Food for Mind and Body

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons pepper
• 4 tablespoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon French thyme, ground
• 1 tablespoon dried sweet basil, ground
• 1 teaspoon oregano, ground
• 1 tablespoon Jamaica ginger, ground (regular ground ginger will work)
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 2 ½- 3 lb. chickens, cut into 8 pieces each
• Vegetable oil, canola oil or peanut oil for frying 

Sent to me from a friend in merry old England
Serves 2-3 People

Ingredients:

6 good quality pork sausages - about 14oz (400g)
1 tablespoon groundnut or other flavorless oil (if necessary)

For the batter:

• 3 oz (75g) plain flour
• 1 large egg
• 3 fl oz semi-skimmed milk
• Salt & freshly milled black pepper
• 2 fl oz (55ml water)

For the onion gravy:

• 8 oz (225g) onions, peeled and sliced
• 2 teaspoons groundnut or other flavorless oil
• 1 level teaspoon golden caster sugar
• 1 dessertspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 level teaspoon mustard powder
• 15 fl oz (425 ml) vegetable stock made from 1.5 level teaspoons Marigold Swiss vegetable bouillon powder dissolved in 15 fl oz (425 ml) boiling water (I use a couple of beef stock cubes instead) 1 rounded dessertspoon plain flour
• Salt and freshly milled black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to  425F (220C)

Method
Begin by making the batter, and to do this sieve the flour into a large bowl,
holding the sieve up high to give the flour a good airing. Now, with the back of a
spoon, make a well in the centre, break the egg into it and add some salt and
pepper.

Measure the milk and 2 fl oz (55 ml) water in a measuring jug, then, using an
electric hand whisk on a slow speed, begin to whisk the egg into the flour – as you
whisk, the flour around the edges will slowly be incorporated. Then add the liquid
gradually, stopping to scrape the flour into the mixture.

Whisk until the batter is smooth. Now the batter is ready for use, and although it’s
been rumored that batter left to stand is better, I have never found this, so just
make it whenever it’s convenient.

Place the sliced onions in a bowl, add 1 teaspoon of the oil and the sugar and toss
the onions around to get the lightest coating, then spread them on the baking tray.
Next arrange the sausages in a roasting tin, then place the onions on a high shelf
in the oven, with the sausages on a lower shelf, and set a timer for 10 minutes.
When the timer goes off, remove the sausages from the oven but leave the onions in for a further 4-5 minutes – they need to be nicely blackened round the edges. When they are ready, remove them and leave to one side.

Place the roasting tin containing the sausages over direct heat on the cooker top
with the heat turned to medium and, if the sausages haven’t released much fat, add the tablespoon of oil. When the tin is really hot and the oil is beginning to
shimmer – it must be searing hot – quickly pour the batter in all around the
sausages. Immediately return the roasting tin to the oven, this time on the highest
shelf, and cook the whole thing for 30 minutes.

Now for the gravy.
First add the Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder to the stock, add the onions from the baking tray into a medium-sized pan. Now add the second teaspoon of oil and, using a wooden spoon, stir in the plain flour. Stir all this together over a medium heat and then switch to a whisk, then gradually add the stock to the pan, whisking all the time, until it’s all in. Bring it up to simmering point and gently simmer for 5 minutes. Taste to check the seasoning, then pour into a warmed serving jug. When the toad (batter mixture with the sausages) is ready, it should be puffed brown and crisp and the centre should look cooked and not too squidgy.

Serve it immediately with the gravy, and it’s absolutely wonderful with mashed potato.