Venison Pumpkin Pot Pie
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Recipe contributed by Editor-in-Chief J. Townsend
Don’t throw away those left-over pumpkins after Halloween if they are still edible. I love the fall, pumpkin spice latte cold brews aside, because fall is the best time to get a variety of pumpkins. Some pumpkin varieties are cool to look at, but in my home, we buy pumpkins to eat… plain and simple. There are usually no pumpkins that have made it past Thanksgiving between the sweet pies, soups, savory pies, and whatever else I conjure up… like my Roasted Duck Breast with Pumpkin Cream Gnocchi which you can find over at the Guidefitter website.
As you may have learned over time, fall also coincides with hunting season and venison becomes a great commodity as long as you are able to fill your tags so the combination of pumpkin and venison should be almost automatic when you really think about availability of fresh ingredients. Not to mention, their flavor profiles pair with some of the same ingredients such as garlic, allspice, onion, mushrooms, cream, cold beer… etc.
I wanted to combine the thought of a soupy pumpkin mixture with the traditional concept of a pot pie so I chose to use an old Jamaican pumpkin soup recipe as the base of my pumpkin inspiration, thus the allspice. Regardless, you will enjoy this recipe as much as we did. Cheers!
Ingredients:
1 lbs venison steak, cubed 1”x 1”
1 tbsp oil
1 cup of diced pumpkin
1 cup of diced sweet potato
½ cup of chopped carrots
½ leek, sliced thin
3 scallions, minced
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 sprigs of fresh thyme, minced
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp allspice
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2 cups of stock (wild game stock)
1 sheet of premade puff pastry sheet
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Preparation:
1. Bring a cast iron skillet to medium heat
2. While waiting, season venison with salt and pepper and allow to rest for a few minutes to absorb the seasoning.
3. Add oil to the skillet, then add the venison
4. Season venison with the allspice
5. Brown the venison and the remove from pan and set aside. There should be some remaining juice in the bottom of the pan. If not, add 1 tbsp of oil
6. Add pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots, leek, scallions, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper
7. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the pumpkin is soft but firm
8. Add the two tablespoons of butter and stir to incorporate the butter
9. Add flour and allow vegetables to brown slightly, 2-3 minutes stirring frequently
10. Add the stock and venison
11. Stir frequently and allow the mixture to thicken
12. Remove from heat and allow the pan to cool
13. Heat the oven to 400 degrees
14. Place the puff pastry sheet on a floured surface and roll out to fit the size of the skillet
15. Once the pan is cool to the touch, place the puff pastry sheet on top and tuck the excess under itself
16. Place the skillet into the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes or until brown.
17. Remove, let cool, and serve.
Beer Pairing: Harpoon Brewery Flannel Friday
Wine Pairing: Grenache, Pinot Noir, Riesling
I am going to make this! I may have to make 2 versions because my wife won’t eat venison (only eats fish, chicken, and turkey), do you think I could just sub the venison for some wild turkey breast?