Warm, satisfying and joyful, these three autumn recipes make cooking, easy recipes that anyone can master at home. The chef takes simple ingredients and turns them into plates that sing with color, texture and deep flavor. Each dish is designed to be relaxed to prepare but impressive to serve, perfect for family dinners or weekend gatherings.
Tender Haggis Spiced Lamb Shanks with Cheesy Pearl Barley Risotto
This recipe leans into Scottish inspired spices and a splash of Scotch whiskey for rich, comforting lamb shanks that fall off the bone. They are served on a creamy, cheddar studded pearl barley risotto with sweet leeks.
Ingredients
- 6 lamb shanks, French trimmed if possible
- Olive oil, salt and pepper
- 4 slices smoked bacon, finely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 white onion and 1 red onion, cut into large pieces
- 2 carrots, large chunks
- 1 large swede, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 celery stick, chopped
- Haggis style spice mix: 1 tbsp black pepper, 10 allspice berries, 5 cloves, half nutmeg grated
- 1 tbsp thick cut marmalade
- 1 generous tbsp plain flour
- 4 shots Scotch whiskey
- 1 liter beef stock
- For the risotto: 2 large leeks, knob of butter, 2 sprigs thyme, 450 g pearl barley, 1.5 liters chicken stock, 500 ml milk, 200 g cheddar cheese
Method
- Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper and kiss with olive oil. Brown in a frying pan over medium heat until richly colored.
- In another pan add olive oil and fry the chopped smoked bacon. Add bay leaves then the onions, carrots, swede and celery. Cook for about 15 minutes to intensify and caramelize the vegetables. Colour is flavour so take your time.
- Grind the haggis style spices in a mortar and sieve them over the vegetables. Add a spoon of marmalade then a generous tablespoon of flour to thicken.
- Add the Scotch whiskey. If comfortable, flame to burn off alcohol. Return the browned shanks and any sticky pan bits to the pot and pour in 1 liter beef stock.
- Cover with scrunched grease proof paper and cook in the oven at 170 degrees Celsius for about 3 hours, until the meat is falling off the bone.
- For the barley risotto, slice the white part of the leeks finely. Sweat in butter with thyme and a splash of water over medium heat for 15 minutes until very soft and sweet.
- Add 450 g pearl barley, pour in 1.5 liters chicken stock, cover and simmer for around 40 minutes until tender.
- Stir in 500 ml milk and 200 g grated cheddar off the heat to make the risotto glossy and seasoned. Let it sit for a minute to become silky.
- Serve a ladle of the cheesy pearl barley, top with a lamb shank and spoon over the dark, marmalade kissed gravy. The meat should shake off the bone.
"Fifteen minutes dedicated to colour, colour, colour," the chef reminds, because that caramelised base is where the deep flavours start.
Chef Tips
- Use grease proof paper under a lid to gently concentrate the gravy as it braises.
- Marmalade adds a bright lift so choose a good thick cut variety with peel for texture.
- Pearl barley behaves like risotto rice and will absorb stock beautifully. Keep an eye and taste for tenderness.
Pot Roast Pork Wrapped in Cured Meat with Celeriac Cracklings and Apple Rhubarb Compote
This pot roast pork is quick to prep and full of show stopping flavour. Wrapping the loin in cured meat adds salt and depth while a sage and garlic rub returns the flavour lost when the fat is trimmed away. Serve with roasted celeriac, silky spinach and a tart apple and rhubarb compote.
Ingredients
- 1 kg pork loin, trimmed of belly and excess fat
- Fresh sage leaves, salt and pepper, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- Sliced cured meat for wrapping such as coppa or palma ham
- Celery stick, red onion, rosemary
- Small splash of Chianti wine for basting
- Celeriac for roasting, olive oil, thyme
- For the compote: rhubarb chunks, 1 red apple, 1 green apple, pinch salt and pepper, 1 tbsp brown sugar, splash red wine vinegar, knob of butter
- 2 bags baby spinach
Method
- Make a sage and garlic rub using smashed sage, salt, pepper, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 2 tbsp oil and 1 to 2 tbsp red wine vinegar. Massage into the pork.
- Lay out cured meat on grease proof paper, place pork on top and roll to wrap. Tie with string and secure with a double knot.
- Heat olive oil and a knob of butter in a pan. Brown the wrapped pork to get golden colour. Add sliced celery, red onion wedges and rosemary to the pan.
- Add a small amount of Chianti so the fat and wine create a glossy basting liquid. Pot roast in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 40 minutes, turning and basting every 10 minutes.
- For celeriac, scrub and cut then roast with a little oil and thyme until golden and crisp. The outer skin has great flavour so keep some texture where possible.
- Chop rhubarb and apples, toss with brown sugar, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar and butter. Roast until softened and lightly caramelised.
- Rest the pork for 10 minutes in its juices, then slice. Wilt baby spinach briefly in the residual steam or pan juices and serve with compote and celeriac.
Pro Tips
- Baste frequently for a moist roast and glossy finish.
- Resting the meat ensures the juices redistribute for tenderness.
- Pair the tart compote with the salty cured meat for a brilliant flavour contrast.
Homemade Chicken Pie with Flaky Pastry, Mushroom and Leek Filling
Comfort in pastry form. This chicken pie uses a whole bird for maximum depth of flavour. The bones and pan juices become the backbone of a silky sauce while a simple grated butter pastry makes a rustic, crumbly lid. This is a true celebration of cooking, easy recipes that reward a little patience.
Ingredients
- 1 whole free range chicken, halved
- Olive oil
- Smoky bacon lardons
- 1 heart celery, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 leek
- 500 g plain flour, pinch sea salt, 250 g very cold butter, 100 ml cold water
- Cloudy cider, 1 tsp English mustard, 2 tbsp plain flour, 1 liter chicken stock
- 500 g button mushrooms
- 2 tbsp creme fraiche
- Mashed potato and cabbage to serve
Method
- Halve the chicken and brown in a pan with just a little oil. Set aside.
- Fry bacon lardons then add diced celery, onion, carrot and leek in roughly 1 to 1.5 centimeter chunks. Fry gently for 10 to 15 minutes to build flavour.
- Pour a good slug of cloudy cider into the pan and cook off. Stir in 1 tsp English mustard, 2 tbsp flour, 1 liter chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
- Add the browned chicken and bones into the stewing liquid and simmer with a lid for about 1 hour until thigh meat pulls from the bone. Reserve the pan fat for later.
- Remove the meat from bones. Add sliced mushrooms into the stew to gain nutty sweetness then shred the chicken back into the filling. Stir in 2 tbsp creme fraiche.
- Sieve the stew to separate sauce from chunky filling. Keep both. The strained sauce can be reheated and poured over the pie when serving.
- Make pastry by grating cold butter into 500 g flour with a pinch of salt. Add 100 ml cold water and bring together. Divide into two balls, two thirds for base and one third for lid. Chill.
- Line a pie dish with rolled pastry, add the cooled filling, place the lid and egg wash if desired. Bake at 190 degrees Celsius for about 1 hour until golden and flaky.
- Serve with mashed potato and cabbage fried briefly in the reserved chicken fat with a splash of water, 1 tsp mustard and a pinch of white pepper and salt.
Useful Notes
- Grating cold butter makes the pastry mixing fast and yields a delightfully crumbly texture.
- Sieving the filling gives both a silky sauce for serving and a chunky filling for the pie.
- Cook the cabbage quickly over high heat for char and tenderness. The mustard boost lifts the flavour.
Final Thoughts and Helpful Hints
These three dishes are hearty, joyful and designed to make cooking, easy recipes that deliver on taste. Whether it is the slow braise of lamb, the pot roast pork wrapped in cured meat, or the rustic chicken pie, each recipe rewards a bit of patience and some loving attention. Try them across the weekend to impress friends and family.
- Make ahead Braises and stews often taste better the next day. Reheat gently and finish in the oven or on the hob.
- Swap freely Pearl barley can be substituted with risotto rice if preferred, though the texture will change.
- Leftovers The saved sauces and compotes make brilliant lifts for sandwiches, roasted veg or mashed potato the next day.
Questions People Ask
- Can these recipes be scaled? Yes. Increase protein and adjust liquid proportionally. Longer braises need more time rather than much higher heat.
- Where to find coppa or palma ham? Good butchers and delis carry cured meats. Any thinly sliced cured ham will work for wrapping.
- How to keep pastry flaky? Keep ingredients cold, handle the dough gently and do not overwork it.
These dishes turn everyday ingredients into memorable meals. They are the essence of cooking, easy recipes that bring comfort, colour and big flavours to the table. Get cooking and enjoy sharing them with people you love.
3 Comfort Classics for Autumn: cooking, easy recipes for Lamb Shanks, Pot Roast Pork, and Chicken Pie. There are any 3 Comfort Classics for Autumn: cooking, easy recipes for Lamb Shanks, Pot Roast Pork, and Chicken Pie in here.
