Sunday is Yorkshire Day – the perfect time to return to a classic Yorkshire dish, says STEPHEN LEWIS.

IT IS Yorkshire Day tomorrow, in case it had slipped your mind. And what better way to celebrate than by enjoying a classic Yorkshire dish?

After all, if you believe the results of a survey conducted by Visit York, the Yorkshire pudding is the best thing ever to have come out of this county.

These days, the Yorkshire pud is regarded as little more than a tasty accompaniment to roast beef. But it began life as a filling starter, says Ashley McCarthy, chef owner of Ye Old Sun Inn, at Colton, and the Wighill, at Tadcaster.

“It was in the days when beef was very rare and high-priced. The idea was that you would fill up on Yorkshire pudding before you had your main course. So you’d have the Yorkshire pudding as your starter, fill a big hole, and then top it off with beef and vegetables.”

The first known Yorkshire pudding recipe was published in 1737 in The Whole Duty Of A Woman – although back then, it was still known simply as ‘dripping pudding’.

Even though it is usually eaten as an accompaniment to beef, it is a versatile, as well as delicious, dish, Ashley says. It can be eaten as a starter, as a main or, with the addition of a little sugar to the batter, as a dessert when eaten with summer fruits.

This year, prompted partly by a Facebook and Twitter campaign launched by West Yorkshire-based Womersley Foods, which specialise in fruit and herb vinegars, restaurants and pubs across the region will be serving Yorkshire puds the traditional way tomorrow – as a starter.

They include the Abbey Inn at Byland, Meltons Too in York, The Star Inn at Harome, Rudding Park in Harrogate, and lots more.

Among them of course, will be Ashley’s own pubs, Ye Old Sun Inn and the Wighill.

For the really devotee, Yorkshire pud will be available for all three courses at the Sun tomorrow.

Or you could try making it at home.

Ashley has kindly come up with a recipe for traditional Yorkshire pud, and then three separate recipes so that you can enjoy this classic dish as a starter, a main, or a dessert – or even all three.

Happy Yorkshire Day!


Recipes from Ashley McCarthy

Basic Yorkshire Pudding Batter

Ingredients:
125g plain flour
1-2 free-range eggs
300ml fresh milk
Salt and pepper.

Place the flour and seasoning in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and drop the eggs into the well. Beat the eggs with a fork and gradually incorporate the flour to start forming a thick paste.

Gradually add the milk, beating the mixture with a whisk until the batter is the thickness of single cream. If using two eggs, you might find you need to reduce the amount of milk slightly.

Leave to rest for around ten minutes and re-whisk before use.

Use this basic mixture to make any of the three recipes.


Yorkshire Puddings with Rocket & Coriander Salad with a Raspberry Vinegar Dressing

Ingredients:
Bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
A good handful of fresh rocket leaves
Half a cucumber (deseeded and sliced)
One small red onion (thinly sliced)
Raspberry vinegar.

Place all the salad ingredients into a bowl, drizzle with the raspberry vinegar and toss together until coated in the raspberry dressing. Serve with freshly made Yorkshire Puddings, again drizzled with the raspberry vinegar.


Classic Toad In The Hole (serves four)

Ingredients:
Eight to 12 good quality flavoured sausages (we use Ledston wild boar and leek)
One quantity of Yorkshire Pudding batter – you might need to double up if you are serving more than four
1 large onion (sliced)
Drizzle oil (we use Wharf Valley rape seed oil)
Gravy to serve.

Place four loaf tins or equivalent into the oven with a good drizzle of oil, leave until smoking. Pour in some of the batter mix to about an inch of the tin, place in the oven for a couple of minutes. Remove the tins from the oven and place 2-3 sausages in the centre of each tin and return to the oven.

Place the sliced onion in a pan with a small amount of oil and sauté until soft with the addition of salt and pepper, rosemary/thyme and garlic if desired.

Once the “Toads” are cooked carefully remove from the tins and place on the serving plate top with the sautéed onions and pour over the heated gravy.

Serve immediately with a selection of garden vegetable and a good dollop of creamy mashed potato.


Summer Fruit Clafoutis (serves four)

Ingredients:
Batter mix recipe but with no salt and pepper, with the addition of 50g caster sugar instead and some freshly chopped mint
Selection of soft fruits (we used fig, raspberries, strawberries and redcurrants) holding a selection back for garnish
Drizzle oil
Fresh vanilla custard to serve.

Place in the oven four paella-style pans each with a small amount of oil in the oven until smoking. Prepare the fruits by cutting into halves or quarters as required. Pour half an inch of Yorkshire pudding batter in each and place in the oven for one minute, remove again from the oven and scatter a selection of summer fruits over the top of the batter mix and return to the oven immediately.

Once cooked, remove from the oven, garnish with the remainder of the summer fruits and sprinkle with icing sugar and serve immediately with a jug of piping hot vanilla custard... or ice cream.