Wild Rabbit Braised with Vinegar and Thyme

Do you ever have days when you simply do not have any idea what you wish to cook or eat? Yesterday was one of those days for me. As I wondered the market place rather aimlessly, I finally decided on rabbit legs, to braise slowly. And when I say rabbit, I mean “wild” rabbit. Oh how I adore wild game meat! And of course winter is the perfect time for all things wild of the culinary nature.
Now wild rabbit isn’t exactly what I would describe as tender meat. The farmed variety is, but not its wild relative. However where it lacks in tenderness, it makes up for in flavour. People, I think, are too obsessed with having tender meat all the time- boring veal and intensely farmed chicken. Leave those meats to infants and the geriatrics! I don’t mind meat to be on the firm side as long as it has a good flavour. Of course, I don’t want to eat meat with the texture of leather boots, but a little chew factor I am absolutely fine with. After all, that’s why God gave us teeth. Use them!

Ingredients
700g wild rabbit legs, back only
20g unsalted cultured butter
20 duck fat
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp fresh chopped thyme
1 tbsp brown sugar
50ml vinegar (I used balsamic)
Rich brown stock- 1 or 2 ladles
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper

Method
Ask the butcher nicely, to cut each leg in two pieces.
Rinse the rabbit and pat dry.
Melt the butter and duck fat over a medium heat and sear the pieces of rabbit, until lightly golden.
Add the garlic cloves, thyme and sugar.
Splash in the vinegar and a ladle of stock.
Cover the pan, turn the heat to low and braise very slowly for 1 hour. Check from time to time the juices are not drying out. Add a ladle of stock if need be.
At the end of the hour the rabbit will be well done, but still firm. This is the nature of the beast.
Check the seasoning and enjoy it with parsnip puree to which you have added sour cream and nutmeg.
Serves 2 on a cold winters night.

Roasted Quail with Red Wine, Sage and Thyme

As soon as the weather turns remotely autumnal, I go nuts and start cooking everything with red wine. And by “autumnal” I mean anything under 30c. By the time March comes around I have had enough of summer (well actually, I had enough back in December) and I cant wait to start cooking with the flavours of autumn and the approaching winter.
You could do this dish with squab pigeons, just increase the cooking times. Make sure to keep the meat pink and juicy.

Ingredients
4 quail
30 ml extra virgin olive oil
10ml red wine
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp chopped sage
Fresh black + white peppers
Sea salt
600 ml rich, dark quail stock (or other stock)
300ml red wine. extra
2 tsp sugar or to taste
1 tsp of tomato paste or a splash of tomato puree (optional)
10g butter

Method
Cut away the backbone from the quails. Reserve the backbones for future stock.
Lay out the birds, as shown in the photograph, and apply pressure to the breast with your hand to flatten out. Cut away the wing at the first joint.
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, red wine (10ml), herbs and peppers.
Rub all over the quail. Leave to marinate, either, in the fridge for a long time or for a short time at room temperature.
In the meantime reduce the stock and the extra red wine (and tomato, if using) to a glaze consistency. Add sugar to balance the acid levels. Set aside.
Preheat your oven to the highest setting. Place the quail, breast side down in a baking dish and season with salt. Roast for 6 minutes. Turn them over, so they are breast side up. Season the breasts with a pinch of salt, and roast for a further 2 minutes.
The quail will be perfectly tender and moist after this time. Don’t expect them to have browned. 8 minutes in the oven is not enough time to color them.
Allow the quail to rest while you get on with the sauce.
Bring the sauce back to the boil, and add the butter, emulsifying it into the reduction. Serve the quail with the red wine reduction and a plate of roast vegetables.
4 quail will serve 2 people.

Mushrooms Baked with Thyme and Butter

Food writers often complain cultivated mushrooms lack flavour and body. And to an extent this is true. These mushrooms are definitely delicate in taste compared to their wilder cousins, but here in Australia, we don’t have much choice when it comes to funghi. Certainly there are limited amounts of Slippery Jacks and Pine mushrooms available during autumn. Cultivated Truffles from Tasmania are available during winter (I await in anticipation), and wild Morels during spring. They are all expensive and you need to know where to find them or be acquainted with an informed supplier. Otherwise the options we have in Australia are to use dried Italian porcini or canned Chanterelles from France. Trompettes de mort and Girolles are available in the dried form, and numerous European oils infused with Cepes and both black and white Truffle.
In the meantime, I don’t mind cooking with the cultivated version. Patience is a virtue, and that is the beauty of cooking with seasonal produce. Good things come to those who wait, and I look forward every year for these culinary delicacies.

Ingredients
6 large flat mushrooms
120g cultured unsalted butter
Fresh thyme
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled

Method
Remove the stalks from the mushrooms. Freeze the stalks for stock. Lay the mushrooms in a baking dish.
Place 20g of butter in the center of each mushroom.
Lay a few sprigs of thyme over each mushroom and scatter the baking dish with the cloves of garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake at 200c for 45min to an hour or until tender.
The mushrooms will decrease in size, and thus improve in flavour, whilst absorbing all the luscious butter.
Serve immediately. Enough for 2 people as a side dish.