Make “Peter” Rabbit Pot Pie For a Homegrown Dinner

I have to admit, I was a little nervous the first time we sat down to eat one our backyard meat rabbits.  Our family had never eaten rabbit before, and I didn’t even know if I would like it.  I was especially nervous about how the kids would feel about the whole experience.  Even before we decided for sure to get meat rabbits I had been talking about it with the kids, and they SAID they were okay with it, but I just wasn’t sure.

We like to read Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, and in the story it talks about how Peter’s father was put into a pie by Mrs. McGregor.  I decided this would be the best first meal for our family to try rabbit meat, just like in the story.  Yes, I know most kids probably try the blackberries and cream like Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottentail, but around here, it’s the rabbit pie.

The Peter Rabbit Pot Pie turned out to be a good introduction to rabbit meat.  I’m terrible at pie crusts, so that part was a flop.  If you ask my 6 year old she’ll tell you rabbit pie isn’t very good because the crust is too thick.  Other than that it was pretty good.  Next time I’ll buy the crust.  Or maybe I should just practice some more and make lots of pie.  Actually, I didn’t even own a pie pan when I first made this.  Luckily you can cook anything in cast iron!  (They’re easy to wash too…)

Anyway.

If you want to take preschool literature unit studies to a whole other level, or are just looking for another way to cook rabbit, here’s the recipe!

“Peter” Rabbit Pot Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 pie crusts
• 1 precooked rabbit (I baked at 300 for an hour)
• 2 cups of stock (Here’s how to make it!)
• 2 1/2 tbs butter
• 3 1/2 tbs flour
• 3 carrots
• 2 potatoes
• salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375º.
2. Melt the butter and whisk in the flour. (This is similar to the method for making creamy rabbit gravy)
3. Stir over moderate heat until the butter and flour foam together for a couple minutes.
4. Whisk in the stock a little bit at a time.
5. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until thick. Remove from heat.
6. Add the meat and vegetables to the sauce, stir it up and put it in the bottom crust.
7. Seal the top and put some vent slits in the top.
8. Bake at 375º (put the pie pan on a cookie sheet in case it bubbles over) for about 30-45 minutes. The crust should be golden-brown and the filling should be bubbly.