Tuscan-Style Rabbit

Myshi, a broken-black Rex rabbit

By Cat, Feb 2011 (Photo, right, courtesy of N. and B. Shelt)

See also: 1. Small Game Menu; 2. Foods (About); 3. Rabbit (About)

A friend just gave me a whole skinned and cleaned rabbit. I’ve cooked rabbit before, when I lived in Portland, and have a couple great French recipes that I’ve used. Unfortunately, that cookbook is packed away in my storage unit. Now I’m searching the web for recipes that interest me. Of course, I could just use a chicken recipe as both are very similar. But I want to try something different.

So I divided my rabbit into two halves; made one half using the Rabbit Braised in Wine recipe, and the other half for this recipe.

Tuscan-Style Rabbit

This recipe is adapted from Rabbit Hunting Online (1). I recommend brining the rabbit 6 hours; the original recipe marinates the rabbit overnight, but perhaps there’s a way to do both at the same time? Excepting the time to brine and marinate, this recipe is quick and easy. Serves 4.

Ingredients & Equipment:

NOTE: text in red indicates changes made per testing

• 1 rabbit (preferably brined about 6 hours), cut into serving pieces (2 pounds)
• Unrefined sea salt (if you don’t brine the rabbit), and freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 whole lemon
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary (or ½ tsp dried)
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup rabbit or chicken stock (optional)
• Equipment:
• 9″ x 13″ baking dish, or dish large enough that pieces can be arranged in 1 layer

Method:

1. Cut up rabbit to use legs and loins. Brine 6 – 12 hours. Remove from brine, rinse well and pat dry. Season with black pepper.
2. Grate rind from lemon, then squeeze its juice into baking dish, adding the zest and olive oil. Mince garlic and add to dish along with rosemary.
3. Add rabbit, turning pieces to coat all sides. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight, turning occasionally.
4. Preheat oven to 400° 300°F. Add wine and stock, and bake rabbit for about 25 45 – 60 minutes or longer, turning frequently and basting with pan juices until tender and the juices run clear when you pierce the meat with a fork.
5. If desired, broil meat for a few minutes to achieve a light brown color.

Testing:

2/7/11: Used half of the rabbit pieces without brining (other half used to test Rabbit Braised in Wine. The marinade is delicious with the rabbit, but the meat was a bit dry. I did add ¼ cup dry white wine to pan before baking, but it wasn’t enough, so I recommend adding rabbit or chicken stock with the wine, after marinating. Definitely should be brined first, and bake at a lower temperature for longer time; perhaps 300°F for at least 45 minutes. And perhaps add some stock with the wine.

References:

1. Rabbit Hunting Online (rabbithuntingonline.com/recipes/tuscan_style_rabbit_recipe.htm)