Wine Rabbit Recipes

Steps:

• Soak the shallots in boiling water for 5 mins, drain, then peel - this makes it a lot easier to remove the skins. While they are soaking, slice the rest of the vegetables. Heat a large, wide flameproof casserole dish, then add the lardons. Fry for 5 mins or until the fat has run from the meat, then tip in the vegetables and cook for 10 mins until golden and starting to soften. Tip into a bowl.
• Toss the rabbit meat with the flour, then tap off the excess. Heat half the butter and oil in the dish, then brown half the rabbit for 10 mins until golden all over. Add a good splash of water, scrape around the dish and tip the juices into a jug. Repeat with the second batch of rabbit, but use the wine to deglaze the pan this time, letting it reduce by about a third.
• Add the rabbit and the vegetables to the wine, pour in the stock, stir in the herbs and bring to a simmer. Cover, leaving just a small gap for steam to escape, then simmer for 1½-2 hrs or until the meat falls away from the bones. If you like a thicker sauce to your stew, you can lift out the meat and vegetables and boil the sauce to thicken it a little. To finish, heat the knob of butter in a frying pan and cook the mushrooms with salt, pepper and a few thyme leaves over a high heat until browned. Spoon these over the stew, sprinkle with thyme leaves and bring to the table.

Steps:

• In a large roasting pan put Crisco, onion and celery.
• Add 2 cut up rabbits; brown on both sides.
• Add bay leaves, peppercorns, rosemary, oregano, thyme and salt and pepper.
• Pour in red wine and vinegar; mix in flour.
• Bake at 325° for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or till tender.

Steps:

• Lightly coat the rabbit pieces in seasoned flour.
• Heat the butter and oil and fry the rabbit pieces until golden brown.
• Remove from the pan and add the tiny onions and bacon to the pan and fry until the onions are coloured.
• Add the wine, water and tomato paste, stirring to combine and lift any brown bits off the bottom of the pan; add the thyme, bayleaf, garlic and season with extra black pepper.
• Return the rabit to the pan.
• Cover the pan and simmer about 1 hour or until the rabbit is tender.
• Meanwhile, toss the mushrooms in a little extra butter and oil for a few minutes.
• Add to the rabbit for the last few minutes of cooking.
• Remove the thyme and bayleaf and serve the rabbit, mushrooms, onions and sauce with chopped parsley sprinkled over.

Steps:

• In a large bowl stir together flour and salt. Add rabbit and toss to coat. In a heavy kettle heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown rabbit in batches, transferring pieces to a bowl.
• Add onion and remaining tablespoon oil to kettle and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned. Stir in garlic and rosemary and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth, wine, and rabbit with any juices accumulated in bowl and simmer, covered, 1 hour, or until rabbit is tender. Remove lid and simmer until sauce is thickened slightly. Stir in parsley.
• Stir sage into warm polenta. Serve polenta topped with rabbit and sauce.
• To make basic polenta:
• In a heavy saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of pan, about 40 minutes for cornmeal and about 15 minutes 2for instant polenta. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. Stir polenta just before using. Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.
• Note: In the traditional method of cooking polenta, forty minutes of constant stirring is required to achieve a lumpless texture and fragrant flavor. However, Italian-food expert Marcella Hazan has developed a method that involves very little stirring during this time. We believe it produces a very good polenta, one nearly as flavorful and smooth as the traditional procedure. To make satisfactory polenta in a real hurry, an imported instant polenta (precooked cornmeal) is available. This cooks in a mere fifteen minutes.

Steps:

• In a large pot, combine all the ingredients for the marinade. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and continue boiling for 10 minutes. Allow to cool.
• Strain the marinade. Place the rabbit in a deep pan or dish and pour on the marinade. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Discard the marinade. Dredge the rabbit in the seasoned flour.
• In a large saute pan, heat the oil or bacon fat. Add the rabbit and cook over medium heat until golden brown, about 10 minutes on each side. Drain off the fat.
• Add the remaining ingredients.
• Simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours.