Rabbit is such a dense and lean meat that it’s difficult to keep moist and tender. David’s rabbit-cooking technique is a work in progress but he usually gets it right and here is one of his recipes.
Joint 1 fresh rabbit into 6 pieces. Heat butter and olive oil in a heavy casserole dish and very, very briefly seal the rabbit pieces. Remove them to a covered container. Sauté 1 diced onion, 1 diced celery stick and 1 chopped carrot until the onion is soft and translucent. Add ¼ of a cup of wine (red or white) and allow it to evaporate before adding 1 cup of chicken stock. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Now add the rabbit pieces, 2 pieces of bacon, 1 bay leaf, a few sage leaves, 2 diced cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and 1 finely chopped fresh tomato. Make sure everything is well dispersed. Cut a cartouche (a circle or baking paper) and lay it directly over the rabbit. Place the lid on the casserole and cook in a low oven for 1 – 1½ hours or until the rabbit is just tender. Rabbits do vary so the cooking time will also vary. During the cooking, turn the rabbit pieces once or twice, making sure there is enough liquid – the rabbit pieces should be almost immersed. Remove the pieces to a closed container to keep warm. At this stage, depending on how much sauce you have, you can either reduce the sauce or thicken it with a little cornflour dissolved in an equal amount of cold water. The amount of cornflour needed will vary depending on the amount of liquid and it’s acidity. Stir the cornflour slurry into the simmering sauce and continue to simmer briefly. Season again to taste and return the rabbit pieces to the sauce before serving.
michelle picker cooks 