Tom Kerridge's autumnal pies, pasties and pastry
When autumn approaches with a chill in the air, I start to think of piping hot pies, pasties and rich braises. There is something wholesome about this type of cooking which suits the longer evenings. In the kitchens of both of my pubs we relish pie making, from the little individual venison ragout versions created for The Hand and Flowers, to The Coach’s steak and blue cheese pie. You might even find us serving a very fine hare pasty at The Coach, with mushroom ketchup.
So with a new season of vegetables and fruit to work with, I am sharing my recipes for pastry and dough creations which have savoury and sweet fillings. Roasting the pumpkin for the quiche helps to bring out its natural sweetness, which is balanced by a little bitterness and acidity from the blue cheese – both are boosted by the nutty pastry which helps to enhance the autumnal and toasty flavour. It would go amazingly well with a glass of red wine. And just in case the summer reappears a little later than expected, the pulled lamb and feta pie, with olives and mint, is a nod to Greek holidays.
tom kerridge
Lastly, I hope you’ll enjoy my fruit-based calzone or pasty, with a creamy fruity filling and crispy yeasted pastry that caramelises as you bake it. An alternative to that traditional autumn staple of apple and blackberry crumble, it’s a satisfying pudding that is just as delicious served cold as it is piping hot.
Lamb feta and spinach pie
This pie reminds me of the flavours of Greece, with the amazing tender lamb seasoned with the feta and olives.
SERVES
6
INGREDIENTS
Vegetable oil, for cooking
1kg lamb shank
8 cloves garlic, grated to a purée
1 onion, diced
1 stick celery, finely sliced
1 glass white wine
500ml lamb or chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
1 tbsp cornflour
70g pitted green olives
150g feta cheese, crumbled
12 mint leaves, roughly chopped
200g wilted spinach, seasoned with salt, nutmeg and pepper
12 sheets filo pastry
250g butter, gently melted to clarify, with the froth and white solids lifted off and discarded
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tbsp sesame seeds
Zest of 2 lemons
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 150C/Gas 2.
Heat a little vegetable oil in a casserole with a lid. Once hot, add the lamb and fry, turning it over, until the lamb has a dark roasted colour. Then add the garlic, onion, celery, wine, stock, bay and thyme.
Bring to the boil, pop the lid on and place in the oven for 2½ hours. Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the stock.
Put the oven temperature up to 175C/Gas 4.
Once the lamb is cool remove it from the stock and flake the meat into a large bowl. Pass the stock through a sieve into a clean pan and boil reduce it to around 300ml.
Mix the cornflour with a tablespoon of cold water then whisk this into the reduced stock and cook for a minute or so until thick.
Pour the lamb gravy over the flaked meat and stir well. Next add the olives, feta, chopped mint and some seasoning, mix thoroughly and tip into a pie dish.
Spread the filling level then top with the seasoned wilted spinach.
To make the pastry top, lay the sheets of filo pastry out onto a large chopping board and brush one with the clarified butter. Layer another on top of it and brush again with butter. Repeat with all the filo sheets, buttering the final layer and sprinkling it with flaked sea salt, cayenne pepper and sesame seeds.
Lift this carefully onto the pie dish, crumpling up the edges.
Place the dish on a baking tray and pop in the oven for 30 minutes.
Once cooked, remove from the oven and scatter with lemon zest before serving.
Blue cheese and pumpkin quiche
SERVES
8
INGREDIENTS
For the pastry
170g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
30g toasted and ground hazelnuts
1 tsp salt
120g cold butter, diced
1 egg yolk
3-4 tbsp cold water
For the filling
300ml double cream
6 egg yolks
2 tbsp picked fresh thyme leaves
150g blue cheese, diced
400g pumpkin, peeled and diced into 2cm chunks, roasted with rosemary and a little olive oil
METHOD
Place the flour, hazelnuts and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Add the cold diced butter and pulse briefly until the mixture resembles the consistency of breadcrumbs.
Add the egg yolk and briefly blend again before adding the cold water, a little at a time, mixing until you achieve a soft, smooth dough (you might not need all the water).
Remove from the mixer, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to rest for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas 3.
Once the pastry has chilled, remove from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface to about the thickness of a pound coin, large enough to line a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin.
Line the tin with the pastry, pressing it against the edges gently and allowing the excess to fall over the sides. Line the inside with baking parchment and fill with ceramic baking beans or uncooked rice to fill the base of the case.
Place the tin on a baking sheet and bake for around 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, take out the parchment and beans and return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes, until the pastry case is golden brown, cooked through, and nice and crisp.
Remove from the oven and allow it to cool. Using a small serrated knife, carefully trim the excess pastry to tidy the edges.
To make the filling, whisk together the double cream, egg yolks, thyme leaves and some seasoning in a large bowl. Stir in the blue cheese and pumpkin.
Pour the mixture into the cooled tart case, still on the baking sheet. Reduce the oven temperature to 120C/Gas 1 and put the quiche in straight away to bake for 35-45 minutes, until the filling has set and the tart is light golden.
Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes in the tin then carefully remove the tart, cut into wedges and serve with a crunchy salad.
Apple and blackberry calzone
Make the dough the day before you want to serve - you can also do the filling ahead.
SERVES
4
INGREDIENTS
For the dough
500g strong bread flour, plus more for dusting
15g fresh yeast
1 tbsp caster sugar
325ml warm water
2 tbsp melted butter
For the filling
50g butter
4 tbsp caster sugar
1 large Bramley apples, peeled, cored and diced
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
150g blackberries
4 tbsp mascarpone cheese
To bake
4 egg yolks, beaten
2 tbsp golden caster sugar
METHOD
Add the flour, yeast, sugar and half a teaspoon of salt to an electric stand mixer and, using the dough hook attachment with the motor running, slowly pour in the warm water and butter. Work the mixture for six minutes until the dough comes together.
Scrape the dough into a bowl, cover with cling film and pop in the fridge to prove overnight.
To make the filling, heat the butter in a large pan until foaming, then add the sugar and apples. Heat until the apples are just cooked, eight minutes or so, then pour onto a tray and place in the fridge to cool. Once cool stir in the blackberries.
The next day preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7 and line one or two baking sheets with baking parchment.
Divide the dough equally into four and roll each piece out on a floured surface, into a large disc about the thickness of a pound coin.
Divide the fruit mixture between the bases, placing it on one half of each pastry disc. Top each fruit pile with a tablespoon of mascarpone.
Carefully fold the dough over to enclose the fruit and crimp the edges together, then, with a wide palette knife, transfer the calzones to the lined baking sheet/s
Brush them with the beaten egg yolks and sprinkle with sugar. Prick a little hole in the top of each calzone and bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 160C/Gas 3 for a further 10 minutes just to dry the dough out a little more.
Serve with pouring cream or a large scoop of ice-cream.
