Rabbit Au Vin Recipes

Steps:

• Cut off the root end of each pearl onion and make an "x" with your knife in its place. Bring 2 to 3 cups of water to a boil and drop in the onions for 1 minute. Remove the onions from the pot, allow them to cool, and then peel. You should be able to slide the onions right out of their skin. Set aside.
• Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the chicken pieces, a few at a time, into a large (1 or 2-gallon) sealable plastic bag along with the flour. Shake to coat all of the pieces of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the bag to a metal rack.
• Add the 2 tablespoons of water to a large, 12-inch saute pan over medium heat along with the salt pork. Cover and cook until the water is gone, and then continue to cook until the salt pork cubes are golden brown and crispy, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the salt pork from the pan and set aside.
• In the same pan, using the remaining fat, add the pearl onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute until lightly brown, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside. Next, brown the chicken pieces on each side until golden brown, working in batches if necessary to not overcrowd the pan. Transfer the chicken into a 7 to 8-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven.
• Add the mushrooms to the same 12-inch saute pan, adding the 1 tablespoon of butter if needed, and saute until they give up their liquid, approximately 5 minutes. Store the onions, mushrooms and pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Pour off any remaining fat and deglaze the pan with approximately 1 cup of the wine. Pour this into the Dutch oven along with the chicken stock, tomato paste, quartered onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Add all of the remaining wine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place the chicken in the oven and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is tender. Maintain a very gentle simmer and stir occasionally.
• Once the chicken is done, remove it to a heatproof container, cover, and place it in the oven to keep warm. Strain the sauce in a colander and remove the carrots, onion, celery, thyme, garlic, and bay leaf. Return the sauce to the pot, place over medium heat, and reduce by 1/3. Depending on how much liquid you actually began with, this should take 20 to 45 minutes.
• Once the sauce has thickened, add the pearl onions, mushrooms, and pork and cook for another 15 minutes or until the heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, remove from the heat, add the chicken and serve. Serve over egg noodles, if desired.
• Cook¿s Note: If the sauce is not thick enough at the end of reducing, you may add a mixture of equal parts butter and flour kneaded together. Start with 1 tablespoon of each. Whisk this into the sauce for 4 to 5 minutes and repeat, if necessary.

Steps:

• Season the rabbit pieces with salt and pepper, set aside. In a big, heavy-bottomed (preferably cast iron) pot fry bacon golden brown, until it has released its fat. With slotted spoon take out bacon and reserve. Fry meat pieces in the fat on all sides until golden brown. The pieces should fry not cook, so put only as many pieces in the pot as can well fry. When the meat pieces have a nice coulour, take them out onto a plate, cover with tinfoil and keep warm. Pour off most of the fat from the pot. Put the shallots in the pot, stir and scrap up any residues from the bottom (You might want to add 2 fl oz wine at this point). Add garlic, bouquet garni, stir well, then add bacon, rabbit and celery. Stir well. Add stock and as much wine as just covers meat. Braise on medium heat for app. 60-80 minutes, or until meat is tender. After 30 minutes check meat every 10 minutes. The meat should be tender but not overcooked. If necessary, add more wine during cooking. While the rabbit is cooking, wash the mushrooms under cold running water. In a 12-inch saute pan melt butter. Add mushrooms and saute them until golden brown. When the meat is almost done, add mushrooms and parsley. Take out the bouquet garni and discard. If the cooking liquid is to thin when meat is ready, take the meat peices out using a slotted spoon, cover and keep warm. On high heat reduce liquid until it reaches a sauce-like texture. Serve sauce with the meat. You can serve it with boiled new potatoes, or fresh bread, and the wine you used for cooking.

Steps:

• In a large skillet or medium-sized Dutch oven, cook bacon until done; remove bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve for another use (for a salad, etc).
• In the bacon drippings, cook the onion and garlic until transparent. A.
• dd the rabbit pieces and saute over medium heat until rabbit is golden.
• Sprinkle on the flour and continue to brown rabbit for another 5 minutes or so, then add the beef broth, red wine, thyme, parsley and bay leaves.
• Cover and simmer over low heat for about an hour, adding more broth if necessary. Salt and pepper to taste (with the bacon drippings, not much salt is needed). Serve with mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles.

Steps:

• Sprinkle the rabbit pieces with salt and pepper.
• Put the salt-pork cubes in a saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to the boil and simmer about one minute. Drain thoroughly.
• Heat the butter in a large, heavy casserole and add the salt-pork pieces. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about three minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring, about two minutes.
• Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, about two minutes. Transfer the onions, mushrooms and salt-pork pieces to a bowl and set aside.
• To the fat remaining in the casserole, add the rabbit pieces in one layer and cook, turning the pieces as necessary, until lightly browned all over, about five minutes. Scatter the mushrooms, onions and salt pork over the rabbit pieces and stir to blend.
• Cook about five minutes and sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper. Add the wine and cloves.
• Tie the parsley, thyme and bay leaf into a bundle and add it. Bring to the boil, cover closely and cook over very low heat about one hour. Remove and discard the herb bunch. Uncover and cook about three minutes to reduce the sauce.