Rabbit Casserole Recipe

Rabbit Casserole Photo: Jackie Cameron

“I would like to see more rabbit dishes on our country-restaurant menus. It is often our best seller on a Sunday at Hartford House. Try Ziggy’s New-Zealand rabbits and make a superb hot terrine or casserole.”

— Jackie Cameron

Rabbit Casserole Recipe

Yield: 4-6 portions

Rabbit Marinade

Ingredients:

• 2X (2,548kg) whole rabbits

• 90ml Dijon mustard

• 120ml olive oil

• 2 sprigs rosemary, taken off the stalk

• 30g garlic, grated

• 8 bay leaves

Casserole

Ingredients:

• 100gm salted butter

• 62,5ml sunflower oil

• 330g onions, chopped

• 250g carrots, peeled and chopped

• 140g celery, chopped

• 30g garlic, grated

• 50g salted butter

• 50ml sunflower oil

• 1,5l good-quality stock

• 2 sprigs thyme

• 4 bay leaves

• 450g tomatoes, chopped

• 4 sprigs parsley, chopped for garnish

Method:

1. Portion the rabbit. Start by taking off the thighs and back legs. Separate the rib area from the loin area by cutting through the bone. The rib area can be used to make stock. Take a very sharp deboning knife and remove all sinew and silver skin - this becomes tough when cooked. Remove soft, flimsy, side-flap meat (often referred to as rabbit bacon) cook in butter as a taster while preparing the rest of the rabbit. Turn the rabbit over, take your knife and work down the spine separating the two sides of the saddle but not cutting through the bone. Cut the saddle to make four pieces. Discard (add to stock pot) pelvis piece. In total with both rabbits you will be left with 14 pieces (1610g in total) to go into the casserole.

2. Mix all marinade ingredients together and work this into the rabbit. Leave covered overnight in the fridge.

3. Heat a large pot, add butter and oil. Brown the onions, add the carrots, celery and garlic sauté until the vegetables are well cooked. Remove vegetables from the pot

4. Add 50g butter and 50ml oil to the same pot, sear the rabbit pieces a few at a time. Return the vegetables to the pot; add all rabbit pieces, stock, thyme, bay leaves and tomatoes. Bring to the boil and simmer for two hours.

5. Serve with mashed potato and garnish with chopped parsley.

Mash Potato

Ingredients:

1. 1.2kg potatoes

2. 250ml cream

3. 150g salted butter

4. Salt and Pepper

Method:

1. Place the whole unpeeled potatoes into a pot of cold water. (chef's note: for any food that grows under the ground the cooking process should start in cold water and anything above the ground in boiling water.)

2. When cooked push the potatoes through a sieve so to ensure no lumps and skins.

3. Heat a heavy based pot and add the cream and butter. Reduce this until you can see the butter separating from the cream.

4. Then add the mashed potato. Stir and allow to heat through.

5. Season with salt and pepper.

Please post your comments and any food-related questions below. I look forward to hearing from you.