A WINTER'S TABLE

Chestnut, Apple and Onion Pie
This unusual pie is loosely based on a traditional recipe from the gloriously wild hills of the Cevennes in southern France. There chestnuts were once the main crop and were relied on as a staple by the poor country folk, who thought up every imaginable way of using them in both sweet and savoury dishes. The original recipe contained some pork, but this vegetarian version is just as tasty.

There are so many different kinds of pastry, but time and time again I return to this recipe which works perfectly for most sweet and savoury dishes. It is quick to make, easy to roll out and behaves very well when cooked, being light and crisp but not too fragile. I have given the traditional method for making it by hand here, but I always make my pastry in a food processor as it takes only seconds.

Ingredients

For the pastry:

350g/12oz flour
1½tsp salt
180g/6oz cold butter
1 free-range egg yolk, lightly beaten

For the filling:

30ml/2tbsp olive oil
350g/12oz onion, chopped
450g/1lb eating apples (Cox's if possible), peeled and cored
285-325g/10-11oz cooked, peeled chestnuts
1tsp chopped fresh thyme or ½tsp dried
1tsp chopped fresh sage or ½tsp dried
3 free-range eggs
salt & freshly ground pepper
milk for glazing

Method

1. Put the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and run in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Mix in the egg yolk and 5-6 tablespoons of cold water. Working quickly, bring the mixture together until it forms a smooth dough.

3. Wrap in plastic film and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before use.

4. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Heat the oil in a saute pan over a moderate heat and, cook the onion until golden brown.

5. Meanwhile chop the apples into small pieces (about 6mm / ¼in). Don't use the food processor, or you might end up With a mush. Tip these into a large bowl and add the onions.

6. Cut the prepared chestnuts into quarters and add them to the bowl together with the herbs. Season well and mix thoroughly.

7. Beat two of the eggs, add these to the bowl and mix in well.

8. Roll out two-thirds of the pastry and use it to line the bottom of a non-stick, loose-bottomed, fluted 24cm / 9in flan tin. Fill with the chestnut mixture, carefully smoothing it into a nice mound shape.

9. Roll out the rest of the pastry to make a lid. Place on top of the pie, sealing the edges with a little water. Decorate the top of the pie with pastry trimmings.

10. Beat the remaining egg with a little milk and use some of this to glaze the top of the pie.

11. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown. If you like, 10 minutes before the pie is cooked, carefully remove the sides of the tin, brush the sides of the pie with the remaining egg glaze and return to the oven to brown the sides. Serve hot with Cumberland Sauce (see recipe in this series).