Braised Rabbit

Before I start, I know that some of you reading are turning up your nose at the idea of eating rabbit, even if you've never even tried it. You may be vegetarian, and if so, you get a pass.

 But for those of you who think nothing of scarfing down a prosciutto sandwich or a porterhouse steak, eating rabbit is no different from eating other animals that are killed for your dining pleasure. In fact, it's much more eco-friendly since it requires less energy to raise, and produces less waste.

Aside from the ecological benefits, rabbit contains the least amount of fat and calories than other meats, is almost cholesterol free and tastes great. Contrary to what a lot of people think, there's quite a lot of meat on a rabbit in relationship to bone, and it does not have a "gamey" flavor. Much of it is like eating white meat chicken, only tastier.

So step outside your comfort zone and try cooking rabbit, using this recipe loosely adapted from the book "Blue Plate Special" by Kate Christensen. It was my book group's selection for January, and we always accompany our discussions with a dinner using food that's mentioned in the book. 

Depending on where you live, it may be hard to find fresh rabbit. I live not far from an Amish market that stocks it regularly. But so does my supermarket. Last week I called ahead to order two of them since I was planning to make it for the book group dinner and didn't want to risk their not having any in the meat case the day I needed it.

Here's what it looks like before it's cut into pieces. You can ask the butcher to do that for you -- a task I recommend since it's hard cutting through the bones. See that bit of liver hanging out? Don't throw it away. I'll come back to it at the end.

I ordered two rabbits and used two pans to cook them. One rabbit will feed about four people, assuming you have side dishes and a starch. 

This is one of the pots I used and it holds one rabbit beautifully. The pot is probably at least 65 years old and belonged to my mother. It's perfect for braises, stews and even for baking upside down cakes. Browning the rabbit at high heat means your pan will look pretty messy, but this, and my other pot below, clean up spic and span.

Simultaneously, I cooked another rabbit in this enamel coated cast iron pan - very heavy but it cooks very evenly. 

With all the other food that was prepared by other book group members to accompany the rabbit, there were plenty of leftovers for me to take home, and reheat for dinner another night with freshly made polenta and herbs. This recipe would also be delicious served with buttered noodles of some sort, as suggested by the book.

Lentils and rabbit are also a match made in heaven and I made this dish of roasted rabbit, lentils and chestnuts a couple of months ago, trying to duplicate a delicious meal I ate last fall at a restaurant tucked away in the hills of Liguria, Italy. If you're interested in this rabbit recipe, send me an email and I'll be happy to send it to you. The lentils recipe is from Joe Cicala, chef at Le Virtù and Brigantessa in Philadelphia, and I posted it a few years ago (along with his rabbit recipe) here.

And remember that rabbit liver I told you to save at the top of this post?

Joe also gave me a great idea of what to do with it. 

Chop it up with some shallots and sauté it in some butter, he said, then season with some fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Serve it on toasted bread and drizzle it with a balsamic glaze and you've got perfect crostini to drink with your pre-dinner glass of wine.

Salut!

Braised Rabbit
Adapted from the book "Blue Plate Special" by Kate Christensen
printable recipe here

1 rabbit (about 2.5 to 3 lbs.)
4 slices of thickly sliced pancetta (about 1/8" thick), cut into bits
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon flour
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup wine
1/2 cup water
minced parsley
thyme, rosemary, bay leaf
salt, pepper
fresh parsley, minced

Chop the rabbit into pieces. Fry the pancetta in 1 T. of the olive oil until crisp and remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Set aside and resist the temptation to munch on them (ok, have a few bits).
Add the onion and garlic to the pan and sauté until translucent. Remove from the pan. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, sauté the rabbit in the oil on high heat, until the pieces turn golden brown. Sprinkle with the flour and sauté for a few more minutes, turning. The pan will look a mess, but don't worry. All that brown stuff on the bottom with help flavor the sauce and loosens once you add the liquid. Remove the rabbit from the pan and set aside. Add the beef broth and the wine in the pan, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom. Put the onions and rabbit back into the pan, add the herbs and some of the water. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes to an hour, adding more water if the sauce gets too thick. Just before serving, sprinkle with the reserved pancetta bits and minced parsley.