Rabbit Stew

I remember having rabbit as a child and it was always yummy, I may have gone off it a little once I realised it was actually a rabbit (don’t all kids?) but in the past couple of years my love for rabbit as a food has been reignited.

Serves 3-4 people

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil

100g streaky bacon, smoked

1 rabbit (I used rabbit portions on the bone)

1 tbsp flour

1 large onion, chopped

2 celery sticks, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

400ml fresh chicken or vegetable stock

1 tsp honey

salt & pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to GM2

Heat the oil in a pan and cook the bacon over a moderate heat until it starts to brown then add the rabbit portions and brown, sprinkle over the flour and mix with the rabbit & bacon.  Remove bacon and rabbit from the pan.

Soften the onions, carrots & celery in the pan (use the same pan that you used for the meat) but do not let them brown.  Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.

Transfer everything to a casserole dish and then add the bay leaf, thyme & honey.  Pour over the stock until the rabbit is just covered, season and stir.

Put the lid on the dish and cook in the oven for 2 hours.

We had ours with mashed potatoes, dumplings and broccoli from the garden.