Crab Meat Pot Pie

It's one of those nights that I don't know what to make for dinner. As I twiddle my thumbs and looking at everything in my pantry/freezer, here's a comforting dish that I came up with...a Crab Meat Pot Pie!

What makes this dish so convenient is that I already have all of the ingredients on hand. Too bad I ran out of frozen peas. Having that would have added an earthy color and more veggies to this dish, but what's a gal to do when it's almost time for dinner and I had no time to ran to the nearest grocery store? Oh well! Peas or no peas, this dish certainly didn't miss it (even though I did, but I'll leave it as that and just don't tell anybody about it...hehehe).

The Longaniza (Philippine Sweet Sausage) was a leftover from our Sunday brunch from the day before and this certainly added such a sweet and smoky flavor to this rich stew, and a sprinkle of Herbs de Provence just made this more savory with subtle flowery scents from the dried Lavender. At first, I thought maybe it will be a bit too much, but I was wrong. I had a quick taste and I really surprised myself with all the beautiful flavors meld in together to make this crab meat mixture for my pie.

Hmmm...I couldn't wait for dinner to come!

As my husband and I dug into our individual pot pies through the flaky crust and hearty crab meat stew, we were so content (as I sang to myself, "oh yeah, I did it again!).

I think I warmed up my honey's heart (and tummy) once again :) Everything was good to the last bite!

Simple ingredients, yet so comforting...

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 shallot, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Longanisa, diced (Philippine sausage)

1 lb or 4 cups Frozen Imitation Crab Meat, thawed

26 oz Condensed Mushroom Soup, with 2-3 cups of water

2 cups Carrots, sliced

2 cups Corn

2 cups Peas (optional)

1 Tbsp Herbs de Provence

Salt and Pepper

Frozen Pie Crust

1 egg, add 1 tbsp of Heavy Cream or water for an Egg Wash

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan or stock pot. Saute onions, shallots, and garlic. Add diced Longanisa and Crab Meat. Saute well. Add cream of mushroom soup and water. Mix well. Add vegetables. Sprinkle with Herbs de Provence. Season with salt and pepper. Let it simmer for a few minutes. Set aside.

Prepare your egg wash. Beat one egg with water or heavy cream.

This recipe will make about a whole pie, plus two one-serving size porcelain baking dishes (or Cocettes). Place a crust in the pie plate, fill it up with the crab stew/mixture, then top it off with the second crust. Crimp the edges, then brush the top with an egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Place the pie plate and/or individual baking dishes on a wax lined baking pan. Bake the pies for 35 minutes on a 350 degree F oven, until bubbly and crusts are golden brown. Let it cool for a few minutes. Serve with garlic toasts.