Rabbit can be a bit tricky to find, but I use the excellent Red or White butcher in Belmore (seriously these guys are great). The good thing about this recipe is that the actual quality of the rabbit doesn't matter; I'm actually using a method similar to Coq Au Vin which uses an old, tough chicken. It cooks long enough to mean that the rabbit will be tender regardless.
One of my new favourite things is in this recipe: Lardons. Otherwise known as chunky cut bacon. You can use speck if you have any, but make sure you're using at least middle bacon since you need the fat to increase the flavour. The purpose of these guys is to add to the flavour of the stew as it cooks
INGREDIENTS
2 Rabbits chopped into pieces
3 Brown onions roughly chopped
200g Lardons
4 cloves of garlic (crushed)
4 bay leaves
Half bunch of Thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1 litre of chicken stock
1 bottle of red wine (If you can find a cheap Pinot Noir this is ideal)
Sherry/Brandy
Pepper and salt
Puff pastry
Poppy seeds
METHOD
This is actually a pretty easy recipe, the only trick is that it does take a while to cook, so it's not really suitable for a weeknight. If you're extra cunning cook a bit batch one night and put it in a pie the 2nd night.
First up you need to seal the rabbit - lightly dust it in flour and sear them in a frying pan with some oil and then set aside.
Now heat some olive oil in a casserole dish and chuck in the onions. Once they've started to soften add the lardons and garlic and cook on a medium heat until the fat on the lardons is rendered. Now deglaze the pan with a generous splash of the sherry. You could also add mushrooms to this step as well, though they are better in a Coq Au Vin.
Return the rabbit to the pan and add the chicken stock and the wine, there should be enough to just cover the rabbit. Tie the half bunch of thyme with string and put it in the liquid along with the bay leaves. Now leave it to simmer with the lid on for about 1.5 hours. Check it every now and then to make it's not boiling.
After the 1.5 hours is up take the rabbits out of the stew and set them aside. The pain in the ass part of rabbit is deboning the little bastards, and you have to wait until they cool before you do this. While this is happening it's a good time to test the stew and see if you need to add any extra seasoning; add the paprika here as well as half the parsley. You'll probably want some pepper and salt as well. Turn the heat up slightly and start to reduce the stew
Once the rabbits are = cool enough to handle rip them apart with your hands, and return them to the stew for another 15 minutes. By now it should have thickened up nicely, but if not add some butter and reduce further. If it's still too thin use some corn flour mixed with warm water.
For the pie, rub your dish with butter then lightly dust with flour. Put a sheet in the base, add the pie filling then seal the top. Brush with a beaten egg and gently shake out some poppy seeds on top. Cook at 180 degrees for about 25 minutes or until golden. This will go really well with a pinot noir or a bordeaux if you can find one. We had a Torbrek - The Steading which was a fantastic match!
And the pie got eated - the end.
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