trip to London we stumbled upon a wonderful little cafe on Shaftesbury Avenue, called FRANX. We ate breakfast there every day for 2 weeks; the staff was friendly and fun, and the food was great! If you ever have the chance we highly recommend FRANX! (This is also a very popular take-away for the locals at breakfast and lunchtime; so we recommend you get there early).

On every visit to London we always go to Harrad's. This place is phenomenal, we could spend a week in there easily! Although we have been through every floor of the building (mainly just to study the fascinating architecture), our favorite is the food hall. I have never in my life seen so many different food stuffs from all over Europe and local too. Of course if you plan to buy anything you aren't going to eat while over there, you have to be extremely careful about what you purchase; the US Customs are very picky, and have no difficulty removing anything from your person that they say can't be brought into the US. Of course, when we went through they were extra picky because of Mad cow disease, so even if it was a tin of some kind of meat, they took it away. Oh, and just as a side note: In the times we have been to London, neither of us has ever developed Mad cow disease...........

Teas!

Also our favorite winter or anytime drink. Every time we go to London we stop at 'The Tea House' on Neal Street. Walk into this shop and the scents that assail you are heavenly. The store is crowded with every type of tea and teapot that you could imagine. Especially fun is to go upstairs where they have someone who puts together special blends. They are very nice in the shop, and if they aren't overly busy, will take the time to chat with you.

So what are our favorite teas? Lapsang Souchong is probably our all time favorite; it has a rich smokey taste to it. Russian Caravan, Earl Grey, Lady Grey are a few more that we like. We also like to bring home (or get from mail order), Typhoo, PG Tips, and Yorkshire Gold. Barry's Gold Blend Tea from Ireland,Glengettie Tea from Wales, and Brodies Scottish Breakfast are also excellent teas.

Well, this post could go on forever, I love to chat about London, but I think I will now just give you some recipes; Have fun!

Beans on Toast

This is a simple, warm and satisfying meal if you want something quick and tasty.

Ingredients: Hot Buttered Toast, 2 or 3 strips of cooked crispy bacon (streaky bacon if you are in London), 1 can Heinz Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce heated through.

While the bacon and beans are near the end of their cooking. Toast some thick slices of white bread (one or two per person), and spread with butter. Arrange on plate, cover with bacon and then spoon beans over the top of all. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
Enjoy!

Bangers and Mash

Ingredients: Hot Mashed Potatoes, Onion Gravy, 3 or 4 cooked sausages per person
1)Peel, cook and mash your potatoes (That's easy!)
2)Fry up some sausages (More easy)...Is there a catch? Well sort of.......The Gravy, it does take a bit of time.....(Though you can do what I do and make it up ahead of time for use later!).

Onion Gravy

Ingredients: 2oz butter, 1 finely chopped onion, 1 stock cube (beef or veg, your choice), 300ml hot water, 2Tbs cornflour(cornstarch)blended with a little cold water; salt and pepper to taste.
1)Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Add finely chopped onion and cook gently until well browned (best at med/low heat), this is what takes the time. The onion should be so very dark brown as to seem almost black, but you must keep stirring while cooking so that the onion and butter don't scorch.(This gives the gravy it's lovely dark brown color and great flavor).
2)Dissolve stock cube in hot water and add to saucepan. Add blended cornstarch and heat, stirring constantly until thickened and smoothe.
Serves 4.
To assemble: Scoop mashed potatoes onto center of plate, pour gravy over mash and then arrange bangers around or on mash.
Enjoy!

Toad in the hole

For this recipe I have two versions: The original British and then my own. I do both of these versions. The greatest difficulty with this recipe is any kind of elevation (affects the yorkshire pudding rise) but it still tastes good.

Ingredients: British version: 1lb sausages fry'd up. Batter: 1c flour, 2 eggs, 1/2c milk (or enough to make a nice thin, smoothe batter), drippings:(can be from cooked sausages).

While sausages are cooking heat oven to 450F (also place an oven proof dish to heat while oven is heating, you want the dish hot). Once the oven is heated, quickly remove pan (close oven door, heat very important in this recipe). Into the pan add the sausages, hot oil and then pour the batter over them. Put back into oven and bake 20 minutes. Reduce the heat in the oven to 350F and bake 10-15 minutes longer. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR WHILE BAKING. The yorkshire pudding will puff up around the sausages and be a lovely golden brown.

Another version (when I don't want sausages): Batter and baking directions are exactly the same.
Ingredients: 1lb steak cut up into 1 inch cubes. 1 medium chopped onion, 2oz sliced mushrooms, 2oz butter, 3Tbs Flour, 2/3c red wine, salt and pepper to taste.

1)Heat oven to 450F with a oven proof dish. While oven is heating make batter as above.
2)Melt butter in fry pan, add steak, brown on all sides. Pour off drippings (I usually pour them off into the oven proof dish so they are nice and sizzly hot (if you don't have enough drippings to equal about 2Tbs, you can also add a little olive or vegetable oil).
3)Once the oven and dish are heated, quickly add the batter to the dish and close the door! Bake same as above: 20 minutes at 450F then lower heat to 350F and bake for 10-15 minutes more. Again....Do not open that oven door while the pudding is baking!
4) While the pudding is baking, to the browned steak. Add onion and sliced mushrooms and continue to saute for about 5 minutes. Add wine and flour to make a sauce. Continue to cook on low for approx. 20 minutes (or about the same time as the batter).If the sauce is a little too thick you can thin it a bit with more wine or water....

To serve: When the pudding is done, pull it out of the oven. The first thing that happens is that the center of the pudding usually sinks. This makes a really nice depression to put the cooked steak in! So scoop the cooked meat with wine you have kept warm into the center of the pudding and serve.
Hope you like it as much as we do.

Cheers!