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A peasant dish that’s fit for a king, rabbit stew has long been a mainstay on menus across Europe – think Coniglio alla cacciatora (hunter’s rabbit stew) in Italy, Estofado de conejo (rabbit stew) in Spain and Lapin à la cocotte (rabbit casserole) in France. Rabbit is also eaten in stews and tagines in Morocco and North Africa but it fell out of favour in the UK perhaps because we began to consider rabbits as pets rather than produce. Recently though rabbit is becoming popular again and this warming stew is an old classic.
Because rabbit meat has a tendency to dry out during the cooking process, braising it slowly in liquid in this way guarantees an unctuous result with meat so tender it falls off the bone.
Ingredients
Season the rabbit legs with salt and pepper then coat them in the flour. Shake off the excess flour and set it aside for later use
Put the butter and oil into a large heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat and when the butter has melted and the oil is hot, add the rabbit legs (in batches if necessary – the meat should sear, not steam). Brown the legs on all sides then remove from the pan and set aside
Add the onion, celery and mushrooms to the pan and cook until soft and beginning to caramelize.
Stir in the reserved flour and add enough wine to deglaze the pan. Return the rabbit legs and add the rest of the wine, the chicken stock and the thyme making sure the legs are submerged.
Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook on the hob for 60–70 minutes until the rabbit is tender. After 30 minutes, remove the lid to allow the liquid to reduce.
Serving suggestions
Serve rabbit stew with hunks of freshly baked bread.
Because rabbit meat has a tendency to dry out during the cooking process, braising it slowly in liquid in this way guarantees an unctuous result with meat so tender it falls off the bone.
Ingredients
- 4 rabbit legs (rip bunnycels)
- salt
- pepper
- 25g of butter
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 1 stick of celery, roughly chopped
- 200g of button mushrooms
- 500ml of white wine
- 1l chicken stock
- 1 sprig of thyme
Season the rabbit legs with salt and pepper then coat them in the flour. Shake off the excess flour and set it aside for later use
Put the butter and oil into a large heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat and when the butter has melted and the oil is hot, add the rabbit legs (in batches if necessary – the meat should sear, not steam). Brown the legs on all sides then remove from the pan and set aside
Add the onion, celery and mushrooms to the pan and cook until soft and beginning to caramelize.
Stir in the reserved flour and add enough wine to deglaze the pan. Return the rabbit legs and add the rest of the wine, the chicken stock and the thyme making sure the legs are submerged.
Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook on the hob for 60–70 minutes until the rabbit is tender. After 30 minutes, remove the lid to allow the liquid to reduce.
Serving suggestions
Serve rabbit stew with hunks of freshly baked bread.
