Eight great autumn pie recipes from the chefs behind TV hit River Cottage

SHORTCRUST PASTRY 

The most versatile of all pastries. Whether for a biscuity case for a tart or a soft pastry topping for a pie, shortcrust is the one. It is perfect for all savoury pies, pasties, tarts and flans. For meat pies and pasties, substitute half the butter with lard. For consistent results, I list a weight of how much egg is needed. Use fridge-fresh butter and keep everything nice and cold. If the dough is sticky, don’t throw on more flour – use a dough scraper instead.

MAKES ABOUT 500g

• 260g plain flour, or 130g each plain and fine wholemeal flour (not strong bread flour)
• pinch of salt
• 130g cold butter, diced
• 130g beaten free-range egg (about 2¼ medium eggs)

1 Put the flour and salt in a large bowl, add the butter and rub together using your fingers or palms of your hands until a fine breadcrumb texture is achieved. Don’t continue to work the pastry past this point. (You can use a food processor to speed up this stage, pulsing to avoid overworking, then transfer the mixture to a bowl.)

2 Add the beaten egg and mix quickly using your hands just enough to combine everything and bring the dough together.

3 Turn out on to an unfloured surface and knead briefly for no more than a minute until the dough is smooth. Avoid overworking as it will result in a tough pastry.

4 Flatten the pastry into a disc (it will be easier to roll out later than a ball), wrap in baking paper and put in the fridge to rest for an hour.

5 Unwrap the pastry and knead briefly on an unfloured surface. Lightly dust the work surface and your rolling pin with flour, and roll out the pastry to your required thickness. Finally, roll it around the rolling pin to make it easier to lift over your pie dish or tart tin.

HAM HOCK, PARSLEY AND MOZZARELLA TART 

Ham hocks are underrated things that stay deliciously soft when cooked and can be torn into nice chunks. I’ve included the cooking instructions for a hock here, but as long as it’s good quality, a precooked ham hock will do fine – you’ll just miss out on the lovely broth you create when cooking it.

SERVES 6

• 400g shortcrust pastry
• flour, to dust
• egg wash (beaten egg)

For the filling

• 1 ham hock (about 800g)
• generous bunch of flat-leaf parsley, stalks separated and leaves finely chopped
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 celery stick, roughly diced
• 2 balls of mozzarella (125g each)
• 100ml double cream
• 100ml whole milk
• 3 medium free-range eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp english mustard
• sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1 For the filling, put the ham hock in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil.

2 Taste the liquid and if it is salty, discard and replace with fresh water then bring to the boil again (you can repeat this process a couple of times if necessary). Once the water just has a light salty tang, add the parsley stalks, carrot, onion and celery and simmer for 3-4 hours until the meat is falling away from the bone.

3 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a greased and floured 25cm tart tin, 3cm deep, leaving a 2cm pastry overhang. Put the tin on a baking sheet, prick the pastry with a fork, line with baking paper and baking beans, and bake blind for 30-35 minutes.

4 Remove the tin from the oven and carefully lift out the paper full of beans. (Leave the beans to cool and keep them for your next bake.) Carefully trim the pastry edge using a serrated knife. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes, or until dry and there is no sign of any raw-looking grey pastry.

5 Brush egg wash all around the inside of the case while the pastry is still hot. This will seal any fork holes and stop any filling escaping. Return to the oven for a couple of minutes to cook the egg wash and seal the pastry.

6 Tear the mozzarella into pieces, put in a sieve and leave to drain for at least 30 minutes. When the ham hock is cooked, remove it from the stock and set aside to cool (save the broth to make soup).

7 Once cooled, pull the ham off the bone and tear into smaller pieces. Put in a bowl, add the chopped parsley and mix through. In another bowl, beat the cream, milk, eggs and mustard together until just combined, and season with salt and pepper.

8 Spread the ham mixture in the tart case and dot the torn mozzarella evenly around. Carefully pour on the egg mixture and bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes until just set in the centre. Leave to stand for 5 minutes then carefully remove from the tin. Serve hot from the oven or at room temperature.

HARISSA CHICKEN, TOMATO AND OLIVE PASTIES

It’s a sad day when there’s not a jar of harissa in my fridge; it’s such a versatile seasoning. Here it really brings the filling ingredients together. When I bake these I love the sight of bright red oil escaping from any tiny crack in the pastry – a sign of promise to come.

MAKES 4 LARGE PASTIES

• 750g shortcrust pastry, made with half butter, half lard
• flour, to dust
• egg wash (beaten egg)

For the filling

• 4 organic or free-range chicken thighs (bone in)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium sweet potatoes (or 1 large), peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
• 100g sun-dried tomatoes
• 75g kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
• small bunch of dill, leaves picked and finely chopped
• 1 generous tbsp rose harissa (more if you like it hot!)
• sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. For the filling, put the chicken thighs in a roasting tray, trickle over 1 tbsp olive oil, season and roast for 1-1½ hours until very tender. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

2 Turn the oven up to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Add the sweet potatoes to the empty roasting tray. Trickle over the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, season and roast for 15-20 minutes until tender.

3 Pick the chicken from the bones and chop it, keeping any skin and juices. Finely chop the skin. Put all the chicken and juices in a large bowl with the sweet potatoes and remaining filling ingredients. Mix well, breaking up some of the potatoes to bind the mixture. Check the seasoning.

4 Turn the oven up to 220C/ 200C fan/gas 7 and line a baking tray with baking paper.

5 Divide the pastry into 4 portions. Roll each out on a lightly floured surface to a rough circle, 3mm thick, and trim to a 22cm round, using an upturned plate or loose-bottomed cake/flan tin base as a guide.

6 Pile a quarter of the filling on to one side of each pastry round, leaving a 3cm clear border. Brush this border with egg wash, then fold the other side of the pastry over the filling and bring the edges together. Press the pastry edges firmly to seal and crimp them. Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash.

7 Lay the pasties on the baking tray and bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven setting to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and cook for another 15 minutes until golden brown.

ROAST SQUASH, RED ONION, APPLE AND BLUE CHEESE GALETTE 

When you pop this galette-style pie on the table, everyone can see the lovely caramelised veg with their crispy dark edges. I like to use a strong, salty blue cheese but, if you’re not a fan or you just fancy something milder, this works with literally any other cheese.

SERVES 6

• 500g shortcrust pastry
• flour, to dust
• egg wash (beaten egg)

For the filling

• 1 medium squash (1.5kg-2kg), peeled (if necessary), deseeded and cut into 2cm-3cm wedges
• 5 medium red onions, halved
• 12 sage leaves, sliced into ribbons
• 6 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 apples, halved, cored and cut into wedges
• 25g pumpkin seeds
• 150g blue cheese, crumbled
• sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2 For the filling, lay the squash wedges and onion halves on a shallow roasting tray. Scatter over the herbs, trickle over the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bash the garlic cloves lightly and add these too. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes.

3 Take out the tray, add the apple wedges and pumpkin seeds and give everything a stir. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, then remove and leave to cool.

4 Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 5mm thickness and trim to a rough round, about 35cm in diameter. Lift the pastry round on to the lined baking tray and brush the outer 2cm with egg wash.

5 Once the veg is cooked, tumble the blue cheese through and then spoon on to the pastry round, leaving a 6cm-8cm clear border. Fold the pastry edges up and partially over the filling, leaving the middle exposed so you can see all the lovely ingredients. As you fold the edges up, press the creases together to stop the pastry unfolding.

6 Brush the exposed pastry with egg wash and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Serve hot from the oven or at room temperature.

VENISON, CELERIAC, MUSHROOM AND JUNIPER PIE  

Marinating the meat overnight is key here to muddle all the flavourings and mellow the stronger flavour of juniper. Once cooked, the rich flavour of the venison is levelled by the earthy celeriac and mushrooms, which give it a real taste of the forest. Source wild venison if you can: the wild population has to be controlled, so we might as well eat it rather than plump for farmed meat.

SERVES 4

• 350g shortcrust pastry
• flour, to dust
• egg wash (beaten egg)

For the filling

• 400g venison haunch, cut into 2cm dice
• 400g celeriac, cut into 1cm dice
• 1 tsp pink peppercorns, crushed (optional)
• 1 sprig of rosemary, roughly torn
• 200ml full-bodied red wine
• 5 juniper berries, crushed using a pestle and mortar
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 200g chestnut mushrooms, finely sliced
• 500ml game stock (or use good beef stock)
• about 2 tbsp cornflour, mixed to a paste with a little cold water
• sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1 For the filling, put the venison in a large bowl with the celeriac, pink peppercorns if using, rosemary, wine and crushed juniper berries. Stir well, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight.

2 To cook the filling, heat the sunflower oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and mushrooms and cook for 10-15 minutes until softened.

3 Add the marinated venison and celeriac mixture , including the flavourings and liquor. Pour in the stock and bring to a low simmer. Cook gently for about 1 hour until the meat is beautifully tender.

4 Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Trickle the cornflour paste into the venison mixture, stirring as you do so, until the sauce thickens (you may not need it all). Taste and season accordingly. Tip the filling into a deep pie dish about 25cm in diameter and leave to cool.

5 Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until large enough to cover the pie dish generously, and 5mm thick. Drape the pastry over the filling and press the edges on to the rim of the dish. Trim away the excess pastry and crimp the edges. Cut leaves from the pastry trimmings.

6 Pierce the pie lid in a couple of places to allow steam to escape and brush the pastry with egg wash. Position the pastry leaves and brush these with egg wash. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Serve the pie hot from the oven with root veg mash.

SPICED SHALLOT, BEAN AND MOZZARELLA TARTS

These spicy little numbers are great eaten hot from the oven or cooled and packed away for lunch or a picnic. Make sure you push a good helping of cheese into each tart, as the creamy mozzarella really makes these special. I use tinned ready-cooked beans for convenience – use any combo of beans you fancy. And, as always with chilli, up the heat or lower it, according to your tolerance.

MAKES 6

• 500g shortcrust pastry
• Flour, to dust
• Egg wash (beaten egg)

For the filling

• 2 balls of mozzarella (125g each)
• 250g shallots, halved
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium-heat red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 200g passata
• 400g tin mixed beans, drained and rinsed
• 200g cherry vine tomatoes
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

2 Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line six individual 10cm tart tins placed on a baking sheet. Prick the pastry, line with baking paper and baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes.

3 Remove from the oven and carefully lift out the papers and beans. (Leave the beans to cool and keep them for your next bake.) Carefully trim the pastry edges using a serrated knife. Return the tart cases to the oven for a further 10 minutes, or until dry and there are no signs of any raw-looking grey pastry.

4 Brush egg wash all around the inside of the cases while the pastry is still hot. This will seal any fork holes and stop any filling escaping. Return to the oven for a couple of minutes to cook the egg wash and seal the pastry.

5 For the filling, tear the mozzarella into pieces, place in a sieve and leave to drain for at least 30 minutes.

6 Turn the oven up to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the shallots, garlic and thyme into a roasting tray. Trickle over the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and tumble everything together. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.

7 Take out the roasting tray, add the chilli, cumin, passata, beans and cherry tomatoes and give everything a good stir. Return to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove and taste for seasoning; adjust accordingly. Allow to cool.

8 Spoon the spiced veg mixture into the tart cases and divide the mozzarella between them, pushing it into the filling. Bake in the oven for 10–15 minutes until the cheese is melted.

9 Leave to stand for a few minutes then carefully remove the tarts from the tins. Serve hot or at room temperature, with lots of peppery leaves.

NOW BUY THE BOOK 

These recipes are taken from River Cottage Great Pies by Gelf Alderson, with photographs by Emma Lee (Bloomsbury, £22). To order a copy for £18.70 until 10 November, go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over £25