Rabbit is a favourite bistro dish and a family favourite in France. It is easy to find at any butcher, farmer’s market or even supermarket and the quality is very good. It is not a meat that I make very often but every time I do, I wonder why I do not use it more often as it is very flavourful, moist, tender and makes a pleasant change from chicken. That being said, if you cannot find rabbit, chicken can be used in this recipe just as well by simply adding about 10 to 15 minutes cooking time. The ragoût can be served with a long flat pasta such as pappardelle, rice or on a slice of toasted brioche. The mushroom sauce is exquisite and any leftovers can be served with pasta the next day. Qh, and be sure to have lots of crusty bread handy – you will be wanting to mop up every last bit of that sauce, believe you me.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 x 1 kg / 2 lbs rabbit, cut into pieces
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cups cep mushrooms (porcini), stemmed and roughly chopped
1 cup button mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt and fleshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, minced
3/4 cup heavy cream
Preparation:
Heat the butter in a large, heavy skillet or dutch oven
Add the rabbit and sauté until lightly browned on all sides
Remove the rabbit and set aside
Add the onions and cook until nicely golden, stirring often
Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes
Add the chicken broth, the white wine, salt, pepper, thyme and nutmeg
Return the rabbit to the pan
Cover and cook on a low simmer for about 40 minutes
Add the cream, cook for 1 to 2 minutes
Sprinkle on the parsley and serve immediatelyBon Appétit!
Maison Travers 
Looks good. But I’ll use chicken. I have friends with pet rabbits.
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I did too as a child, until my grandmother served them for dinner one day. It took me about 40 years before eating rabbit again.
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I wish rabbit was easier to get here, but because demand is low and the yield isn’t great, it’s both hard to find and super expensive (as in rivals a good beef fillet in price!). The mushroom sauce sounds so heavenly!
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Luckily here it is quite inexpensive and because so popular, the quality is excellent, although I buy mine from a local, organic, farmer and butcher only. The sauce is to die for, we had the leftovers with pasta for lunch the next day.
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Oh how I miss rabbit …. I absolutely love it and this looks like a gorgeous ragout. I shall make it when I am back in France in July (though I could, as you say use a chook now, I prefer to wait for the real thing!) It’s funny though, isn’t it how sensitive people are to eating ‘bunny’ which is lean and delicious meat when not giving a hoot about piglet, cow or chicken. We’re an odd lot really (and that includes me, though not in this instance).
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Just one more month and you will be back!
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