rabbit stew.

[mrs boodles]

Has anyone got an easy recipe for rabbit stew, don`t want wine in it but cider ok (hubby made a load last year). Have got a wild rabbit from butcher and want to make above today. would like to chuck it all in slow cooker as well.

[Steve valentine]

A recipe my grandad taught me.

You'll need;

Two rabbits
A onion
Carrots
Beef stock
Two pints of water
Breeze block

Put the ingredients in a large capacity pan, boil for 12 hours, throw everything away bar the breeze block, it's the most tastiest part.

[wendy]

Don't think you would get a breeze block in the slow cooker
But without that in the slow cooker may work.
Enjoy.

[p.penn]

Anyone would think you didn't like rabbit stew Steve

I only had it once and must admit that I found it slightly tasteless, but that could have been the way it was cooked. Also, don't think it was wild rabbit, which I believe is tastier than farmed.

The slow cooker sounds a good idea, just brown everything first for optimum taste

[rhubarb93]

It is rather bland meat, but I've had it casseroled with mustard and it was quite tasty that way. Sorry no recipe as it was in a restaurant but am sure you can make it up. Lots of veg, lots of seasoning, maybe a few herbs and the mustard.

[mrs boodles]

was`nt quite sure whether to leave breeze block whole or dice Steve . Found a recipe, Rabbit Stifado, in the slow cooker now. I won`t be eating it, I am bit of a wimp about eating game.

[saint-spoon]

I think that you'll miss out, I like rabbit as a meat but it's a bit like farmed chicken, not much taste. We used to get loads of it in the forces back in the eighties because it was cheap as chips as meat went. It has fallen out of fashion which is a shame, like rose veal it is abundant in the UK and very few eat it on ethical grounds but they will happily chomp into detached-guilt food without thinking.

[saint-spoon]

Sorry if that sounds a bit patronising, it wasn’t meant to be.

[mrs boodles]

No no thats fine SS, it does`nt sound patronsing, I ve just never fancied eating game. I would eat rose veal as calves are`nt crated and it`s a way of saving the male calves but have no idea where to source it, am going to a farmers market on saturday so will have a look round there.

[4 french hens]

For extra flavour add a couple of chopped rashers of streaky bacon.

A single shallot is a good idea as well.

A chicken stock cube as well perhaps.

With roasted vegetables.

Mashed potato with a dessert spoon of goats cheese with fine herbs per person.

Don't forget the chilled white wine. A sweet Spanish Sauterne is favourite with me.

Mike

[saint-spoon]

like chicken, rabbit has different cuts; the saddle is like the breast, very lean and tender but again like chciken the legs are best cooked a bit longer; they have more taste but are tougher.
you need to add fat, and bacon is a great way to add both fat and flavour.

[manda]

Funnily enough hubby's gone off this morning with his mate to go shooting rabbits / hares

As you said you don't like wine here's one I use that uses cider

2 wild rabbits, skinned and jointed
250g salted pork belly or pancetta, cut into chunky cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, thickly sliced
3 large carrots - I cut them into large chucks.
4 celery sticks again large chunks
2 bay leaves
A sprig of thyme, if handy
500ml cider (nice with a nice red wine as well like a Merlot).
1 generous teaspoon honey (I use Manuka but any nice heavily flavoured honey will do the job)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fry the pork belly / panchette till the fat runs (do this slowly) then take that meat out and put it in the slow cooker
Brown the rabbit in the pork fat
Fry the onions ...sweat them so they don't go brown then put them and everything else into the slow cooker as well.
Mix them all around and then pack them down
Pour the cider over the top and then if you need to add enough water to cover the whole lot.
Add the honey and seasoning. Then put it on and cook as you would a stew in the slow cooker.
or you can do it on top of the stove...bring it to a simmer, cover then turn down and cook for about an hour and a half...keep on a low simmer.

I usually do multiple amounts of the same recipe, stick it in my big stew pot bring it to the simmer and then cook the whole lot in the oven (low temp about 120) for a couple of hours or until the rabbit is falling apart.

This makes quite a thin gravy so if you like it thicker when you fry the onions put in a bit of flour and that goes towards thickening the gravy