Rabbit and Carrots
A play on the obvious…
Everyone has heard of Bugs Bunny and everyone knows about his penchant for a juicy carrot or two so with that in mind I thought I would come up with a dish in Buggsy’s honour: Old English Brawn of Rabbit and Herbs with Sweet and Sour Carrots, Spiced Prunes and Star Anise.
I’ve written about brawn before, almost a year ago in fact. Back then I paired it with Spanish chorizo sausage, this time I’ve kept things a little closer to home. Whole rabbits are cooked in a well flavoured stock along with a pork hock. The pork adds gelatine to the stock and its fat content helps keep the rather dry rabbit meat moist. The meat is removed from the bone and chopped up along with a generous amount of fresh chervil, parsley and tarragon. Some finely chopped shallots and capers go in to give the terrine a lift whilst the cooking liqour is reduced before being added to the meat to keep it moist and help it all come and stick together harmoniously under one sausage shaped roll.
You can set them in a terrine mold if you can afford one, we can afford one, nine in fact but I prefer to roll them into a cylindrical shape to aid the final presentation. I like to serve this with some plump pitted prunes from Agen in France. They are quite superb and I marinade them in orange juice, crushed coriander, orange zest and a little star anise. The carrots are peeled and strips are shaved off and blanched in a ’stock’ of equal quantities of white wine vinegar and white sugar flavoured with bay, cloves and anise. Baby carrots are also given the same treatment and they take the flavours on incredibly well.
So here you are, Bugs Bunny on a plate 
Miles,
A scrumptiously yummy bunny!
Cid
p.s. you have a marvelous way with the humble carrot
January 17, 2009 @ 11:12 am
Cid,
Ta! The secret is to add just the right amount of stock to keep it moist.
Miles
January 17, 2009 @ 10:19 pm
Hehehehe silly rabbit! Can’t say I’ve ever had it though looking at your scrumptious meal I may have to try. I have a friend in Prague whos grandmother breeds rabbit and well, serves them up on a regular basis!
January 17, 2009 @ 10:21 pm
Kevin,
You can’t beat a bit of rabbit-tastes like chicken!!!
Miles
January 17, 2009 @ 10:47 pm
Eh, what’s up, Doc? Methinks Kevin and I should go a-hunting, Miles
I’ve only tasted rabbit on one occasion, and I have to agree, it looks and sounds scrumptious!
January 18, 2009 @ 3:49 am
Xenny,
Just make sure you’ve got the gun and not Kevin, he might confuse it with a camera and have you pose next to a tree whilst he ’shoots’
Miles
January 18, 2009 @ 9:15 am
Miles it’s not a point and shoot
January 18, 2009 @ 2:52 pm
Kevin,
Touche !!!
Miles
January 18, 2009 @ 5:08 pm
Xenny I recko we should go hunt some rabbits, I saw a huge sewer rat on my last location scouting session, though I don’t think you’d be interested in serving that up Miles, wish I had a point and shoot with then!
January 18, 2009 @ 9:43 pm
Kevin,
The way this recession is going I might yet be asked for a recipe
Miles
Great new photos btw
January 18, 2009 @ 11:13 pm
Hmmm? I’ve never had rabbit before, but I always (seriously, always) have a few wild ones living in my yard. They stick to the front yard as my lumbering “hunting dog” lives out back. He’s banged on the back door on a few occasions with a squirrel or bird gift for me. I imagine he could do the same with a rabbit. Not exactly the gifts I’m looking for though.
I think my owl hangs out here because of all the rabbits.
Melissa
P.S. I agree with Cid, you work magic with rather pedestrian ingredients (prunes, carrots).
January 19, 2009 @ 2:13 pm
Miles,
I had rabbit stew last night and very nice it was too… not that any one else did, they only like the more normal meats, pork, beef, lamb and chicken. No good any of my lot heading off into the outback with Ray Mears me thinks
Cid
p.s. Melissa’s going to assume I’ve got a thing for dear Ray… you will have to convince her that’s it’s national pride rather than the idle daydreams of a middle aged woman
January 19, 2009 @ 4:06 pm
Melissa,
Give it a go, they’re very nice. Just leave one for the owl
Miles
January 19, 2009 @ 4:35 pm
Cid,
You live with heathens
Hope you made a stock with the bones.
Miles
January 19, 2009 @ 4:36 pm
Miles,
I haven’t got any knife skills so it would have brought tears to your eyes to watch me joint this rabbit…. more chunks than joints to be exact. Still, it all fitted in the pot along with a couple of carrots and a large banana shallot. Long slow cooking produced a tender treat which I will no doubt be eating for some time to come. Guide price for a rabbit in my local town £3 and mine would have made a meal for four or thereabouts. Stop whinging about the price of chicken folks, why not try a rabbit, free range and very little fat.
Cid
p.s. my
locustsextended family dislike the thought of rabbit even more so I know what to cook if I fancy a quiet night inJanuary 19, 2009 @ 7:50 pm
Cid,
Nothing wrong with a jointed rabbit-makes a fantastic braise.
Well played
Miles
January 19, 2009 @ 8:43 pm