Friday 4 September 2009

Take One Wild Wabbit...

Home alone again, which means another opportunity to indulge in culinary forbidden fruit!

Now Rabbit is something Karen objects to eating on many levels. The main one being it's a Rabbit! Fluffy, twitchy-nosed, droopy eared, 'Bright Eyes', you know what I'm saying. She also claims to not like the taste of Rabbit....Hmm!

Now don't get me wrong. It's not a question of disbelief on this issue. If Karen says she doesn't like the taste of Rabbit, then clearly she doesn't like the taste of Rabbit, and it would be very wrong of me to think otherwise.

Yes, just plain wrong... and even wronger to try and pass off said Rabbit meat as, say, Chicken in the hope of maybe tripping the girl up so to speak..... Yes, that would be very, very wrong..... although....!

Anyway, Karen's away for the weekend, relieving me of any moral dilemma surrounding the cooking of a tasty wild Rabbit purloined from the wonderful Ashley Herb Farm. The recipe I used was adapted from one by Simon Imrie of the highly regarded Pembury Tavern in Hackney, and which features in the recently published CAMRA book 'Cider'. Rabbit Braised with Cider is Simons bit, the additional Garlic, Cream and Mustard are mine.

I put a Jointed Rabbit into a small casserole with half a pint of our Med/Dry Cider, half a pint of Chicken Stock, sprigs of Rosemary and Thyme, two Bay Leaves, a couple of crushed Garlic Cloves. and a good grind of Black Pepper. I then popped the lid on, bunged it in the oven at 180C/350F/GM4, and went to the Red Lion for a couple of hours to try the new beer from Great Oakley Brewery. On my return I found the kitchen had filled with a meaty, herby, aromatic loveliness, to which I added a dollop of Double Cream, and a teaspoon of Wholegrain Mustard. I served half the Rabbit with homegrown Potato Mash and French Beans, and a bottle of Sheppy's Dabinett Cider. The other half will go in the freezer for another day, and perhaps another person...

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