As nice as pie

An easy spiced apple and blackberry pie is ideal fare for cooler autumn days.

With autumn upon us, the quiet afternoons bring on gentle desires to bake and roast. This is not special-occasion dining, but economical dining, when meat cooked on the bone tastes sweeter, dusty spices bring on feelings of comfort, and pies for pudding just feel right. Cheaper cuts of meat are more suited to this time of the year, and a little bit of effort seems to go a long way.

Pork is one of the more affordable meats, and it deserves more attention than it gets. I’m sure its sad reputation for being dry and ropy is a throwback to the days when cooks believed pork had to be well done or you risked dying from eating it.

These days, there is nothing wrong with serving pork a little pink in the centre, as this degree of cooking ensures it will be juicy. And don’t waste those juices from the roasting pan. I use them for cooking the spinach and as the base for the cream sauce.

Pork Loin Chop with Potato and Onion Rosti, Roasted Tomatoes and Spinach

1 tbsp unsalted butter

juice of ½ a lemon

Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan, and when the butter starts to foam, add the chops and garlic. Cook until the chops turn golden brown, then turn, season with salt and pepper, lower the heat and cook the other side for about 5 minutes – until still pink on the inside. Lift out the chops, sprinkle with thyme leaves, then keep warm.

Turn up the heat under the frying pan, add the spinach and cook until just wilted. Swirl in the cream, then leave it to bubble and reduce until the sauce is tight around the leaves. Add the lemon juice, check the seasoning, then serve alongside the chops.

Serves 4.

The rosti is a lovely potato recipe to have on hand when you want to make something a bit different. The best ones I’ve ever eaten were cooked by Austrian or German cooks, who say rosti must be crispy on the outside and meltingly tender on the inside.

Potato and Onion Rosti

500g waxy potatoes

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Using the grating blade on a food processor, grate the potatoes and onion finely. This can be done by hand if you prefer. Squeeze the grated potato and onion in your hands, then discard the juices – do not be alarmed by how much liquid comes out. Mix the remaining pulp in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan until the butter begins to froth, then add the potato mixture. Use a spatula to pat the potatoes down to create a dense cake, tucking in any stray bits. Lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes. The potato will begin to turn shiny, which is the signal to turn it over. Place a large dinner plate upside down over the frying pan, then invert the pan so that the rosti is on top of the plate. Return the pan to the heat, then carefully slide the rosti back in, cooked-side up, and cook for another 20 minutes. Remove the rosti to a warm plate, cut into 4 and serve hot.

Serves 4.

I prefer to use tomatoes straight off the vine, as they taste much better.

Roast Tomatoes

8 tomatoes

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 200ºC. Place the tomatoes in a roasting pan. Crush the garlic, then tuck it in around the tomatoes and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then slide the pan into the oven. Cook for 20-30 minutes or until the tomatoes look as if they might burst. Remove them from the oven and set aside with the garlic.

Serves 4.

I love the way the deeply coloured juices from this pie flow all over the plate when it is served. And I am not ashamed to say I use frozen blackberries if fresh are no longer available. Actually, frozen ones are probably more suitable, as they exude more juice. You could use a mixture of berryfruits. This pie uses the rich and flaky dough that is shortcrust pastry and it is perfect for a wide range of savoury and sweet dishes. The pastry freezes well, too, needing only 30 minutes to defrost.

Spiced Apple and Blackberry Pie with Butterscotch Sauce

4 granny smith apples

1 vanilla pod

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Peel, quarter and core the apples, then cut into small chunks similar in size to the blackberries. In a bowl, mix the apple, blackberries, sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod, then stir them through the berries, reserving the pod for another use.

Shortcrust pastry

250g flour

milk and sugar to glaze

Put the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the butter and lard in small chunks, cut it into the flour with a small knife, then rub in using your fingertips until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs – don’t use the food processor, as it takes only a couple of minutes and the process is extremely therapeutic. Sprinkle a little cold water over the crumbs and bring to a rollable dough (it should look slightly crumbly but firm enough to roll), adding more water if necessary. Cover the pastry with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the pastry in half, then roll it out on a lightly floured kitchen bench. Line a 23cm tart case, leaving a good amount of pastry overhanging the edge. Tip the apple and blackberry mixture into the tart case, then roll out the second piece of pastry to make a lid for the pie. Wet the edge of the pastry rim and place the pastry lid over the pie, trimming off the edges and pressing down with your fingers to form a seal. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 1 hour or until the pastry is golden. Serve with butterscotch sauce.

Makes 4 generous portions.

Butterscotch Sauce

100g light muscovado sugar or soft brown sugar

1 cup cream

Simmer the ingredients in a saucepan for 3-5 minutes or until the butter and sugar have melted and the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and cool for at least 2 hours before using.