Rabbit Isabel Recipes

BRAISED RABBIT WITH ROOT VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
• In a deep baking dish, layer the tomatoes, carrots, celery and onion. Distribute the bunch of thyme throughout the vegetables.
• Heat grapeseed oil in a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Season the raw rabbit with salt and pepper and then lightly dust with flour; sear on each side for 1 minute. Remove the rabbit from the heat and deglaze pan with the white wine.
• Place the rabbit on top of the vegetables, and pour the deglazing liquid over the top. Place the baking dish in the oven for 1 hour.
• Serve rabbit over the vegetables.

RABBIT ISABEL

Steps:

• Make seasoned flour with salt, pepper, dry mustard and cayenne pepper.
• In a food processor finely mince the leg meat, add the egg white and seasoning and blend to a paste. Flatten the fillets and flour lightly. Lay a piece of bacon cut to fit on one fillet, spread a layer of the mousseline of rabbit and egg white onto the bacon and lay your sorrel of sage leaves on top of this. Place the other rabbit fillet on top to make a parcel.
• In a heavy-lidded frying pan melt the butter and gently fry the onion, add the rabbit parcel and brown, turning carefully. Season, pour on white wine, cover and cook gently for 10 minutes turning the parcel halfway through.
• Check that the rabbit is tender and cooked through, and serve with garlic-pureed potatoes and a green vegetable.

HONEY ROAST RABBIT

Steps:

• Rinse the rabbits and pat them dry with paper towels. Cut each one into three pieces; the hind legs, the front legs, and the loin. Cut the hind and front leg sections into 2 pieces each, leaving the loin in one piece. You should now have 5 sections per rabbit.
• Place the rabbit pieces in a large deep nonreactive bowl.
• In a small sauce pan over medium heat, reduce the orange juice to half a cup. In a small bowl, combine the pepper, fennel, saffron, cayenne, and salt. Add the reduced orange juice and the lemon juice, whisk together, and let stand for 10 or 15 minutes. Add the honey and mix together. Pour this mixture over the rabbit pieces, toss so that each one is evenly coated, and let sit at room temperature for about 1 hour, loosely covered. Toss the pieces every 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the rabbit from the marinade and place on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast the rabbit for 20 to 25 minutes, until done through with no trace of pink remaining. Baste once with the marinade halfway through the cooking time, then again when you remove the rabbit from the oven.
• Place the rabbit pieces on a platter and surround them with sprigs of watercress and wedges of lemon. Drain the onion slices briefly on paper towels, separate them into rings and scatter them over the top.

CONIGLIO AL'ISCHIATANA: ISCHIA-STYLE RABBIT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat up the extra-virgin olive oil in a saucepan. Place the rabbit in the hot olive oil. Then add the garlic bulb, chile pepper, and salt. Sear the rabbit until golden brown on all sides. Add the tomato paste and wine to deglaze the pan. Then add the basil, oregano, thyme, and tomatoes. Once the wine has reduced, transfer to a baking pan and place in the oven for approximately 30 minutes.