Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit!

I had a very strong request for bunny this evening and just happened to have one in the freezer from my game box from Kent Veg Box.

Before

Now, I like rabbit and I have cooked it before, but I have never made a rabbit dish that turned out as I expected it to. Not that my efforts failed and all was inedible, but I was just a little disappointed with the results, so I took a very long time to research recipes this time round. Most I discovered looked incredibly complicated and with so many ingredients that I wonder if the rabbit is seen and used as a bit of a tart, instead of being appreciated for it's own beautiful flavour. I eventually found this very simple recipe which I liked the sound of,  but seeing as it was for fresh wild rabbits going from farmland to plate, I decided my frozen offering needed just a little more oomph.

But first, let me show you my handy work- sadly, one of the proudest moments of my life- I have successfully managed to butcher my first rabbit! Go me! And I only damaged one rolling pin in the process. I have attempted to joint a whole rabbit once before, but I tried it from memory of something I once saw on TV and it, well, wasn't quite as planned. I ended up with a head in my stew and tiny fractured bones everywhere, it was like Glenn Close had been in my kitchen. Oh the horror! This time, I watched this very helpful video from the Jamie Oliver website, and just look at the results:

After

Admittedly, this rabbit did come without a head already, but look at all the pretty little morsels what I made! You may also notice that there are kidneys but no liver present. I was confused by the missing liver too, but after noticing where the shot went through Bugs's side, I'm fairly sure it didn't survive the chase.

So after much ado, here is my beautiful, best yet bunny recipe!

Bow'd Bunny

Serves 2-3

1 rabbit; legs, saddle, ribs, kidneys- I reserved the shoulders and belly flaps and bony stock bits for another meal or two. (Kent Veg Box)

1 onion (Kent Veg Box)

3 large cloves garlic, sliced (market)

300g butter

1 carrot, in sticks (Kent Veg Box)

1 can Strongbow

1 bouquet garnet

salt & pepper

1. Heat the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onion and garlic.
2. Add the rabbit pieces (minus the kidneys), and brown on both sides.
3. Once brown add the sliced kidney pieces and quickly fry off.
4. Add some cider and deglaze the pan. Add the rest of the can, the carrot, bouquet garnet, salt & pepper and leave to simmer very gently for around 90 minutes.
5. Serve with mashed potato and greens and congratulate yourself on making a bloody delicious bunny dish that everyone enjoyed.
6. If you also mistakenly reserve some for a work lunch the next day, and then realise someone is working from home, you too can get to enjoy it all again just an hour or so after round one. And, trust me, it's still beautiful.