Yorkshire Puddings

It's Sunday, so that means one thing... Sunday Roast Dinner! A real British tradition this one, with oven roasted meat, potatoes, vegetables and gravy. Whether it be roast beef, chicken, lamb, pork or even game meats like venison or pheasant (can't say I've attempted these last two!), the traditional Sunday Roast is a great culinary delight. Its a real shame that in this fast paced, modern world, a combination of convenience food, time constraints and increased working hours means that fewer families are enjoying this traditional family meal, There is a lot to be said about the whole family sitting down together for a nice long meal with several food courses, wine and conversation. The bonding that this simple event brings has been said to bring families closer together. Sitting in front of a TV with a plate on your lap does not make for great emotional connection in the same way that sitting together round the dinner table for a few hours does.

But anyway, I digress. One of the great things about traditional Sunday dinners are the accompaniments that go with the roast meat dishes. Think of chicken with stuffing, pork with apple sauce, roast potatoes with parsnips, brussel sprouts with lardons (OK, this one is not that traditional, but its one that my kids absolutely love!!!). One of the best-loved of these accompanying dishes are Yorkshire puddings. These little beauties are most commonly eaten with roast beef and gravy, but once you've tried them, you'll be forgiven for adding them as a staple to ALL roast dinners! They are actually very simple to make, and if you remember the Golden Rule of Yorkshire puddings (more on that later), then you will have delicious, golden discs of eating pleasure every time.

This recipe is similar to James Martin's on the BBC Food website, although he uses vegetable oil instead of sunflower oil. As its from a true Yorkshireman, you can't really go wrong with it. 

Ingredients

200g plain flour

300g cold milk

3 eggs

2 Tablespoons of sunflower oil

You will also need a muffin or Yorkshire pudding tin with 12 holes.

Method

Sieve the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the cold milk, mixing as you go. Keep mixing until all lumps are gone. Crack the 3 eggs into the bowl and mix these in as well. Its best to use a wire whisk to remove any unwanted lumps of flour, but if you don't have one of these, a fork will do if you are diligent enough! The result should be a smooth batter resembling thin pancake batter. If time permits, place the bowl into the fridge for at least 30 minutes, until you are ready to use.

Heat the oven to 220 C (although if you are cooking a Sunday Roast, the oven will most likely already be on!) The Yorkshire puddings take approximately 30 minutes to cook, so you should time it well, so that they will be ready just before you are about to serve. 

Carefully put the sunflower oil into the bottoms of the muffin trays and then use a basting brush or your (clean) finger to work the oil around the edges of the muffin trays, so that they are completely covered. The muffin tray should go into the oven for at least 5 minutes so that the oil is sizzling when you put the batter in.

Remove the muffin tray from the oven and carefully ladle the batter into the individual holes, until about two thirds full. Place the muffin tray back in the centre of the oven and cook for 30 minutes.

The Golden Rule of Yorkshire Puddings - DO NOT open the oven door to check on your Yorkshire puddings before time, as this will lead to them deflating quicker than an England fan at the end of a World cup penalty shoot-out (sorry, couldn't resist!!!)

After 30 minutes cooking, the Yorkshires should be golden brown, slightly crispy and with a light, fluffy centre.

Serve immediately with your roast meat, potatoes and veg. Don't forget a generous helping of thick gravy! Delicious!

Enjoy!

DID YOU KNOW???

According to legend, Yorkshire puddings came about as a cheap method of filling your guests, while stretching the more expensive ingredients for a second day. This would be a fitting example of typical Yorkshire thriftiness! 

but

DID YOU KNOW???

The origins of Yorkshire puddings are in dispute, as it has been argued that the recipe originates in Burgundy. Just don't tell that to a Yorkshireman!

Roti Kip - Surinamese Chicken Curry

Suriname is said to be a melting pot of races, cultures, languages and cuisines.

You have the original indigenous people - the Amerindian tribes of Arawaks, Caribs, Tiryos amongst others; then you have the descendants of African slaves, the town blacks or "foto nengre" and those of mixed race - the Creoles; then you have the descendants of the runaway African slaves who escaped the plantations into the vast dense jungle - the Marrons; then you have the indentured workers from other former colonies brought in to work on the plantations when slavery was abolished in 1863 - the Javans and other Indonesians; then you have the Jewish-Portuguese, who were some of the first plantation owners in Suriname; the Chinese immigrants, and then you have the whites, the Dutch, "bakras" or "boeroes".

Chinese Shrimp Fried Rice

The secret to this dish is it's simplicity; although most associated with Chinese cuisine, fried rice is now a favourite of many cuisines around the world, and is a great way of using leftover ingredients. The essential aspect of good fried rice is that the rice should be cold when it is added to the wok/frying pan. If you use freshly boiled rice, this will end up steaming instead of frying and you will be left with a soggy, lumpy fried rice. The rice should be cooked several hours in advance and then refrigerated, or ideally the night before. As I mentioned before, this is a perfect opportunity to use up any rice that you have over from the previous day.

As for the type of rice, I would recommend long grain rice. You want your rice to be easy to separate into individual grains. Starchy shorter grain rices have a tendency to clump together, and are more difficult to separate.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

The Italian take on bacon and eggs! This simple pasta dish originates in the Rome region, and is, along with spaghetti bolognese, perhaps the most well known of pasta dishes. The key to this dish is putting the eggs in at the right moment and mixing quickly enough so that you are have a sauce and are not left with scrambled eggs!

Surinamese Loempias (Spring Rolls) with Pepper Sauce

These little beauties are a Surinamese take on spring rolls or egg rolls, a common starter or snack food across East Asia. The difference between the Surinamese loempias and traditional Chinese or Vietnamese spring rolls is that the Surinamese version are thicker and softer than the crispy Asian spring rolls. The softness comes from the fact that they are dipped in an eggwash before frying.

The loempias are served with a hot pepper sauce, which is also described below.

Saoto Soup (Indonesian Chicken Soup)

This delicious and filling soup originates in Indonesia, and was popularised in Suriname through the contracted workers from Java who came to work the sugar plantations after the abolition of slavery in Suriname in 1863. It is a firm favourite with my kids, who ask for it almost every week!

The secret of this soup is as much in the garnishes that accompany it as in the soup itself. Rice noodles, shredded cabbage, potato sticks, fried onions, boiled egg, chopped celery leaves, bean sprouts, boiled rice - the list of possible additions to the relatively simple soup are what give it such a flavour explosion and "moreishness".

Scotch Eggs

The ultimate picnic food! These beauties are perfect for outdoor eating, they are just as good hot or cold, and require no knife and fork!

The secret to a good scotch egg is getting the right ingredients.
The eggs should be fairly small in size but of good quality.