eG Cook-Off #86: Rabbit

[David Ross]

I'll be doing a fried rabbit served with grits.  Not exactly sure of the sauce.  I thought about red eye gravy, but I think that might overpower the rabbit.  I might do some sort of a take on a gravy based on gumbo flavors or something.  Any ideas?

[heidih]

Are you matching dredge seasoning to sauce for grits?  I am not a GRITS girl or a grits lover so no experience. Looking forward to your take.

[David Ross]

5 minutes ago, heidih said:

Are you matching dredge seasoning to sauce for grits?  I am not a GRITS girl or a grits lover so no experience. Looking forward to your take.

that's actually a good idea.  

[paul o' vendange]

I love rabbit. I grew up hunting them in my hometown (Ventura, then sleepy, seaside Ventura, CA.).  Chaparrals scented with sage, bay, anise, even expat fennel.  Garrigue be damned, this was it’s sere cousin abundant in rabbit and other small game.

 

Alas, rabbit is impossible to get locally.  I’ve only sourced from D’Artagnan, but hoping to find other possibilities.   Sorry if it’s been provided upstream (haven’t yet read through the entire thread), but anyone have a good place to get them?

 

This is probably a hard no - but any line on hare?

[heidih]

Remind us where you are? The Asian markets here are a source but guess that does not work for you. Also 4H agricultura clubs cull domesticated bunns as part of the "cycle of life teaching". And just to make you nostalgic a shot of some local wild fennel on a horse trail here in L.A.  I lke idea of fennel w/ rabbit.

 

[David Ross]

On 3/23/2021 at 10:36 AM, paul o' vendange said:

I love rabbit. I grew up hunting them in my hometown (Ventura, then sleepy, seaside Ventura, CA.).  Chaparrals scented with sage, bay, anise, even expat fennel.  Garrigue be damned, this was it’s sere cousin abundant in rabbit and other small game.

 

Alas, rabbit is impossible to get locally.  I’ve only sourced from D’Artagnan, but hoping to find other possibilities.   Sorry if it’s been provided upstream (haven’t yet read through the entire thread), but anyone have a good place to get them?

 

This is probably a hard no - but any line on hare?

D'Artagnan sometimes does have wild Scottish hare available but if I remember, it's usually in the Fall. Darn expensive but for the a deep flavor, it's delicious.

 

[paul o' vendange]

10 hours ago, David Ross said:

D'Artagnan sometimes does have wild Scottish hare available but if I remember, it's usually in the Fall. Darn expensive but for the a deep flavor, it's delicious.

 

 

Thanks David, I’d forgotten that.  I’ll never forget the touching episode of - can’t remember which show, but Tony Bourdain on a Scottish estate hunting red deer. That, and the equally touching episode where he spends time more or less stunned to dine on hare with M. Bocuse, then ventures out for an informal morning bird hunt with Chef and his almost comically hapless pup.  I know these are somewhere in play.

[David Ross]

10 hours ago, paul o' vendange said:

 

Thanks David, I’d forgotten that.  I’ll never forget the touching episode of - can’t remember which show, but Tony Bourdain on a Scottish estate hunting red deer. That, and the equally touching episode where he spends time more or less stunned to dine on hare with M. Bocuse, then ventures out for an informal morning bird hunt with Chef and his almost comically hapless pup.  I know these are somewhere in play.

I loved the Bourdain episode and seeing that hare with the sauce made from the blood.  

[liuzhou]

I bought one of the supermarket's roast rabbits.

 

 

Removed legs and hand-tore the body meat.

 

 

Served with a dry dip containing bay leaf, ginger, cinnamon, star anise, fennel seed, sichuan peppercorns, chilli powder, cumin, salt and sugar.

 

Dry dip

 

and some stir-fried purple bok choy (napa cabbage).

 

 

The front legs and other bits of leftover meat will go into some wontons for breakfast.

 

Edited April 8, 2021 by liuzhou (log)

[David Ross]

5 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I bought one of the supermarket's roast rabbits.

 

 

Removed legs and hand-tore the body meat.

 

 

Served with a dry dip containing bay leaf, ginger, cinnamon, star anise, fennel seed, sichuan peppercorns, chilli powder, cumin, salt and sugar.

 

Dry dip

 

and some stir-fried purple bok choy (napa cabbage).

 

 

The front legs and other bits of leftover meat will go into some wontons for breakfast.

 

Thanks for sharing that's looks really good.

[David Ross]

This is close to what I am thinking about for the Southern-Fried Rabbit with Gravy and Grits.  This is a Rockfish I did last spring with a ham hock red wine sauce.  It's a bold sauce but surprisingly didn't overpower the rockfish.  What do you think about this with Rabbit?

[liuzhou]

This may be of interest.

We Should All Be Eating More Rabbit

 

Quote

“There’s zero waste, and it’s nutrient dense. It’s really a tremendous protein.”

 

and this

 

'World's biggest rabbit' stolen from home in Worcestershire

 

Edited April 12, 2021 by liuzhou (log)

[jmacnaughtan]

7 hours ago, liuzhou said:

and this

 

'World's biggest rabbit' stolen from home in Worcestershire

 

This reminds me of walking into a bar in Troyes a year or so ago. One of the regulars turned and said, "hey, it's the giant of Flanders", to much amusement.

 

Turns out he was referring to a rabbit.

 

And no, I still don't get it.

[kayb]

While we're on the topic: Hank Shaw's recipe in his blog today for Conejo en Adobo.

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, kayb said:

While we're on the topic: Hank Shaw's recipe in his blog today for Conejo en Adobo.

I live in the Conejo Valley in So Cal.   I may need to try this one! 

[liuzhou]

Looking for something else, I just came across this menu with an interesting item.

 

Rabbit orzotto with broad beans & wild garlic

 

I'd be having that if I were anywhere near the restaurant.

[Shelby]

As I wrote on the dinner thread, we had a rabbit wreaking havoc on our asparagus.  I'm usually willing to share a bit...but this guy was biting off the top of every asparagus spear!  

 

So.  He became dinner.

 

He was a really old buck.

 

 

I felt like he was going to be really tough.

 

 

So, we brined him for a day while I thought about what I wanted to do with him.  Ronnie wanted me to either sous vide or pressure cook and then fry him up, but I wasn't in the mood to fry anything last night.  We can do fried a different time.  It was cold, so I thought Rabbit Ragu sounded lovely.  Ronnie deboned the meat for me while I prepped everything else.

 

Here are the tenderloins.  These were actually not tough at all.

 

 

I didn't start this early enough to do it on the stove,  so IP to the rescue!

 

 I browned the rabbit chunks in some olive oil then removed them and added onions, celery, carrots and garlic and cooked until a bit soft.  Deglazed with a bunch of red wine.  Added mushrooms,  the browned rabbit, some tomato paste, a jar of my canned tomatoes, salt, pepper and some bay leaf.  High pressure for an hour.  

 

Meanwhile I made pasta

 

 

Finished dish

 

 

I woke up in the middle of the night wanting to sneak down and eat another bowl.  I restrained myself....this might be what's for breakfast :)

 

 

Edited April 22, 2021 by Shelby (log)

[David Ross]

3 hours ago, Shelby said:

As I wrote on the dinner thread, we had a rabbit wreaking havoc on our asparagus.  I'm usually willing to share a bit...but this guy was biting off the top of every asparagus spear!  

 

So.  He became dinner.

 

He was a really old buck.

 

 

I felt like he was going to be really tough.

 

 

So, we brined him for a day while I thought about what I wanted to do with him.  Ronnie wanted me to either sous vide or pressure cook and then fry him up, but I wasn't in the mood to fry anything last night.  We can do fried a different time.  It was cold, so I thought Rabbit Ragu sounded lovely.  Ronnie deboned the meat for me while I prepped everything else.

 

Here are the tenderloins.  These were actually not tough at all.

 

 

I didn't start this early enough to do it on the stove,  so IP to the rescue!

 

 I browned the rabbit chunks in some olive oil then removed them and added onions, celery, carrots and garlic and cooked until a bit soft.  Deglazed with a bunch of red wine.  Added mushrooms,  the browned rabbit, some tomato paste, a jar of my canned tomatoes, salt, pepper and some bay leaf.  High pressure for an hour.  

 

Meanwhile I made pasta

 

 

Finished dish

 

 

I woke up in the middle of the night wanting to sneak down and eat another bowl.  I restrained myself....this might be what's for breakfast :)

 

 

That is one fine rabbit dish.  The meat of the rabbit looks really good and I'm glad you mentioned it was tender.  

[heidih]

And thank you also @Shelby for the reality of the food chain

[Katie Meadow]

Sorry, but after seeing Alex the therapy bunny who went to the Giants game a few days ago I've sworn off rabbit. If you haven't seen pix yet I'm sure it's all over the place by now. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

27 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

Sorry, but after seeing Alex the therapy bunny who went to the Giants game a few days ago I've sworn off rabbit. If you haven't seen pix yet I'm sure it's all over the place by now. 

 

More than a few years ago I looked out the window to see my older son and his Chinese born Iberophile accomplice moving suspiciously about the tennis court across the street.  When I went to enquire of their intent they informed me they were acquiring the bunny for the night's paella.  The bunny proved too fast for them.

 

That particular paella lacked nothing without the bunny.  Be it known my sons won't even eat fish they have caught themselves.  The friend described his mother's cuisine as burnt wok food.

 

 

[heidih]

This preparation (feast) is interesting, The outline of it might be a nice thing to try. Thinking the sauce and sides are a huge factor.  https://ny.eater.com/2021/9/2/22654592/dhamaka-rabbit-order-rajasthani-kargosh-reservation-sold-out-preparation

[David Ross]

1 hour ago, heidih said:

This preparation (feast) is interesting, The outline of it might be a nice thing to try. Thinking the sauce and sides are a huge factor.  https://ny.eater.com/2021/9/2/22654592/dhamaka-rabbit-order-rajasthani-kargosh-reservation-sold-out-preparation

This is amazing and I can't get over how ironic it is with something I was just getting ready to post.  The dish described by Eater is something that sounds delicious to me.

 

Last night I was just searching for videos on YouTube and turned to one of my favorites, Michel Roux Jr. of the Waterside Inn and Le Gavroche in London.  And wouldn't you know, this video with his cousin showing them creating another elaborate, and probably terribly expensive, rabbit, or wild hare dish.  It's part of the Roux Scholarship series where young chefs vying for a scholarship have to create a classic French dish.  My gosh this has so many steps and so many ingredients.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHejWR3NSCc  The video is 10 minutes. 

 

I love the quote in the Eater piece from a guest who ate the rabbit dish at Dhamaka in New York, "This is what Henry VIII would have eaten if he ever went to an Indian restaurant."  

[chromedome]

As mentioned elsewhere, I made up a couple of rabbit terrines on Christmas day. I had no particular recipe, but reviewed a handful of them and winged it with those as a basis. I used two large-ish rabbits from the freezer, along with pistachios for a garnish. Flavorings were salt and fresh-ground pepper, sage and thyme from my garden (picked on the day!) and a goodly splash of Crown Royal.

 

One terrine used ground pork as the fatty complement to the lean rabbit. Because my GF can't eat pork anymore for medical reasons, the second used Beyond Meat's mild Italian sausage. I don't have the traditional narrow terrine mold, so I used wider and flatter loaf pans. After cooking in their water bath, and cooling for an hour at room temp, I filled in the gaps around the edges with some well-reduced rabbit stock I'd made in the IP.

In the event, it turned out that the "well-reduced" stock was not well-reduced enough, and did not set up as well as I'd hoped. So that went back into the fridge for another usage, and I'll experiment to get it right before I do this again (I may just add some plain gelatine rather than relying on reduction). In any case it was (IIRC) the first terrine I'd made since culinary school,. nearly 20 years ago, so I won't complain about the minor dificulties.

I halved both, with the pork one going as gifts (one to an aunt, one to my longtime best friend's family). The other will be part of our NYE festivities at home, with the second half in reserve for some other special occasion.

I didn't take photos as I made it, because I was under a tight time constraint, but I did get shots of the interiors when I halved them:

 

 

That's the "with pork" version...

 

 

...and this was the "with Beyond" version. The rabbit-loin garnish shows up better in this one.

 

I haven't tasted the final version just yet, and won't until NYE, but I quick-cooked samples of each forcemeat to test the seasoning before I assembled the terrines. It tasted pretty good at that point, so I'm confident in the end product.

 

It was kind of fun; I'll hope to do a few more terrines this coming year and will post them in that cook-off if I do. Unless they're rabbit-based, in which case I'll put them here again.