On Saturday, our son went rabbit hunting with a few friends. I chuckled when he told us he was going because we raise rabbits and our freezer could easily testify to that fact. This was his first outing since getting out of the USMC and returning home, so we were thankful he had the opportunity.
My plan was to put the rabbits in the freezer with the others but the men of the family had other plans...they wanted it for dinner. Not wanting to stand over the stove all afternoon, I decided to take our favorite rabbit stew recipe and turn it into a crockpot version. This is the result.
.JPG)
RABBIT STEW
2 rabbits, cleaned and cut up, seasoned with salt and pepper
4-6 slices bacon
3 carrots, peeled and cut on the diagonal
1 onion, thick sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz Baby Bella mushrooms (or whatever you have on hand) halved or quartered
2 cups red wine (I used Chianti, but merlot or pinot noir would be fine)
2 cups chicken stock (I used rabbit stock because I had just made a gallon of it)
2 Tbls all purpose flour
2 Tbls butter
Salt
Pepper
1. In a large skillet, add bacon and cook until the bacon is somewhat crisp and the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels. Place in crockpot.
2. Add rabbit pieces to the rendered fat and brown on both sides. (The rabbit does not need to be thoroughly cooked because it will finish in the crockpot.) I had to brown the rabbit in two batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. You may need to add a little olive oil to your pan for the second batch. Remove the rabbit and add it to bacon pieces.
3. Add carrots, onions, and mushrooms and saute on medium low heat until slightly brown - about 5-7 minutes. Add your garlic and cook for another minute or two. Remove from the pan and add it to the rabbit and bacon.
4. Add 2 cups of wine to your pan and scrape all those yummy bits from the bottom of the pan. Let this come to a slight boil and reduce slightly, probably 3-4 minutes.
5. Add stock and return to a slight boil. Pour this over the deliciousness waiting patiently in the crockpot. If your meat is not covered, you can add more stock or wine. Why not add both!
6. About 30 minutes before serving, mix the flour and butter together and add to the crockpot.
7. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. The meat will literally fall off the bones so you will need to remove these before serving. We have a saying we always told our kids concerning fish filets..."it's not supposed to have bones, but it may, so be careful." This now applies to rabbit stew.
We served the stew over jasmine rice and it was wonderful!
My plan was to put the rabbits in the freezer with the others but the men of the family had other plans...they wanted it for dinner. Not wanting to stand over the stove all afternoon, I decided to take our favorite rabbit stew recipe and turn it into a crockpot version. This is the result.
RABBIT STEW
2 rabbits, cleaned and cut up, seasoned with salt and pepper
4-6 slices bacon
3 carrots, peeled and cut on the diagonal
1 onion, thick sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz Baby Bella mushrooms (or whatever you have on hand) halved or quartered
2 cups red wine (I used Chianti, but merlot or pinot noir would be fine)
2 cups chicken stock (I used rabbit stock because I had just made a gallon of it)
2 Tbls all purpose flour
2 Tbls butter
Salt
Pepper
1. In a large skillet, add bacon and cook until the bacon is somewhat crisp and the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels. Place in crockpot.
2. Add rabbit pieces to the rendered fat and brown on both sides. (The rabbit does not need to be thoroughly cooked because it will finish in the crockpot.) I had to brown the rabbit in two batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. You may need to add a little olive oil to your pan for the second batch. Remove the rabbit and add it to bacon pieces.
3. Add carrots, onions, and mushrooms and saute on medium low heat until slightly brown - about 5-7 minutes. Add your garlic and cook for another minute or two. Remove from the pan and add it to the rabbit and bacon.
4. Add 2 cups of wine to your pan and scrape all those yummy bits from the bottom of the pan. Let this come to a slight boil and reduce slightly, probably 3-4 minutes.
5. Add stock and return to a slight boil. Pour this over the deliciousness waiting patiently in the crockpot. If your meat is not covered, you can add more stock or wine. Why not add both!
6. About 30 minutes before serving, mix the flour and butter together and add to the crockpot.
7. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. The meat will literally fall off the bones so you will need to remove these before serving. We have a saying we always told our kids concerning fish filets..."it's not supposed to have bones, but it may, so be careful." This now applies to rabbit stew.
We served the stew over jasmine rice and it was wonderful!
No comments:
Post a Comment