Gluten Free Toad in the Hole with Herby Wild Boar Meatballs and Onion Gravy
Part of our Gluten Free Afternoon Tea summer campaign, this dish will soon become a huge favourite. Home-made meatballs make a great alternative to sausages in this classic dish. For well-risen, puffy Yorkshire pudding, make the batter first and leave it to stand for a few minutes – no-one will know it’s made with gluten free flour.
Ingredients
For the batter
- 130g gluten free plain white flour
- pinch of salt
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- 2 medium eggs
- 300ml semi-skimmed milk
For the meatballs
- 400g wild boar shoulder or pork shoulder, cut into chunks
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges (use if making pork meatballs)
- ½ x 20g pack fresh lemon thyme, leaves only
- ½ x 30g pack fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp polenta
- 1 medium egg
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the onion gravy
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- ½ x 20g pack lemon thyme
- 2 tbsp gluten free cornflour
- 450ml gluten free chicken stock
Tools
- Kenwood Chef
- Meat grinder attachment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6.
- Place all the batter ingredients in the blender attachment, then attach to the Kenwood Chef. Blend on a medium speed until well combined. Set aside.
- Fit the meat grinder attachment to the Kenwood Chef with the fine mincing screen. Mince the wild boar or pork and onion into a medium bowl, season well. Add the herbs, polenta and egg and stir thoroughly to combine.
- Pour the oil into a 24 x 28 cm deep roasting tin and heat in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, using wet hands, shape the mixture into 12 equal-sized balls. Add the meatballs to the hot oil, space them out evenly and cook in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Pour the batter over the meatballs and return the tin to the oven. Cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the batter has risen and the meatballs are cooked through.
- Meanwhile, to make the gravy, heat the oil in a medium non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and the lemon thyme sprigs to the pan and cook gently for 10-15 minutes until golden.
- Blend the cornflour to a smooth paste with 3 tbsp of the stock. Pour the remaining stock over the onions and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove the thyme stalks from the gravy. Stir in the cornflour paste and simmer for a further 5 minutes, until thickened, stirring constantly.
- Remove the toad in the hole from the oven and serve with the onion gravy.
Tip: Ask your butcher to order wild boar or you can buy it online.