Rabbit fricassée with tagliatelle

[SAVAGE HMR]

Serves 4-6

 

Ingredients

 

* 1 whole rabbit (about 1.5kg), jointed into 8 pieces

* 2 litres brown chicken stock

* 1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, few sprigs of thyme and parsley stalks tied together)

* 1 tsp black peppercorns

* 100g smoked streaky bacon, chopped

* 2 banana shallots (or 4 small shallots), peeled and finely chopped

* 200g button or chestnut mushrooms, trimmed and large ones halved

* few sprigs of rosemary, leaves finely chopped

* 300ml dry white wine

* 300ml double cream

* 1½ tbsp Dijon mustard

* 500g fresh tagliatelle

* handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

* olive oil

* sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Method:

 

1. First you have to gut and skin your rabbit, preferably away from your cooking area. Once gutted and skinned remove the hind legs from the rabbit. Lay the rabbit on its belly on a chopping board. Cut through the meat around the legs until you reach the joint. Snap the leg joints back and cut the legs off the bone.

 

2. Remove the livers and kidneys from the main carcass. Place into a bowl and set aside or chill until ready to cook. With a heavy knife, cut through the body behind the ribs to separate the saddle from the neck and shoulders. Run the knife along the curve of the backbone to carve out the loins on each side. Wrap the belly flap around each loin, like a cigar, and set aside.

 

3. With a sharp knife, cut the belly wrapped loin into bite sized pieces. Trim off the excess fat from the kidneys, cut them into half and carefully snip out the white cores. Trim the edges of the livers to neaten the sides, place into a bowl along with the kidney and chill until ready to use.

 

4. Put the chicken stock, bouquet garni and peppercorns in pan with a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and add the rabbit legs. Gently poach for 1-1½ hours until the meat is tender. Remove the legs from the pan with a pair of tongs and let cool slightly. Cut the meat off the bone into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Strain the poaching stock and measure out 300ml for later use.

 

5. Heat a large frying pan with a little olive oil. Season the livers and kidneys with salt and pepper and fry for 2 minutes until golden brown on all sides. Remove to a warm plate and set aside. Season the loin pieces and add to the pan. When the meat is three quarters cooked, add the poached leg meat and cook for a few more minutes until golden brown. Transfer to the plate.

 

6. Add the bacon and shallots to the pan with a little more olive oil, if necessary. Sauté for 3-4 minutes over medium heat until the shallots are translucent and the bacon is lightly browned. Stir in the mushrooms and rosemary and sauté for a few more minutes. Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Let the liquid boil until reduced by half. Add the 330ml of set aside stock and reduce again by half. Finally, pour in the cream and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened to a desired consistency. Stir in the mustard and season to taste. Add the browned rabbit meat into the sauce to warm through.

 

7. Meanwhile, blanch the tagliatelle in a pot of boiling, salted water for 1½-2 minutes until al dente. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce to coat. Divide amongst warmed plates and arrange the rabbit meat over the pasta. Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Crown the dish with the chopped liver and kidneys then serve!