Rabbit Recipes From Around The World

From Italy: Coniglio Alla Ligure             

This dish is typically served as a second course in the region of Liguria–featuring a delicious blend of the sweet Ligurian olives and soft rabbit meat. The Italians also add pine nuts to give Coniglio Alla Ligure its distinctive taste. Served with boiled or roasted potatoes, Coniglio Alla Ligure is the perfect feast for a family night in.

Ingredients for 3-4 servings:

• 1 rabbit,
• 1 garlic clove,
• 1 rib of celery,
• 1 carrot,
• 1 onion,
• handful rosemary,
• handful fresh thyme,
• 1 glass of white wine (Vermentino wine – ligurian white wine),
• taggiasche olives,
• handful pine nuts,
• olive oil

Preparation:

Chop up the rabbit (or ask your butcher to chop it into about 8 pieces), wash the pieces and dry them. Put them into a frying pan and brown the rabbit with a garlic clove over high heat for about 10 minutes. Then add a mince of onion, celery and a carrot.

Then, turn up heat and add the rosemary, the thyme, some dry white wine, the taggiasche olives and a hanful of pine nuts. Add some salt and pepper, cover the pan and keep it simmering for about 1 hour and half, slowly turning the meat sometimes.

During the cook you should add some home made vegetable broth.

From Malta: Fenkata

The fact that this rabbit dish is the national dish should tell you something about the Malteses’ love for the animal!

Prepared as a communal meal, the rabbit is marinated in a unique wine, after which it’s stewed with essential vegetables and herbs until tender. Simple to make, this recipe brings out a delicious flavor from the rabbit and has a thick texture. Served with spaghetti or any other type of pasta or potatoes, Fenkata is the dish to have if there’s a celebration to be had!

• 2 rabbits cleaned and portioned (the butcher should be able to do this for you)
• ¾ bottle of full bodied red wine
• 350ml of water (approx. 2 wine glasses of water)
• 2 finely chopped onions
• 4 garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)
• 8-10 bay leaves
• 1 x 400g can tomato pulp (polpa) or mashed up plum tomatoes
• 3 tbsps tomato puree’
• 2 carrots (peeled and sliced)
• 6-8 medium potatoes (peeled and roughly chopped)
• Salt & pepper
• 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

Marinade (must be prepare the night before)

1. Mix the wine, garlic and bay leaves in a large bowl to make the marinade.
2. Place the rabbit pieces into the marinade, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Cooking

1. The next day, remove the rabbit pieces from the marinade and shake off the excess liquid (don’t throw away the marinade – you’ll be using that later!).
2. Heat up the olive oil in a heavy based saucepan on a high heat and sear the rabbit joints on all sides until lightly browned (approx. 4 minutes on each side). Remove the rabbit pieces from the pan and set them aside.
3. Lower the heat and add more bay leaves and onions into the pan. Simmer the onions under low heat until they are browned (approx. 5 minutes). Add the garlic and continue to stir gently for another minute.
4. Add the tomato pulp or the mashed plum tomatoes to the pan and increase the heat slightly. Cook for approximately 5 minutes.
5. Now add the marinade and increase the heat to bring the sauce to a boil.
6. Once again, add the rabbit joints to the pan and mix them into the sauce, topping up the pan with water until all the rabbit pieces are covered.
7. Cover the pan with a lid until it comes to boil and then reduce the heat to a medium simmer.
8. Wait for half an hour and then add the sliced carrots, diced potatoes and tomato puree’. Make sure all the vegetables are covered with liquid and continue to simmer the stew for another half hour.
9. Wait another half and hour and gently move the lid to cover only half of the pan. This will allow the sauce time to thicken.
10. Now it’s time to check whether everything is cooked. If the rabbit meat falls off the bone easily and the roots of the vegetable are tender, then your rabbit stew is ready!

Presentation

Serve the stew with fried Maltese potato chips and fresh crunchy Maltese bread for the full traditional ‘fenkata’ experience.

From France: Civet de Lapin

This is a classic winter dish!

Prepared using red wine, mushrooms, butter, flour, bacon, onions, garlic, and carrots, this rabbit stew is thickened by using the rabbit’s blood. However, if you’re squeamish, you can choose to make the dish without it.

Served with a glass of red wine and boiled potatoes on the side, Civet de Lapin is one for those cold winter nights in with the family.

Yield: serves 6

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp. butter
• 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 (2 1/2-lb.) rabbits, each cut into 6 pieces; hearts, kidneys, and livers reserved
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 leek (white part only), washed and trimmed
• 2 carrots, peeled
• 1 turnip, peeled
• 2 celery stalks
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 1⁄3 cups dry red wine, such as cahors
• 4 cups Chicken Stock
• 1 lb. pearl onions, peeled
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1⁄4 lb. pancetta, julienned
• 1 lb. small white mushrooms

Instructions

1. Melt 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Season rabbit with salt and pepper, then brown in batches, turning once, about 3 minutes per side. Remove rabbit with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reduce heat to medium, add onions and garlic, and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Chop leek, carrots, turnip, and celery, and add to pan. Add rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to brown, 7–10 minutes. Add wine and cook until reduced by two-thirds, about 15 minutes. Add stock and rabbit, cover, and cook for 25 minutes.
3. Remove rabbit with a slotted spoon and set aside. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer, skimming occasionally, until liquid is reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Add hearts, kidneys, and livers. Simmer until firm to the touch, about 5 minutes, then, using a slotted spoon, transfer to a food processor. Strain cooking liquid into food processor (discarding vegetables and herbs) and purée until smooth. Season sauce with salt and pepper and set aside.
4. Wipe out skillet, then add pearl onions, sugar, remaining butter, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until most of the water evaporates, about 15 minutes. Stir to coat onions in syrup, and cook, stirring, until onions begin to caramelize, 2–5 minutes. Heat remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat, add pancetta, and cook until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Increase heat to medium-high, add mushrooms, and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes.
5. To assemble, strain sauce through a fine sieve into large skillet. Add rabbit and warm over medium heat. Add pearl onions, pancetta, and mushrooms and heat through. Serve warm.

From Germany: Hasenpfeffer

It doesn’t get any better than classic German rabbit stew! Marinated in a mixture of all essential spices, red wine vinegar, red wine, and more– this stew is cooked with bacon to give it oomph and served with roasted potatoes. A satisfying meal for the days when a simple plateful just won’t cut it, Hasenpfeffer is best if you want to lull yourself into a good night’s sleep after your meal. You’ll be so relaxed–you will not want to move later!

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 4 scallions, halved lengthwise
• 4 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
• 3 dashes of Tabasco
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1 sprig flat-leaf parsley
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon whole juniper berries
• 1 3-pound rabbit, cut into 8 pieces
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• All-purpose flour (for dredging)
• Boiled potatoes or cooked noodles

RECIPE PREPARATION

1. Bring first 14 ingredients to a boil in a medium pot; turn off heat and let marinade cool. Place rabbit pieces in a glass jar or baking dish; pour marinade over. Cover and chill for 48 hours.
2. Remove rabbit from marinade; strain marinade through a fine-mesh sieve and set aside; discard solids in sieve.
3. Heat oil and butter in a large heavy pot. Place some flour in a shallow bowl and dredge rabbit in flour, shaking off excess. Working in batches if needed, cook rabbit, turning once, until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer rabbit to a plate and discard drippings from pot. Pour reserved marinade into pot and bring to a simmer. Add rabbit pieces, cover, and simmer gently until rabbit is tender, 1 ½–2 hours. Serve with boiled potatoes or noodles.