Guest Recipe - Rabbit Stew by Tom

Ola.

I am foodfables' prettier, less talented brother and I have been asked to share with you one of my latest exploits in the kitchen.

It has been so cold of late that I have resorted to beating skyrocketing gas prices by using my oven as a heater. I decided that I ought put something in it at the same time and what better than my new cast iron crock pot filled with delicious Rabbit Stew.

Now this was my first attempt at Rabbit Stew - or even stew in general - so what I would like to do is give you the recipe for what I did on a wing and a prayer and a couple of ideas for what I would do next time.

Ingredients:

1 Farmed Rabbit, jointed (your butcher can do this for you if you flutter your eyelashes in just the right way)

2 Onions, quartered

I would use 6 shallots next time

2 Carrots, chopped

1 Turnip, chopped

2-3 Sticks of Celery, chopped

40 Grams Butter

Water

1 Decent splash of Oil

Half a bottle of Red (Shiraz)

3 Cloves of Garlic

1/4 Cup of Flour

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1/2 Teaspoon ground Cloves

1/4 Cup of chopped Parsley

6 Button Mushrooms, sliced


Pre-heat your oven to 180

Season your flour with Salt, Pepper and Cloves and lightly coat the Rabbit, I use farmed rabbits because they are bigger and less gamey than wild rabbit.

Put the butter and oil into a nice big frying pan at a decent heat. Add the jointed Rabbit and quickly brown off and place into your crock pot.

Put your Carrots, Turnip, Garlic and Celery into the same pan and cook until onions have began to soften. Add this to the crock pot and give it a bit of a stir.

De-glaze the pan with Red Wine and pour into the crock pot. I used water to cover the rest of the veggies and just cover the rabbit. If I was you, I would use half chicken stock and half water or for a really rich stew, use only stock.

Place the crock pot in the oven for the next hour and a half with the lid on. Remove the lid, add button mushrooms and parsley give it a nice stir and let it spend the next half an hour with the lid off to help it reduce.

Serve on a bed of mash (No, I will not write a recipe for mashed potato) and garnish with some parsley.

If you have more time cook at 160 for three or four hours in total for rabbit that is almost falling off the bone.

Next up if you are lucky is my Saturday Jamaican Jerk Tajine from a very hearty weekend that started with a failed Osso Bucco and ended with a Sunday Slow-roasted Eye Fillet.