rabbit stew recipe (aka rabbit bourguignon)
April 14, 2003

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The two words came to me in a dream: "Rabbit Bourguignon". I'd never heard of such a thing, but it wasn't too hard to imagine: Rabbit chunks braised in a golden elixir, the essence of a fine white Burgundy, accompanied by cubes of potatoes, hordes of mushrooms, and scattered bits of bacon. Just a bit of everything that is Right and Good in the world.

Calling this "Rabbit Bourguignon" could be considered controversial. After all, a quick Google search for the term turns up exactly zero hits for recipes for a rabbit braised in white wine. Typical stews a la Bourguignonne are made with red Burgundy. I briefly considered changing the name to something generic, such as "Rabbit braised in white wine" or just plain "Rabbit Stew". But then I had an insight. In my rabbit stew fever dream, the golden liquid made my mouth feel exactly the same way it does after drinking a great white Burgundy. I decided to keep the name. (Some further investigation showed that I wasn't far off base.)

And that's also why I specify a "white Burgundy" in the recipe below, as opposed to just "white wine". I don't know about you, but when I cook with white wine, it's usually Sauvignon Blanc. And I just don't think that's right for this recipe. I know, I know, the Burgundy will be more expensive. But I really do think the soul of this dish is better expressed with that wine. I haven't tried it with both; this could all be foolishness. Yet I am convinced. Such is the power of dreams.

I'd like to make another plug for The Cook's Thesaurus, which I've found to be an very useful reference. In this case, I used it to figure out which potatoes are best for soups and stews.

Rabbit Bourguignon

Marinade: 

1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp. herbs de provence
1/2 cup Cognac 
1/4 cup Madiera
white wine to cover, about 2 cups
First Batch: 
3 lb rabbit thighs
12 oz thick-sliced bacon
4 medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes
  (or some other low-starch variety; see here)
1 large rutabaga
1 large turnip
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bottle white Burgundy
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup Cognac
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
Second Batch: 
3 cups mushrooms, sliced
2 medium-sized carrots, sliced
1 1/2 stalks celery, sliced
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or to taste)
1 tbsp brown sugar
Other Ingredients:

Place the rabbit and the marinade ingredients in a one gallon resealable plastic bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for two hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cook the bacon in a large dutch oven. Cook in batches as necessary, draining the fat from each batch. Meanwhile, peel and chop the potato, rutabaga, and turnip, and onion into bite-sized pieces. Remove the rabbit from the marinade, reserving the liquid. Flour each piece and brown in a bit of bacon fat. Set aside and let them cool. Next, saute the chopped root vegetables and the garlic in bacon fat.

Cut the rabbit into bite-sized pieces. Put the rabbit, the root vegetable mixture, and the bacon back into the dutch oven. Add the wine, stock, Cognac, bay leaves, and pepper. Bring to a boil on the stovetop, then put into the oven for 45 minutes.

Peel and chop the carrots into bite-sized pieces. Chop the mushroom and the celery. Saute all of the vegetables in bacon fat until the mushrooms lose their water. Remove the stew from the oven. Add the vinegar and the sugar. Taste for salt, pepper, sugar, and vinegar content (be careful!). Add the vegetables to the stew and return to the oven for 30 more minutes.

Pour stew into heated bowls. Just before serving, swirl in 1-2 tbsp. of heavy cream.

--//--

I'm definitely on to something here. The flavor wasn't quite as intense as I'd wanted, but otherwise, it was exactly as I'd imagined it. Got rave reviews at dinner.

In the future, I might try:

  • Using 1.5 times as much stock and wine and reducing it together before adding it to the solids

  • Using half veal stock and half chicken stock

  • Making rabbit stock

  • Adding homemade half-dried tomatoes

  • Using fresh herbs -- I didn't have any on hand

  • Adding peas

  • Adding walnuts

April 14, 2003 in main_dishes, old_site, recipes | Permalink

Comments

The rabbit's long ears, which can be more than 10 cm (4 in) long, are probably an adaptation for detecting predators. They have large, powerful hind legs. Each foot has five toes, with one greatly reduced in size.

Posted by: Generic Viagra at Apr 13, 2010 7:43:03 AM

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