Venison Pot Pie - Ethnic Foods R Us

Venison is a favorite wild game meat for many Americans, and this Venison Pot Pie recipe is a classic.

(Photo Attributed to Author: Avlxyz at http://www.flickr.com/photo/savlxyz)

The inclusion of wild game – whitetail deer (venison) as the meat, with all the other ingredients are what makes this special. There are many meat pot pie recipes, but this Venison Pot Pie will be an ethnic food experience you will long remember.

Venison Pot Pie Recipe-

Ingredients:

15 oz. (150 grams) diced pancetta or smoked bacon
14 oz. (400 grams) green onions, trimmed and rough chopped
2 tbsp. scallion-infused olive oil
1 lb. (1 kilogram) venison loin meat, chopped into small dices
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 habanero pepper, chopped fine (Note: for very hot, leave seeds in. For a lesser hot Venison Pot Pie, remove seeds)
1 tbsp. juniper berries, crushed (very important ingredient!)
1 tsp. allspice
6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
10 oz. (75 grams) white button mushrooms, halved
22 oz. (650 ml) good quality, dry red wine (suggest Cabernet Sauvignon, or Shiraz)
15 oz. (450 ml) beef broth
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
7 oz. (200 grams) roasted and peeled whole chestnuts
20 oz. (500 grams) puff pastry
1 large egg, beaten
salt and pepper, to taste, to season the venison

Directions:

In a large skillet or casserole dish over a medium-high flame, sauté the pancetta (or bacon) and green onions for about ten minutes. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the pieces out, and set aside for now.
Season the venison to taste with salt and pepper. Sauté, in a separate skillet, over medium-high flame in heated scallion infused olive oil until evenly golden brown on all sides of the pieces. You may need to work in batches, depending on the size of your skillet.
Place all of the browned venison meat into the first, large skillet or casserole dish.
Add and stir in the allspice, garlic, and juniper berries and fry for about one minute, or until fragrant. Add and stir in the flour fry for another minute, constantly stirring.
Now add the mushrooms into the skillet, along with the pancetta (or bacon) and green onions. Pour in the dry red wine and broth; add and stir in the herbs.
Bring entire mixture to a vigorous, rolling, then reduce the flame to just a gentle simmer. Place a lid on the skilled or casserole dish, set slightly ajar, and cook at a gentle simmer for a full 3 hours.
Check to see if the venison is fork tender. If so, add and stir in the chestnuts, remove skillet from the burner, and set aside to cool down to cool room temperature.
Spoon the cooled filling into a 2-1/4 pint (1.3 liter) pie dish with a rim. Mound it slightly in the center and add enough liquid to come just below the pie’s rim.
On a lightly floured, flat work surface, roll the pastry out to 1/8″ thickness. Cut a few strips off to fit around the rim if the pie dish. Brush the rim lightly with water; press the pastry strips onto the rim, and brush with the beaten egg.
Drape the remaining rolled-out pastry over the rolling pin and position the pastry over the pie, and lower it down to form the cover.
Trim away any excess. (always cut downward against the edge of the rim) Tap a sharp knife against the edge of the pastry – this will separate the pastry layers just a bit, and will encourage the layers to ‘puff’. For appearances, you can mold the pastry on the pie edges into a pattern with your fingers, or a knife, some people lie to use a fork for this step.
Brush the top and edges of the pie all over with the beaten egg. Make two or three small vent slits with a knife. Allow to chill for so minutes. Preheat your oven to
While the pie chills, heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220° Celsius). Just before placing the pie in the oven, brush it once more with beaten egg, place on a baking sheet, and cook in the middle position of the oven for half an hour, until the pastry has turned a rich, golden brown.
Serve your Venison Pot Pie while nice and hot.

(We respect your privacy. Subscribers’ info are not shared with anyone. EVER)