Wabbit (or...Rabbit, if you prefer)

i'm not sure about times and temps. but, the chefs at work take the hind legs and sous vide in duck fat. for service they are seared lightly brushed w/ molasses, toasted pecans, and a rabbit jus. very good, i'll see if i can get the temps and cooking times.

Many years ago before I left home my stepmother would on occasion cook a rabbit. As I recall she did a stovetop braise in a paprika cream sauce, I think onions were involved. Maybe I'll do a web search see if I come across anything that seems familiar.

mjb.

Rabbit - Hasenpfeffer recipe

How I wish I had access to inexpensive rabbits! While growing up my Father often brought home game meat, including rabbits. My Mother would often make Hasenpfeffer, which is a sort of German stew. I don't have my Mom's exact recipe because she cooked from memory, but the following is a pretty good example though.

Hasenpfeffer - Serves:8

Ingredients
1 large or 2 small rabbits, cleaned, skinned, and cut into pieces

Marinade:
1/2 c. red-wine vinegar
1 1/2 c. water
1 c. dry red wine
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 t. salt
1 t. dry mustard
1 t. ground pepper
1 T. pickling spices
4 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
4 T. clarified butter
sugar (start with 1 T.)
3 T. flour
1/2 c. sour cream or crème fraiche
1/2 c. heavy cream

Directions

1. Mix the marinade, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for an hour. Cool to room temperature. Marinate the rabbit for 24-48 hours.
2. Remove the rabbit pieces and dry them. Dredge them in the seasoned flour and brown in the butter on all sides. Strain the marinade and add it to the rabbit, cover tightly, and simmer for an hour. Remove the rabbit and place on a serving platter.
3. Add 1 T. sugar to the broth and taste. Add additional sugar if necessary to get the balance of sweet and sour you prefer. Blend the 3 T. flour with the cream and sour cream and add it, stirring constantly, cooking for a couple of minutes to thicken and remove the flour taste. Add salt and pepper to taste, pour over the rabbit, and serve.

Stay tuned, I will find out today my mother's famous rabbit stew recipe, and will post also Jamie Oliver's fantastic fried rabbit recipe too, must go to work now.

Sorry I couldn't reach my mom on the phone today, her stew is one of my favorites. It involves a lot of onions, red wine, and vinegar. I'll post another time.

Essex Fried Rabbit - Jamie at Home

-olive oil
-rabbit, seperated into pieces
-s/p
-1 bulb of garlic cut in half horizontally
-4 springs fresh rosemary
-3/4 cups white wine
-3/4 stock (chicken or vegetable)
-a few slices stale white bread, crusts removed
-2 big handfuls grated parmesan
-flour for dusting
-3 large eggs beaten
-sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
-vegetable oil
-lemon

1. Heat a saucepan that will fit the rabbit pieces snugly in 1 layer.
2. add a glug of oil, the rabbit, s/p, the garlic, 2 sprigs rosemary, and the wine and stock.
3. Put an lid on it and simmer gently for 45min to an hour without coloring the rabbit too much.. Meat should come off the bone easily. Allow to cool down before proceeding.
4. Whiz the bread and cheese in a FP and prep your dredging bowls. One with sifted, seasoned flour, the second with the beaten egg, the third with the bread crumbs.
5. Toss with flour, shake off excess. Dip into egg, drip off excess then into the bread crumbs. Now place in the fridge until you're ready to fry.
5. Heat the veg oil to 350. Fry the pieces in small batchs for 2-3 minutes until golden and crisp. Drop in the rosemary twigs too for 20 seconds or so. Deep fry the garlic as well.
6. Drain on paper towel. Dust with sea salt. Squeeze the garlic out into a bowl. Serve with the rabbit with the crispy rosemary leaves and lemon.

Knowing how much you love the "self education" aspect of cooking I'd recommend picking up a couple of rabbits. Take a couple of hours out of a day off and experiment with breaking them down. Whole rabbit is a great butchery microcosm, you get all the classic cuts in that tiny little package. Its a great way to learn the "ins and outs" if you will. I can picture you serving up double cut rabbit chops as canapes in no time.

Almost any meat eater will like braised rabbit legs. If you have any love for organ meats please treat yourself to the kidneys and liver. The absolute best. Save the fat around the kidneys, believe it or not, and grind it into sausage or burgers. So good.

Have fun,

--Allan

We used to be able to get them cheaply here - half your luck! Darn government organisation let out (accidentaly (?)) an experimental virus to poison them (ok they were in plague proportions here) and you can't eat local ones as far as I know. They must be imported.

I used to do mine just like a coq au vin - just substitue the bird for the rabbit. Tastes much the same except a bit beefier/gamier, but all the flavours suit. Look into butchering a rabbit, as Allan says. Make sure to use the saddle, lots of bone for flavour, and very tasty meat.

With the fillets you can use them like an Oriental stir fry for fish or beef -very short cooking time in the wok, with vegies and sauces you like. Would use chicken stock myself for the gravy rather than beef otherwise it masks the taste of Bunny.

DC

In addition to numerous recipes designed specifically around rabbit, you can use any chicken recipes, subbing the bunny. For instance, to make a rabbit paprikas, you would start with a disjointed rabbit.

In a large skillet saute a bunch of onions in equal parts oil and paprika (3-5 tbls each). Sear the rabbit pieces. Add half a cup red wine. Simmer, covered, until rabbit is tender. Add enough sour cream to make a nice sauce, gently reheat (do not let boil). Sprinkle with chopped dill. Serve over broad noodles.

For napkin rings get some nametag bracelets inscribed "Floopsy" "Mopsy" "Peter" and "Cottontail." Omigosh! I didn't really say that, did I? :talk:

Only time I ever had rabbit, it was made by my French bro-in-law.

It was pan-fried and then he added cream and prepared mustard and I don't know what else--it was really good.

Maybe my sis (Anondi on this site) can tell more about how he made it. But she has been slacking badly on this site.

I understand completely. I have the luxury of being able to chalk culinary IED's to research and design. Then again, my wife's key pick-up line to me was something to the effect of "I hear you like to cook. Well, I like to eat." so I figure all bets are off. I'll be posting a link to to a video of the two of us (well, her, with me as a special guest star) in the Off-Topic Forum soon. Enjoy the pressure cooker, I got my first one back in August and its changed how I cook (at home) completely.

--Al

A long time ago I had rabbit cooked over an open fire on a stick. During the cooking I basted the rabbit with melted butter to which I had added a little lemon juice, salt and pepper.

We used to raise rabbits, and Mom's favorite way to prepare it was braised with beer and onions.
Simple yet good.
She once made a rabbit casserole topped with biscuits, but she used too much pepper.
It was still good, but not great, and that's probably why she never made it again.
But beer and onions, yum.

I make them like I do Southern Country Chicken. In a huge cast iron pan and serve it with a cream style gravy and in a ring mashed spicey carrots. The farmed ones you buy in market tast like chicken. The fresh killed wild ones have a different tast and slightly darker color, but they are both good.