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December 5th, 2008
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Bunny in the oven

Rabbit is an old favorite, versatile and delicious
From the chef | Search restaurants | Archives

June 4th, 2008 issue

JAN PŘEROVSKÝ/THE PRAGUE POST
This slow-cooked dish is certain to please fans of game and rich, hearty flavors.
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Rabbit has a long culinary history, although it’s more difficult to find on menus these days, thanks in part to the abundance of beef, pork and poultry.
The meat from a rabbit is relatively mild in flavor, similar to free-range chicken. In texture it also resembles the more common white meat. It is also quite lean, so it works well as a substitute for poultry in many recipes — although the lack of “marbling” means it dries out easily.
Smaller, young rabbits fry nicely. Larger animals, however, require slow cooking with plenty of liquid to prevent the meat from toughening. Of course, this makes it perfect for a classic Czech svičkova.
Cooked properly, rabbit meat will soak up flavors from the pan and emerge tender and juicy.
Radek David is chef at La Veranda, located at Elišky Krásnohorské 2, Prague 1–Old Town. Tel. 224 814 733.

STEWED RABBIT LEGS WITH MUSHROOMS AND POTATOES

Ingredients:

4 rabbit front legs
4 rabbit hind legs
100  milliliters olive oil
1.2 liters rabbit stock
150 grams onion
4 cloves of garlic
5 grams smooth flour
Salt
Whole black pepper
Allspice
Bay leaf
Thyme
For mushrooms
150 grams oyster mushroom
100 grams shitaki mushroom
150 grams field agaric
1 clove of garlic
70 grams clarified butter
20 grams chopped parsley
Salt
Ground white pepper
Ground caraway seeds
For potatoes
300 grams potatoes
50 grams clarified butter
Whole pepper
Allspice
Bay leaf
Preparation:
Debone rabbit legs.
Season meat with salt and pepper.
Sauté in olive oil until golden, then remove meat from pan.
Add to pan sliced onion, whole pepper, allspice, bay leaf and thyme.
Brown until the mixture turns gold in color then add sliced garlic.
Add meat back into pan, baste with stock and cover with 700 ml of stock.
Stew for up to an hour and a half (removing meat from front legs sooner) until liquid is well reduced and meat cooked.
After removing meat, sprinkle flour over the pan leavings.
Allow flour to soak up fat then pour remaining rabbit stock into pan.
Cook for half an hour and season sauce with salt and pepper (do not strain).
For mushrooms:
Cut the mushrooms into pieces and brown them in butter.
When they turn golden, add sliced garlic, chopped parsley, salt, white pepper and ground caraway.
For potatoes:
Wash the potatoes and soak them in water for an hour.
Drain water and cover with fresh water.
Add to water whole pepper, allspice and bay leaf.
Bring to boil and cook until potatoes are done.
Remove from water and sear potatoes in butter on all sides.


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Reader's comments:

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[12:51 05/06/2008] : >>Smaller, young rabbits fry nicely

You are sick.
John Ainsworth
Prague
[02:48 06/06/2008] : Here in the United States, rabbits are the third most popular pets behind dogs and cats. To think of "Bunny in the oven" is just heinous.
Jennifer Barbieri
Brooklyn, New York
[15:12 06/06/2008] : And what is the matter with eating rabbit? Not that I have ever consumed any. On the other hand, tripe soup is a bit unnerving, but the broth was wonderful.

Hey, in Korea they eat dog.
Richard Elliot
Charlotte
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