One of the things I like to do when I have time is bake, if i can make extra and freeze it for later all the better! One of the things my dad loves are those frozen pot pies you can get at the grocery store... the nutritional information is less then impressive though, and the sodium alone is scary. So when i was looking for a good way to cook rabbit (to not scare off newbies) pot pies seamed the way to go. After talking with friends and forum goers i kind of took a bit of everything and blended it together to make my own rabbit pot pies.
I used rabbit but you can use anything and any combination of spices and veggies you like. It's more a process that I'm covering here, but for ease i'll cover what I did.
I started with a full rabbit, a silver fox (wonderful rare fur and meat rabbits), i cut it into sections, and seasoned it thoroughly. I used a Tuscan rub that has rosemary, chives, bell peppers, etc... and browned the pieces in a non stick skillet with a splash of extra virgin olive oil. I started with all the pieces that had bone in and browned them on both sides. Pulled them out and browned up the boneless pieces . I removed all the meat from the bones, cut it into small pieces and returned it to the skillet to finish cooking and develop the flavour more.
I started with a full rabbit, a silver fox (wonderful rare fur and meat rabbits), i cut it into sections, and seasoned it thoroughly. I used a Tuscan rub that has rosemary, chives, bell peppers, etc... and browned the pieces in a non stick skillet with a splash of extra virgin olive oil. I started with all the pieces that had bone in and browned them on both sides. Pulled them out and browned up the boneless pieces . I removed all the meat from the bones, cut it into small pieces and returned it to the skillet to finish cooking and develop the flavour more.
Once i had the rabbit fully cooked and cut to size i was ready to make the pie filling. You can use any meat leftovers and skip all this prep work, I plan to make some turkey pot pies when next we have a turkey. Veggie preference will depend on meat and personal taste. For this pie i used California mixed frozen veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots) and added a bit of corn and peas to it. Not being a big fan of gravy i used cream of mushroom soup for the sauce and added only a small amount of milk to help it spread. A friend told me about cream of mushroom and onion which i would love to use in a beef pot pie in the future.
I spooned the mixture into my prepared pie crusts. for pie crusts i tend to use the recipe on the back of the crisco container just beefed up. Before i put the top shell on I cut vent holes and wet the seams so they would make a good seal. You can use water or egg wash for that, either works fine, then press the lip together. I like to twist them up after wards, it gives the pie a nice finished look and can act like a moat for any sauce eruptions lol. Then I finish it off with an eggwash. Give the finished pies a golden glossy look. Very delicious, and a great way to introduce someone who hasn't eaten rabbit to something new. My 1 rabbit was easily enough to make 3 full sized pies very heartily.