The inspiration for this evening’s dinner came from a Maggie Beer recipe for Spicy Pork and Apple Pasties. It caught my eye because of the combination of dried fruit, cinnamon and ginger with pork mince, all encased in golden flaky parcels. I have not used these flavourings with pork previously and so I decided to incorporate them into a recipe of my own with other favourite winter ingredients. The result was a sensational generously sized, Sweetly Spiced Pork and Veal Pie (see recipe below) served with Saffron Citrus Pilaf (recipe posted on July 3rd), sour yoghurt and a simple salad of grape tomatoes and crunchy cucumbers. 

After the initial mouthful, my rapidly growing 13 year old son was already asking to have leftovers scooped into a container for his school lunch tomorrow! It’s reassuring to a home cook when a new recipe is received with such enthusiasm, especially from children who can be the harshest food critics around. 

This filling would also be suitable for piling into individual ceramic ramekins topped with either a parsnip and potato mash or disks of pastry. I can also envisage making a basket of handful sized pasties, stuffed with this same filling, and handing them around at a family picnic with jars of home-made tomato chutney. This pie filling is so versatile it can go from being a table-top family feast, to terrific, tasty, portable fare. 

Sweetly Spiced Pork and Veal Pie to serve 8 people

Ingredients
50 g unsalted butter
extra virgin olive oil
1 large brown onion
4 cloves garlic
1 large fennel
1 teaspoon sea salt
good grind of black pepper
1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 heaped teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon dried cranberries
half a bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves only, thick stalks discarded
1 large apple or 2 small apples peeled
400 g veal chuck 
800 g pork fillet
1 cup verjuice (I use the Maggie Beer variety as the flavour and quality is better than other brands on the market.)
Pastry – If you have time, make your own, which is what I intended to do. However, I ended up so absorbed in ploughing through my extended “to do list” that I ended up reaching for my favourite Careme brand of puff pastry instead. Keep a supply in the freezer and keep your stress levels down. 

In a large pot, melt the butter and about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over a low heat. Add the onion, garlic and fennel which needs to be finely chopped. I did this in the food processor which took about 10 seconds. Add the salt, pepper and spices and sauté until soft and glossy which should take about 15 minutes. Don’t rush this stage as it is important to release the sweetness of these base ingredients. 

While this is sautéing, put the dried cranberries, parsley and apples (minus their skin and core) into the food processor and blitz. If you don’t have a food processor, then grate the apple, finely chop the parsley and cranberries with a sharp knife and tried not to allow expletives out of your mouth which could be avoided all together with the use of a powerful food processor. It’s worth the investment. Scrape this mixture into a small bowl. 

Roughly chop the pork fillet and veal chuck so that they fit easily into the bowl of your food processor. Blitz until this resembles mince. Alternatively you can ask your butcher to do this for you. 

Remove the sautéed onion/garlic/fennel mixture to the same bowl as the parsley/apple/cranberry mixture. 

Add another splash of olive oil to the pan, increase the heat to medium-high and brown the pork and veal mince for about 10 minutes or until there is not a hint of pink visible. 

Add back the onion/spice etc mixture along with the verjuice. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes on a very low heat. Do NOT add additional liquid during this simmering process. The verjuice will be absorbed onto the mince, making it magnificently moist and flavoursome. I stirred my mixture halfway through to distribute the flavours. 

Once this is ready, remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Spoon into a large ceramic baking dish measuring about 34 cm in length. Cut lengths of pastry into 2 cm strips and lay them over the top of the mixture in a vertical and then horizontal pattern. Brush with beaten egg. 

Place in a preheated oven at 220 degrees fan bake mode for 20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. 

Serve, stand back and watch your team devour the lot with delight.