Apple & blueberry Southern fried pies

Method

1. Start by making the pastry. Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the salt. Add the butter, toss to coat in the flour, and using your fingertips, rub it into the flour until you have fine breadcrumbs. Add 2–3 tablespoons of cold water, just enough for the dough to come together. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. To make the filling, put the apple, orange zest, cornflour, sugar, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of water in a saucepan. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Now add 300g blueberries and cook for 7–10 minutes, using the back of a spoon to mash up the blueberries as they soften. At this point, the sauce will be thick and chunky. Add the remaining blueberries and continue to cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Take off the heat and let the mixture cool down while you prepare your pie pastry for filling.
3. Take the dough out of the fridge and place on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out your dough until it’s about 3mm thick. Take a tea plate, or a saucer, that’s about 10–12cm in diameter and use this as a cutting guide. Cut your rounds and place them to one side.
4. In a large, heavy-based pan, heat the oil to 180°C, and use an instant-read thermometer to keep an eye on this. You may need to adjust the heat source as necessary to keep the oil at a steady temperature.
5. To assemble the pies, moisten the outer edge of the pastry with water. Place a heaped tablespoon of pie filling in the middle. Fold in half, and, using the back of a fork, press well to seal the edges. When all your pies are made, you are ready to fry them, two at a time. Carefully drop one pie into the hot oil – you’ll see the edges start to brown after 30 seconds – flip the pie over for another 20 seconds. Remove the pie and drain on kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining pies until done. Serve dusted with a little icing sugar alongside vanilla ice cream.