Yorkshire Pudding and The finer points of Fox Hunting

To keep you entertained whilst I’m in the mountains… Here’s one from the archives:

Fox Hunting is no longer legal in Britain.

It is, of course, still perfectly legal to put on the pretty red jackets and go madly galloping across the countryside on horses, blowing horns.

And, of course, it’s still perfectly legal to bring your pack of dogs along for the exercise.

It only makes sense, in order to keep everybody on course, to lay out a trail for the dogs to follow.  The horses then follow the dogs.

And if the dogs happen to start a fox and chase it, well, that’s just natural, too, now, isn’t it?

Of course, one mustn’t allow them to kill it.

It’s still legal to kill the fox with guns, though.

But, as I said, Fox Hunting has been banned in Britain.

They don’t put such fine points on it here in the French countryside.  It’s legal, it’s active and the girls and I are staying indoors this weekend.

Not that I’d worry about Emma.  Being mainly white she’d be mistaken for one of the Charolais.  But little brown Sedi…could be a deer!

I don’t know if anyone ever actually shoots anything.  I don’t see many deer here and only an occasional fox.  I would be very happy if someone would reduce the rabbit population.

I’ve also never seen anyone walking past hauling dead game.   I do know that if it’s killed it will be eaten.  This is France, after all….we don’t waste food!

Speaking of wasting food….Anyone have leftovers?

But first – if you have never made Yorkshire Pudding to go with a roast….Shame!

It’s so easy and so delicious. It’s a bit tricky with a small roast; as it’s supposed to be made with the fat from the roast and there may not be enough.

Yorkshire Pudding

1 cup flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs beef drippings or butter or combination
2 tbs beef stock

In medium bowl whisk the eggs. Add the milk, flour and salt. Let rest 10 – 30 minutes. When beef is almost done, remove and get some drippings.  Put drippings/butter and stock in a baking dish.  I use a 10 inch (25cm) square.  Heat the baking dish in the 425F (215C) oven (the same as for roast) until butter (if using) is melted. Remove and pour in pudding batter. Immediately take beef out and put pudding in. Oven door should not be opened while pudding bakes. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375F (190C) and continue baking 12 – 15 minutes more, until golden and puffed up. Remove and serve immediately.

Now, the leftovers:

What to do with the leftover roast beef?

Chunky Beef Hash

2 potatoes
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 – 2 cups leftover roast beef, cut into small pieces
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbs beef stock
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp thyme

Cut potatoes and carrots into large bite-size pieces and steam for 15 minutes over medium-high heat, until vegetables are just tender. Chop onion and celery and mince garlic.  Heat 1 tbs oil in large nonstick skillet over medium – high heat. Add onion and celery and sauté until tender, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes longer. Add carrots, potatoes and beef. Stir-fry until vegetables are lightly browned.  Add Worcestershire sauce, thyme, stock and ketchup and heat through, stirring constantly, 2 – 3 minutes over medium heat. Serve.

Leftover turkey and stuffing?

Stuffing Pie

1 – 2 cups turkey,  cut into smallish pieces
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 – 2 stalks celery
1 – 2 carrots
any other left over veg in the fridge  (I used some Brussels sprouts, sliced)
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1/2 cup leftover turkey gravy or chicken stock plus 1 tbs cornstarch (maizena)
1 tbs Dijon-style mustard
1 tbs dried sage
leftover stuffing – 1 1/2 – 2 cups or more…
The rest of the gravy on the side (can never have too much gravy)

Chop onion and garlic. Slice celery and carrots into thin rounds. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add paprika and sauté 1 minute. Add all vegetables and sauté 10 minutes, until they start to get tender. Add gravy cover and simmer for another 10 minutes, until vegetables are cooked through. (If you are using chicken stock you will have to thicken it with cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbs water.) Stir in mustard and sage. Add turkey to vegetables. Put turkey and vegetables into a baking dish. I use a 9 inch (22.5cm) square. You want it to be just big enough to hold the meat plus the stuffing. Break up the stuffing and spoon on top.  Bake at 375F (185C), until heated through and stuffing is starting to brown, about 20 minutes. Gently heat any additional leftover gravy in a saucepan. Serve with gravy on the side.

By the way, Sedi, the Bunny Slayer, will eat turkey but will not touch chicken.  I could leave a  whole raw or cooked chicken laying on the floor next to her and it would be perfectly safe.  Not even so much as a lick. She will eat potatoes, carrots, green beans, oranges and apples.  I actually have to put the potatoes on a high shelf in the pantry or she snitches.

Emma would not touch a fruit or vegetable for all the beef bones in the world.  But, good girl that she is, she eats Sedi’s portion of chicken scraps!

And she eats 2-week old dead rabbits….