Short Rib Pot Pie
a recipe I promised a long time ago
When I was still pregnant I posted about meal prepping these cute little short rib pot pies for our freezer using a short rib stew. They ended up being unbelievable. The ones from the freezer were actually outstandingly better than the one I cooked off on day one. Entirely because the stew had a chance to, well, stew. I lost track of how many times I was asked for the recipe but as I had made it on the fly, I didn’t want to share it without properly testing it and I was far to pregnant to pull that off.
Cut to 5 months postpartum. It’s finally time for me to share the recipe with you.
This recipe was born of a desperate text to my dear friend Hanna, one half of the chef duo at Bar Acuda on Kauai. 9 months pregnant and craving a short rib pot pie instead of chicken I asked if she had a great short rib stew recipe on hand because this is the kind of thing she usually does. In true chef to chef conversational fashion, she confirmed she has the best recipe and sent back merely a list of ingredients. Some of which I had, and some I didn’t. The recipe I now present to you is a loose interpretation of what I think she was implying to do. It’s fantastic and it needs you to make it.
The most important thing to note is this stew is perfect on it’s own. If you’re feeling like a pot pie is far too much labor, just stop at the stew. Though, I urge you to make it minimally the day before you eat it to let all the flavors really develop. The stew on its own also freezes beautifully. If you love a pot pie, it’s worth the extra step. Use your favorite pie dough, a store bought pie shell, or frozen puff pastry. It'll be worth it.
If you take nothing else from this post, take the idea of whole wheat flour as your new favorite thickener. This is a concept I learned from making Nihari and my mind was blown by the difference the swap made from all purpose white flour that I usually reach for to thicken sauces, soups and stews. I find the texture to be more of a silky smooth, gelatinous sauce akin to the kind of result you’d have from making a sauce with bone marrow. Think Ossobuco not Béchamel. You probably shouldn’t do a 1 to 1 swap white flour for whole wheat but given there is so much protein range flour to flour I think a true conversion would be near impossible without knowing what exact flours you are using. This is all to say, I just swap it 1 to 1 every time and it’s always fine.
If you make this, please let me know. You have no idea how happy getting those messages makes me. I love hearing of you guys enjoying my food in your homes. It’s such a special way to connect.
Below this paywall you’ll find my recipe for Short Rib Stew turned Pot Pie and how to make it into a freezer meal. If you choose to be a paid subscriber to access, I thank you! Developing recipes (well) takes time and can be quite costly in ingredients. If you upgrade to a paid subscription, you will receive new recipes 4x per month (minimally).
