Now that Easter is a week distant, I hope you won't mind me suggesting a tasty rabbit stew, pairing the meat with prunes, cider and bacon in a sumptuous fusion of flavours.
Rabbit is a versatile meat that goes well with parsley, sage, thyme, garlic, mustard or white wine, though being very lean you have to watch how you cook it – patience is definitely a virtue. Braising in stock, as described here, or cooked confit in duck fat are the best methods, especially the legs and shoulders. These styles will prevent the meat drying out.
A young farmed rabbit is best for this dish, if possible one weighing around 1.2kg or less. Young rabbits are far more tender than old ones and taste noticeably better.
Make sure you use a good-quality dry cider, since you don't want the sauce to turn too sweet. As for accompaniments, I'd suggest new-season purple sprouting broccoli and steamed new potatoes.
RABBIT STEW WITH PRUNES, CIDER AND BACON
Serves 4
2tbsp vegetable oil
4 farmed rabbit legs
50g unsalted butter
200g bacon lardons
4 peeled shallots, sliced into 1cm-thick rings
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
6tbsp Armagnac
125ml dry cider
2tbsp plain flour
300ml good-quality chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 small bunch of thyme
250g soft prunes, stones removed
1tbsp chopped parsley
Set the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy-based and oven-proof casserole pan. Season the rabbit legs with a little salt, then gently saute them in the pan until they are an even golden colour. Remove the legs from the pan and turn down the heat a little. Add the butter, bacon lardons, shallots and garlic to the pan and gently saute for 2-3 minutes.
Next, add the Armagnac and cider, bring to the boil and simmer until reduced by two-thirds. Sprinkle the flour over the cooked lardons and shallots and stir well.
Add the chicken stock to the pan and bring it to a simmer while continually stirring with a wooden spoon so the stock starts to thicken slightly.
Add the rabbit legs, bay leaves and thyme to the pan. Cover the legs with a large disc of greaseproof paper and place the pan in the oven for 35-40 minutes. The rabbit legs should be tender and the stock thickened to a sauce.
Remove the rabbit legs from the pan and place them in a large serving dish. Add the prunes to the sauce, bring to a simmer and adjust the seasoning.
To serve, pour the warm sauce over the legs and sprinkle the parsley over the top.
This vintage is impressively complex on the nose and palate. Spicy with just enough fruit to make it fresh and juicy, it's a full-bodied red wine with dry, ripe tannins.
Eben Sadie, Sequillo 2005, Swartland, South Africa (L'Art Du Vin, £20.60)
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