BellyHealthy

Tortelli di Zucca is traditionally served on Christmas Eve in Mantova (or “Mantua” – a translation I’ve never understood…like the painter “Titian” when his name is Tiziano… Mantova is where my grandmother was born, and famous for harboring Romeo after killing Tybalt in Romeo & Juliet). The finest version of this dish ever served around our family dinner was by my aunt, and she served it with a deliciously simple tomato sauce on top. You should know that my aunt, Zia Lella, makes the most amazing dishes known to man. Ask her for the recipe though,... 

I’m sorry, I just have no idea what the origins of a name like Toad In The Hole could be. I googled a few possibilites, but the most interested or reputable information I found was a reference to it in Mrs. Beeton’s as a “homely but savoury dish”. But I was a bit worried about some of the meat she called for. So, historically, Toad In The Hole was a basic dish for leftovers: throw in surplus meat (ground up and made into sausages), root veggies, pour in the Yorkshire pudding and Bob’s your uncle. (Actually, Bob really is my uncle.) Today, a pub menu featuring Toad...