The irony of the “Florals for spring? Groundbreaking.” quote from The Devil Wears Prada is that invoking it has also become something of a cliche; but like most cliches, it is a useful shorthand. I rewatched this film back in January when I had Covid, assuming it would be exactly the sort of undemanding fare that my diminished self could handle, and weirdly, though I do not dream of labour I also have come to realise I hate movies where the main character gives up an incredible job opportunity for love — make of that what you will. Meryl Streep’s icily supercilious performance is of course easily the high point, but I could hear her imperious murmur encircling my brain as I planned out this recipe. Pork meatballs with fennel, apple, mustard and creme fraiche — for late autumn? Groundbreaking. What next, maple syrup? Cinnamon? But, remember what I said about cliches being useful? Well, they can also be delicious.

I had different aspirations in mind, first attempting a version with grated apple and fennel encased within hulking great meatballs, but they were both wet and bland, not words you want near your dinner. I was determined to corral these flavours together and so regrouped to a significantly more superior option: dainty, simple meatballs and thin shavings of fennel and apple caramelised in butter, bound in a light, clinging sauce of hastily-reduced chardonnay and hearty quantities of dijon mustard and creme fraiche.

The meatballs — small and light and tender with the hydrating addition of yoghurt — are great, but it’s the apple and fennel that muscle in to become the real stars here, taken from their brusquely crisp raw form and softened into something nuttily rich and buttery, tempered by the bluntness of the mustard and the creme fraiche’s bold sourness. Of course, pork and apple have long been betrothed, and there’s an equally long history of pork and aniseed flavours together — in turning the sharp apple and clean fennel soft and sweet, their palate-clearing roles are in turn handed to the mustard and creme fraiche — rather as though everyone has shifted one seat to the left at an old-fashioned dinner party.

You could consider adding further flavoursome emphasis with toasted fennel seeds, or by setting a star anise or two amongst the apple and fennel as they cook; you could also make this even more prosaically autumnal with a woodsy hit of rosemary instead of the anything-goes parsley.

Fennel, like all aniseed, can veer between mildly to hugely divisive; here it’s mellowed and vital; but if the thought of even sharing a room with it makes you feel petulant, leave it out and double the apple. On the other hand, if you’re clamouring for more fennel opportunities, I suggest this Pappardelle with Fennel and Bean Escabeche, and these Vegetables à la Grecque.

Pork meatballs, fennel, apple, mustard, creme fraiche

Sweet, mellow, and unfancily hearty, this cold weather-friendly dish pairs caramelised apple and fennel with punchy mustard and the sour tang of creme fraiche. If you want more of the fennel, apple, mustard, or creme fraiche — go right ahead. As always I’ve overexplained myself and it’s much simpler than it looks. Recipe by myself.

• 350g pork mince
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon plain yoghurt
• 4 tablespoons semolina
• 2 tablespoons parsley, plus extra for garnishing
• 2 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper
• a splash of neutral oil, for frying
• 1 medium-sized fennel bulb
• 1 small red apple, I used Royal Gala
• 25g butter
• 60ml chardonnay or dry white wine of your choice
• 1 heaped tablespoon dijon mustard
• 3 heaped tablespoons creme fraiche

1: Place the 350g pork mince in a mixing bowl, crack in the egg and tip in the tablespoon of yoghurt and four tablespoons of semolina. Finely chop the two tablespoons of parsley and two garlic cloves and add them to the bowl along with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Gently mix everything together with a spoon.

2: Get a sheet of baking paper and lay it on a large chopping board or tray, and using heaped teaspoonfuls, roll out small meatballs from this mixture — I got 24 — and lay them one by one on the baking paper. The smaller the better, as they cook through quicker without burning, are less inclined to fall apart, and it simply feels more abundant.

3: Heat a little rice bran oil or similar neutral oil — around two teaspoons — in a wide, heavy saucepan. Once sizzling, carefully transfer the meatballs into the pan and let them thoroughly brown all over, turning them occasionally over medium heat till cooked through. Depending on the size of your pan, it could take between five to fifteen minutes.

4: While the meatballs are frying, take this opportunity to halve and thinly slice the apple and fennel, trimming the core and ends and anything else first. If you think you might need more time with this, you can do it between the rolling and frying of the meatballs.

5: Once the meatballs are cooked through, remove them to a plate or a fresh sheet of baking paper (discard the first piece of paper either way), melt the 25g butter in the same pan, and, turning the heat up, tip in the finely sliced apple and fennel, shuffling it about so it’s all in roughly one layer. Let this fry for about five minutes, only agitating and stirring it once you see some caramelisation and browning transpiring. They will also shrink down a bit in volume as they cook.

6: You’re nearly done — once the fennel and apple are nicely browned and collapsing, throw the meatballs back in, and, still over the high heat, tip in the 60ml chardonnay and heaped tablespoon of dijon mustard and stir it briskly, letting the wine bubble up and the mustard generally permeate everything. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the three heaped tablespoons of creme fraiche — or more, if you see fit — and serve immediately, scattered with as much extra parsley as you like.

Serves 2-3 generously, with sides. Wide pasta or rice would be perfect here, as would a fluffy thwop of mashed potatoes; I’ve used flatbread in the photos which was also good. Then, something crisp-ish and vegetal: I’ve gone with finely sliced and simply-dressed red cabbage, but steamed green beans would be perfect.

Note: If you don’t have, or don’t wish to use wine, replace it with the same amount of chicken stock which will add volume and flavour; you could also use chicken mince or a blend of the two instead of all pork. If you can’t get hold of creme fraiche or it’s too expensive, use sour cream instead, but make sure the meatballs are definitely off the heat before you stir it in — creme fraiche can withstand heat better than other dairy products. Using semolina is a trick I learned from Nigella, and you could also serve some soft, buttery cooked semolina on the side of this. Finally, if you’d prefer to use wholegrain mustard here it will probably taste equally fantastic.

music lately:

I’m the Bravest Individual from the musical Sweet Charity as performed by Debbie Allen in the 1986 revival; I was struck in a recent re-listen by how her voice had the same kind of metallic quality you’d hear later in Idina Menzel — and very few others. Because it seems preposterous to link to a Sweet Charity song without showcasing any dancing here’s one minute of Ms Allen’s high kicks that are so high and crisp that even rendered in 240p they feel like they’re going to fly clean off the screen.

Nice to Meet You by Pinkpantheress feat. Central Cee; I know I give the impression of being allergic to new music and it sounds elderly of me to say it but look, things simply aren’t as good now! Which is maybe why I make a rare exception for Pinkpantheress, because she artfully and sharply cherry-picks the most thrilling late 90s and early 2000s sounds to create something that simultaneously makes me feel like I’ve gone back in time and am both dancing with reckless immoderation in the club and yearning in the bread aisle of a Budgens, from the first moments of the emotionally genius Spandau Ballet sample that opens this track.

Venus in Furs by the Velvet Underground, a song like an elephant in a room, it hypnotises as it destablises.

PS: As I’ve said previously, ReliefAid’s Gaza Appeal is important to me and based on current donations they’ve delivered 3000+ litres of water into Gaza and distributed food to 2600+ people specifically in Rafah. Their team, though in dire circumstances, are doing real, helpful work on the ground. If you’re looking for relief effort to support, I suggest them as a starting point.