Bugs Bunny (Roasted)
Years ago (before I knew any better) I decided that I was going to cook a rabbit. This was after I had experienced a delicious Spanish style rabbit dish dinning out. So I chose my recipe and bought my rabbit from a rather posh butchery. When I opened the vac-pac at home I was a bit disturbed. The first thing I noticed was the perculiar smell. It was like chemicals and lavender soap. It was revolting, actually. I can honestly say that to this day I have never had any meat which gave of this odour. So I began to inspect the meat. Had it gone off? That’s when I noticed that the colour of the flesh was dark pink and the fat very yellow, but it seemed fresh (the rabbits that I have cooked since have had a paler meat and white fat). Anyway, as I am always ready for a culinary challenge, I commenced the plan of attack. I read in a book that strong tasting rabbits should be soaked in a vinegar bath, prior to cooking. So this is what I did for a few hours. It still smelled wrong. “Not to worry” I thought. ”It will taste divine” I lied to myself. I cooked the recipe. The meat was perfect in texture and falling of the bones. But the smell.Yuck! It had permeated every corner of the house and if I could smell it right now it would induce a vomiting fit. But still being in denial, I persevered. I had come this far so I may as well continue. I served myself a portion and cut the meat with my cutlery. It was the vilest (and still is) thing I have ever put in my mouth. It went straight into the bin, as did the contents in the pot. I had to wash the pot numerous times to get rid of the pungent odour. And the smell that had soaked into every crevice in my apartment didn’t leave for a few days either. In hindsight I don’t think it was rabbit. I have no idea what it was. Maybe some other type of rodent- a possum perhaps I will never know. Needless to say, the butcher who sold me the mysterious feral, has since gone out of business. Live and learn I say. I hope I haven’t put you off rabbit. To me rabbit is luxurious.
I did not eat rabbit growing up (apart from once, although it was tough and dry), so to me it is not common the way chicken is. And in fact, if it where more easily available and cheaper, I would eat rabbit more often. I guess chicken has become the poor mans rabbit. Generations ago the reverse was true. Rabbit can be tricky to cook. It is easy to end up with meat that is too tough, so the trick is to roast it quickly, or braise it slowly. The following recipe will result in meat that is tender and very juicy. Rabbit meat is lean but rich. This recipe is plenty for 2 carnivores.
Ingredients
1 farmed rabbit
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine
1 garlic clove
1 rosemary sprig (small)
Salt
Fresh black pepper
I did not eat rabbit growing up (apart from once, although it was tough and dry), so to me it is not common the way chicken is. And in fact, if it where more easily available and cheaper, I would eat rabbit more often. I guess chicken has become the poor mans rabbit. Generations ago the reverse was true. Rabbit can be tricky to cook. It is easy to end up with meat that is too tough, so the trick is to roast it quickly, or braise it slowly. The following recipe will result in meat that is tender and very juicy. Rabbit meat is lean but rich. This recipe is plenty for 2 carnivores.
Ingredients
1 farmed rabbit
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine
1 garlic clove
1 rosemary sprig (small)
Salt
Fresh black pepper
Method
Ask your butcher to joint the rabbit for you- 2 hindlegs, 2 forelegs, and the saddle. So a total of 5 pieces. You only need the 4 legs. The saddle tends to dry out. So reserve it for making stock, along with the kidneys and liver (if your butcher has included them)
Process the garlic, seasoning, rosemary, oil and wine in a baby processor (for best results). Massage the rabbit pieces with this marinade and leave for a few hours at room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 180c. The temperature is important here. I use an oven thermometer to be sure.
Place the rabbit dishes into a baking dish and roast for 15 minutes. Turn the pieces and sprinkle them with a bit of water- about ½ tbsp on each piece. Roast them for a further 15 minutes.
A very fine dish indeed. I served this with roast Kipfler potatoes, Swiss brown mushrooms, onion, pancetta and thyme. My palate tends to be rather extravagant (really), so I made a reduction of clarified rabbit stock, flavoured with red wine. But that requires another recipe in itself.
Ask your butcher to joint the rabbit for you- 2 hindlegs, 2 forelegs, and the saddle. So a total of 5 pieces. You only need the 4 legs. The saddle tends to dry out. So reserve it for making stock, along with the kidneys and liver (if your butcher has included them)
Process the garlic, seasoning, rosemary, oil and wine in a baby processor (for best results). Massage the rabbit pieces with this marinade and leave for a few hours at room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 180c. The temperature is important here. I use an oven thermometer to be sure.
Place the rabbit dishes into a baking dish and roast for 15 minutes. Turn the pieces and sprinkle them with a bit of water- about ½ tbsp on each piece. Roast them for a further 15 minutes.
A very fine dish indeed. I served this with roast Kipfler potatoes, Swiss brown mushrooms, onion, pancetta and thyme. My palate tends to be rather extravagant (really), so I made a reduction of clarified rabbit stock, flavoured with red wine. But that requires another recipe in itself.
