We’ve done braised rabbit dishes several times on the blog, but we keep finding new variations on this versatile meat – and each is very different from the last.  The flavors in this dish are deliciously simple – morels, butter, veggies, thyme and rabbit.

Drink Pairing: Syrah

Ingredients:                         Makes 4 Servings
1 Rabbit Fryer
8 tbsp Unsalted Butter
¼ cup diced Leek
¼ cup diced Celery
¼ cup diced Carrot
¼ cup diced Onion
½ cup White Wine
1/2lb Fresh Morel Mushrooms (could substitute Dried Morels – no need to reconstitute ahead)
1 cup Chicken Stock
½ bunch Fresh Thyme
1 tbsp chopped Thyme leaves
1 tbsp chopped Flat Leaf Parsley Leaves
1/2lbPappardelle Pasta (we used Wheat Germ Pappardelle Pasta)
Sherry Vinegar

Directions:
1. Remove the legs from the rabbit (how to cut up a rabbit).  Reserve the saddle (or separated loins) for another rabbit recipe.

2. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

3. Melt four tablespoons of the butter in a Dutch oven or large pot.

4. Season the rabbit legs with salt & pepper and sear them on all sides in the melted butter.

5. Add the leek, celery, carrot and onion.  Brown them, then deglaze the pot with the white wine.

6. Cut any particularly large morels in half.  Check the morels for sand and briefly rinse them if necessary.  Add the morels to the pot along with the chicken stock and thyme.

7. Bring the chicken stock to a simmer, put a lid on the pot and move it to the oven to braise.  Braise until the rabbit is tender and the meat can be pulled apart (about 1 ½ hours).

8. Remove the pot from the oven and discard the thyme sprigs.  Remove the rabbit legs & reserve.

9. Put the pot on the stove and simmer to reduce the cooking liquid.  Once reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, add the chopped thyme and chopped parsley.

10. Boil the pasta until al dente.  Drain & toss it with 3 tablespoons of butter, salt & pepper.

11. Just before serving, add the remaining tablespoon of butter and a couple drops of sherry vinegar to the braising liquid sauce.  Stir to combine.

12. Serve the rabbit legs atop the pasta, topped with the braising liquid & vegetables.

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Cutting up (“fabricating”) a whole rabbit is similar to cutting up poultry in terms of the basic technique, even though the anatomy is rather different. 

By following the below steps you’ll be able to easily separate a whole rabbit fryer into two back legs, two loins, and (if desired) two front legs.

1. Wash the fryer.

2. Take hold of a back leg, and cut where the leg meets the loin, peeling away the meat with your hand to expose the joint.  Cut all the way down to the back bone.  Pull the leg back towards the spine to crack open the joint, and cut through the resulting gap with your knife.  Make whatever other minor cuts that are necessary to completely separate the leg.

3. Repeat with the remaining back leg to remove it.

4. To remove the loins from the saddle, turn the rabbit so that its back is up, and feel the loin muscles that run along the spine on either side.  Cut along the spine, making a small incision with the point of your knife and running the tip along the resulting gap, going a little deeper each time.

5. Follow the bone structure, continuing to scrape with the point, peeling the loin muscle away from the spine with your other hand as you work your way down.

6. Make whatever small cuts (straight down) that are necessary at the shoulder and back end to finish separating the loin.

7. Repeat with the loin on the other side of the spine.

8. If desired remove the front legs using the same method as the back legs (you don’t need to crack the joint if you don’t want to, depending on the shape of the leg you want…we didn’t).

For ideas for what to do with the rabbit legs and loins once you’ve separated them, check out our rabbit recipes.  The spine and front legs can be used to make rabbit stock (using the method for white or brown veal stock).

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This stew is incredibly flavorful, but easier to make than our lapin au vin recipe.  The rabbit is moist and tender, and the sauce dances between sour, tangy, sweet, and earthy flavors.

Drink Pairings: Barbaresco or Lagrein from Alto Adige

Ingredients: (Makes 3-4 servings)
2 Rabbit Rear Legs (cut from a rabbit fryer – how to butcher a rabbit)
¾ cup Italian Red Wine (Barbera would be perfect)
½ cup Kalamata Olives, thickly sliced
28oz can of crushed San Marzano Tomatoes
1 large sprig of Thyme
2 cloves Garlic, sliced
½ Carrot
Grana Cheese to garnish (could substitute Parmigiano Reggiano)

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350.

2. Heat some oil in a large wide pot, salt the rabbit legs.

3. Add the rabbit legs to the skillet, and sear them on all sides.

4. Remove the rabbit legs and reserve.  Deglaze the pan with the red wine.  Bring to a simmer and reduce its volume by half.

5. Add the carrots, garlic, thyme, olives, tomatoes & seared rabbit legs.

6. Baste the rabbit legs with a few spoonfuls of the rest of the ingredients, cover the pot and move it to the oven to braise at about 300 degrees for about an hour and fifteen minutes, until tender.

7. Serve family style garnished with plenty of parmigiano reggiano.

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Adobo is a traditional Filipino dish involving meat dipped in a rich & creamy sauce with a sour-spicy finish.  Tender, moist rabbit meat is the perfect base for enjoying the full range of its flavor.

Drink Pairings:Mezcal or Flemish sour ale

Ingredients: (4 Servings)
4 Rabbit Rear Legs cut from Whole Rabbit Fryers (How to Fabricate a Rabbit)
1 cup of Soy Sauce
½ cup of Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tbsp Garlic, minced
1 tbsp Ginger, peeled and minced
1 cup of Water
1 ½ + ½ cups Coconut Milk
1 tsp Hungarian Paprika
1 small Jalapeno, small diced
1 tbsp Lime Juice, fresh squeezed
Lime Zest for garnish

Directions:

1. Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, ½ cup of the coconut milk, paprika, jalapeno and water in a deep pan or skillet.

2. Simmer the sauce on the stove for 5 minutes.

3. Carefully lay the rabbit legs in the sauce, and continue to simmer for 20 minutes (flipping the legs about halfway through) until the rabbit is almost completely cooked.

4. Preheat your grill.

5. Once the rabbit meat is firm and white, remove it from the pan, and add the other 1 ½ cups of coconut milk to the adobo sauce.

6. Simmer the adobo until it has reduced to a sauce consistency.  Strain.

7. Grill the rabbit legs for a couple of minutes (turning as necessary), just until black grill marks and a brown crust have developed.

8. Stir the lime juice into the adobo, garnish with the lime zest & serve on the side with the rabbit legs.

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Treviso is a deep red Italian bitter green that is often grilled, roasted, or braised as cooking reduces its bitter flavor.  However, it can also be used in dishes showcasing that very bitterness, like this salad.  Here the bitterness of the treviso takes center stage, enhanced by an astringent black garlic vinaigrette and tempered by moist rabbit meat.

Wine Pairing: Ribolla Gialla from Friuri

Ingredients: (serves 6)

2 boneless rabbit saddles
3 heads of Treviso
1 bunch fresh chervil
½ bunch fresh marjoram
½ bunch fresh parsley
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 cloves of black garlic
1 tbsp of red wine vinegar
¼ cup + 3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp chili flakes
½ cup white wine (Reisling or a Muscat recommended)
½ cup chicken stock (why not use homemade chicken stock?)
Portuguese sea salt to taste

1. Remove any excess fat or silver skin from the surface of the rabbit saddles.  Season them with salt.

2. Heat 1/4th cup of the olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan with the rosemary, garlic cloves, and chili flakes.

3. Once the pan is aromatic, add the rabbit saddles.

4. Cook the rabbit saddles through, but take care not to dry them out (rabbit cooks similarly to chicken, remove it from the heat at 155 degrees and let it carry over cook to 160).

5. Remove the rabbit from the pan and reserve.  Add the chicken stock and white wine to the pan.

6. Bring the liquid in the pan to a simmer and reduce it to a syrup consistency.

7. Strain the liquid and reserve.

8. In a food processor or blender combine the reserved liquid, black garlic cloves, and red wine vinegar.  Blend until smooth.

9. Continue to blend, slowly drizzling in the oil, until an emulsion is formed.

10. Wash and rough chop the treviso. Pull the chervil, marjoram, and parsley leaves off their stalks. Rough chop the marjoram, leaving the other herb leaves whole.  Toss the two together in a large bowl with a pinch of salt.

11. Slice the rested, room temperature rabbit saddles into medallions. Add the rabbit and resting juices, followed by about 2 ½ tbsp of the vinaigrette (you can add more later after tasting) to the salad. Toss the salad by hand, ensuring that all the treviso is well dressed.

12. Serve in entrée portions, appetizer portions, or family style (as we have here).

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Not enough time for a cassoulet?  Here’s a very simple, yet hearty dish that really takes advantage of the complex flavors found in our game sausages.

 
Ingredients:

A few tablespoons of butter
Fresh sage leaves
Cooked White Beans (we recommend European Soldier Beans)
Venison Sausage or rabbit sausage

Cooking Instructions:
1. Bring the butter to medium-high heat in a saute pan.

2. Once the butter browns, add in the sage.

3. Sizzle the sage in the butter for a minute or two.
4. Add the cooked beans and toss to coat beans with butter and sage.

5. Top with a piece or two of grilled venison sausage or rabbit sausage. Serve.

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This simple recipe creates a creamy coconut milk based sauce that is sweet & spicy and laden with crisp vegetables.  Top it with tender rabbit, and you’ve got a rich treat!

Drink Pairings: Mosel Riesling or a Junmai Sake

Ingredients: (6 Servings)
3 Rabbit Loins (from rabbit saddles or cut from whole fryer rabbits)
1 large Leek, thinly sliced
½ head of Romanesco, cut into florets
2 Bell Peppers, cut into thin sticks
1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 dash of Fish Sauce (aka nam pla)
2 ½ cups of Coconut Milk
2 cloves of Garlic, sliced
1 tbsp fresh Ginger, sliced
½ Jalapeno Pepper, sliced
2 tbsp Curry Powder
1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
Juice of one Lime
Salt & Pepper to taste

Plus: 6 cups of Himalayan Red Rice or Jasmine Rice cooked according to the Pilaf Method.

1. Ready a large bowl filled with ice water for shocking the romanesco.

2. Blanch the romanesco florets in a large pot of boiling salted water until they’re mostly tender but still have a slight crunch.

3. Briefly plunge the romanesco florets in the ice water (shock them) to stop the cooking process and set the color.

4. Season the rabbit loins with salt and pepper.

5. In a large frying pan or skillet heat the olive oil and sesame oil.

6. Sear the rabbit loins, leaving them just slightly undercooked (they will finish through carry over cooking).  Remove from the pan and reserve.

7. Add the leek to the pan and sweat it until translucent.

8. Add the blanched romanesco, peppers, jalapeno, garlic, curry powder and ginger.

9. Deglaze with the coconut milk.  Add the lime juice, rice wine vinegar and fish sauce.  Season with salt & pepper.

10. Simmer until the coconut milk has been reduced to a sauce consistency and the vegetables are tender.

11. Put a layer of rice in each bowl, cover with the curry sauce & vegetables, and top with half a rabbit loin (whole or sliced).

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Choucroute garnie is a satisfying comfort food made from sauerkraut, sausage and potatoes. It is a traditional dish from Alsace, a region of France combining German and French influences.

Ingredients
½ lb. bacon, chopped (Kurobuta pork bacon & cubed wild boar bellies work beautifully)
4 pork chops (kurobuta pork chops or wild boar chops would be even better!)
12 oz. rabbit sausage
6 yukon gold potatoes or yellow finn potatoes, medium diced
1 onion, sliced
2 carrots, diced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
8 cups sauerkraut (preferably bagged, not canned, but any will do)
½ bottle of Alsatian wine, such as reisling
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon whole caraway
Tellicherry peppercorns
10 juniper berries, crushed with the side of a knife
3 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade chicken stock)

Prep Sauerkraut
Soak sauerkraut in cold water for 20 minutes. Then, rinse in a colander. This will remove the intense vinegary note and make the flavor of the cabbage stand out. It helps to create a dish that is more balanced.

Prep Pork Chops
Pat the pork chops with a paper towel to dry. Season with salt and pepper.

Cooking Instructions

1. Cut bacon or belly into chunks. Add to dutch oven that has been brought to medium heat. Rendering the bacon/belly will provide the cooking fat for the dish.

2. Once the bacon has been rendered and has crisped up, remove it and all but 2 tbsps of fat from the pan.

3. Add the pork chops to the pan and brown them on each side.

4. Once the pork chops have browned browned, remove them as well.  Pour off any excess fat.

5. Add onions and garlic and sauté until translucent. If the fond (browned bits at bottom of pan) is at risk of burning, deglaze with a few tablespoons of wine.

6. Add the following to the onions and garlic: drained sauerkraut, wine, carrots, bacon (but not the bacon fat), juniper berries, bay leaf, caraway, black pepper to taste, browned pork chops and chicken stock.

7. Bring to simmer.
8. Put the lid on the dutch oven and move it to an oven preheated to 325 degrees. Braise for 1 ½ hours.

9. Halfway through the braise, return 2 tablespoons bacon fat to a sauté pan. Once hot, add whole rabbit sausage and brown on each side.  Add browned sausage to the dutch oven (simply nestle it on top with the pork chops).

10. Also while dish is braising, prepare the potatoes: Add potatoes to a pot of cold, salted water and bring to a low boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender and drain.
11. Remove the dutch oven from oven once the 1 ½ hours have elapsed. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.

Presentation
Arrange a bed of some of the sauerkraut mixture along with some of the potatoes. Top them with a piece of sausage and a pork chop.

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This rustic rabbit stew is prepared in the style of that famous French classic, coq au vin. The braised vegetables become incredibly rich during the cooking process thanks to the bacon, bacon fat, rabbit juices, and wine. In an unusual twist, the rabbit meat actually lightens the rich vegetables, rather than the other way around.

Wine Pairings: Aged Alsatian Reisling, Pinot Gris, or Hunter Valley Semillon from Australia

Ingredients: (serves 6)
½ cup carrot, cut into ¼” cubes
1/2 cup celery, cut into ¼” cubes
1 cup onion, cut into ¼” cubes
6 bone-in rabbit legs cut from whole fryer rabbits (How to Fabricate Rabbits.  Use the loins for Treviso, Black Garlic & Rabbit Salad!)
1 ½ cups heirloom potatoes (we recommend purple majesty potatoes, desiree potatoes, or all blue potatoes)
3/4lb thick cut wild boar bacon or kurobuta pork bacon
2 cups white wine (we recommend Alsatian wine, Reisling or Muscat)
3 tbsp chopped Fresh Marjoram off the stem.
Chicken stock as needed (homemade chicken stock would be best)

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Remove any visible silver skin or excess fat from the surface of the rabbit legs.

3. Slice the bacon into ½” slices and add to a dry skillet.

4. Cook the bacon over medium-low heat to render its fat out.

5. Once the bacon is crispy, but not crunchy, remove it from the pan and reserve, leaving the fat in the pan.  Turn the heat up to medium and add the rabbit legs.

6. Brown (sear) the rabbit legs on each side.

7. Remove the rabbit.  Add the carrot, onion, and celery to the skillet.  Brown the vegetables, stirring occasionally.

8. Cut the potatoes into ½” cubes.

9. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and add the marjoram and potatoes.

10. Bring the stew base to a simmer and carefully nestle the rabbit legs in so they are partially covered by the liquid. Add any juices that have gathered on the resting plate and the reserved bacon.

11. Put the lid on the skillet and transfer it to the oven for 45 minutes to an hour (until the rabbit is cooked through).

12. Remove the skillet from the stove, and check the stew for consistency.  If it looks a little dry, you can add chicken stock and simmer it briefly on the stove.

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Mini Phyllo Tartlettes with Greek Salad and Rabbit Sausage with White Wine

These little one-bite appetizers are pretty quick to put together and are excellent to serve at summer cocktail parties. The combination of delicious savory rabbit sausage with the bright refreshing flavors of the Greek salad is terrific.

Ingredients:

2 Rabbit Sausages with White Wine
2/3 cup Tomatoes, small dice
3 tablespoons Olives, chopped
3 tablespoons Red Onions, minced
1 tablespoon Fresh Dill, finely chopped
3 tablespoons Feta Cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
Salt & Pepper to taste
16 Phyllo Tartlette Shells (homemade or store-bought)

Directions:

1. Grill sausages on medium heat for about 10-12 minutes, turning often on all sides. Slice each sausage in thin rounds.

2. In a bowl, combine tomatoes, olives, red onions, dill, feta cheese.

3. In a separate small bowl, whisk extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour over the salad.

4. Place a little bit of Greek salad at the bottom of each tartlette, top with a sausage round, and place a little bit more salad around the sausage.

Recipe Development & Photography by Natasha Price, 5 Star Foodie

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