Venison comes in a number of guises, from large antelope to birds and rabbits.  Now is a great time to be eating venison, and in honour of the season, Wickedfood Cooking School will be running a venison information evening on Sunday 22 August.  Rabbit is one of the healthiest meats to eat, it is very lean and extremely tasty if cooked correctly.  The recipe below is based on one from Raymond Blanc‘s autobiography, A Taste Of Raymond Blanc.  At the end of this article, we have also included a variety of rabbit dishes from some of the top publications around the world.  Enjoy.

Rabbit_Must_352782c

1 whole rabbit (±1.5kg), cut into  pieces – click here to see how

4 pinches sea salt

2 pinches black pepper

1 heaped tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 cup plain flour on a plate

3 T butter

1/2 white onion cut in 6

6 cloves garlic, skin on

I tbsp white wine vinegar

1 glass white wine (‘150ml), boiled for 30 seconds

1 glass water (150ml)

6 whole black peppercorns

2 sage leaves

1 sprig of tarragon

1 bay leaf

For garnishing:

1T chopped parsley or chives (optional)

  1. Preheat the oven to 120°C.
  2. In a large bowl, season the pieces of rabbit with the salt and pepper, then mix in the mustard until each piece is coated by a thin film. Dip each piece of rabbit into the flour. Pat off excess flour from each piece.
  3. In a thick-bottomed, 25-30cm ovenproof casserole dish on a medium heat, melt 2T  of the butter, then sear and colour the rabbit pieces on each side for 7—8 minutes. Season a little after 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  4. Add the remaining butter and over a medium heat sweeten the onion and garlic.
  5. Return the rabbit, add the vinegar and reduce  the liquor to a syrup.
  6. Add the wine, water, pepper and herbs, cover with a lid and cook in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
  7. When the rabbit is cooked, transfer to a serving dish. Allow the liquid in the casserole dish to reduce on a high heat by a third, then stir in some chopped parsley, chives or your favourite soft herbs. Pour the sauce over the pieces of rabbit and serve with French beans, Swiss chard, braised lettuce or any other seasonal vegetables.

Serves  4 to 6

VARIATION

Of course, any of your favourite herbs and vegetables can be added to the dish. Olives and wild mushrooms would be lovely. And once you understand the technique, you can use chicken.

Other rabbit recipes

Rabbit recipes – Saveur magazine

Rabbit with mustard sauce (Lapin à la moutarde)

Rabbit with Mustard Sauce

Braised Rabbit with Mustard and Summer Savory

Braised Rabbit with Dijon Mustard & Rosemary

Braised Rabbit

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood Cooking School in Johannesburg runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios in Sunninghill. Cooking classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). This team building venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our cookery classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.