Feeling a little introspective this morning, I questioned my preoccupation with making and taking pictures of food. How did I get here? What’s it all about? Where am I going with this?
What I arrived at was that I cook in order to satisfy my creative urge and to assuage my disappointment in not becoming a singer, a musician or a painter. And that I take pictures in order to gloat over my consolation prize creativity. Whew! What a relief! I can deal with that. I thought I was wasting my time 😀
So anyway, after I solved my self esteem problems, I began to speculate on the possible reasons for the American aversion to considering rabbits as just another white meat.
When I was a child, my father used to hunt rabbits with his buddies on weekends. He’d bring them home, clean them up and either boil or treat them with vinegar before frying. His seasoned coating was excellent and we were always willing to eat the rabbits but they were usually dry and stringy. Domestic rabbits are so much better! You can cook them without boiling or curing. Unfortunately, we raise the domestic variety as pets and nobody wants to eat Peter Rabbit. Too bad. I’ll have to continue to get my rabbit fix in Europe.
Inspiration for the herb sprinkled rabbit comes from Jamie Oliver
Deep Fried Rabbit Legs
6 domestic rabbit legs
2 cups buttermilk
3 tbsp chopped rosemary and sage
Salt and pepper
1 cup flour and 1/2 cup bread crumbs mixed
Peanut oil
Soak the rabbit legs in the buttermilk for an hour or two. Sprinkle with the herbs, salt and pepper. Coat with the flour and bread crumbs, then fry to a golden brown in the peanut oil.
Beverage suggestion: Bourgogne Aligote
I love rabbit and generally the wild ones I buy are very good. Beware of the farmed variety – I read an article in the Sunday Times last year that said most of them are bred in conditions worse than battery hens. They were pointing the finger at France in particular, which is where most farmed rabbit in Britain comes from 🙁
No disrespect intended towards your rabbit legs though – they look delicious 😉
Thank you Mad. These were raised “en plein air” 😉
Excellent 🙂
Glad the intropective jag led you back to food and photos. This looks great. Had some rabbit a few weeks ago, marinated in achiote and whacked onto the grill. The kidneys were particularly tasty!
Hi Jon. Had to look up achiote 🙂 The kidneys are the best part!
Fried? Rabbit? Yes, please!
Did you ever see that Nigella recipe for a rabbit salad? It was called something like A Rabbit in Mr. McGregor’s Garden. Evil delicious genius!
I didn’t see that recipe but would like to 🙂
Found this. Does it show up for you okay?
http://books.google.com/books?id=Qni7whUNFpwC&pg=PT138&lpg=PT138&dq=nigella+Peter+rabbit+in+mr.+mcgregor's+salad&source=bl&ots=rWMVF9418t&sig=nfjWk1Pubyvy7zAfB0aZmN5Osbk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=r-tiUYHRH7KF0QHH1YHgCQ&ved=0CEcQ6AEwBA
Thank you, Daisy.
Well if it’s any help, I thoroughly enjoy your posts so please continue! That is one way of cooking rabbit I’d never considered, kind of Southern Fried. Looks great. Much overlooked meat making a comeback!
Thank you Frank. I understand that rabbit is the new celebrity meat 🙂
Hilarious. And I love rabbit, too. 🙂
Thank you Michelle 🙂
You are most certainly not wasting your time! But I’ll leave the rabbit to you as we had pet rabbits as children and lots of little wild cotton tails hopping around all over the place here now. I’m too attached.
Thank you Danielle. There’s always free range chicken 🙂
Now free range chicken I can do!
That looks incredible! You fried it perfectly and presented beautifully. Well done Rosemary.
Thank you Anne.
Well, it’s a great consolation prize!!
And they are two arts at the same time. Photography is, and gastronomy, although not everyone thinks so, can be seen as an art 😉
And eve when it’s not seen as that, nobody can doubt is a very creative discipline.
My boyf doesn’t eat rabbit cos his grandparents had one at home…
To me… Well, rabbits are really cute, yeah, but… let’s say rabbit legs are my favorite pat, especially if deep fried!!
And when you marinate poultry in buttermilk, well, just heaven!!
Thank you Paula. I agree about the buttermilk.
From the look of those pictures, I’m guessing that you bought the 85mm. Very nice look to very good food:)
Thank you Roger. Nope, that’s still the 50mm 1.4.
Don;t question yourself, I don’t 😀 – just enjoy it :). These legs look scrummy.
Thank you Frugal. It’s your generation 🙂
It´s a pleasure following your blog, so delightful, the rabbit legs just looks perfect!
Thank you Katya.
Not wasting your time at all – I really enjoy your posts and pictures! The rabbit looks fantastic – it’s something I have just rediscovered when I had it in a stew with chorizo and borlotti beans at a local restaurant the other day…but if I can find some locally I will give this a go!
Thank you Rachel. I’d really like to have that rabbit stew recipe! I’ll have to remember to try to duplicate with the borlotti beans are in season.
The restaurant is owned by the family of one of my colleagues so I’ll see if I can get any hints for you!
Mah-velous 🙂 Thank you!
I’ve never had rabbit before, I’ve been wanting to try for a very long time, just never got around to doing it. This looks delicious!
Thank you Casey.
cette recette m’a l’air fabuleuse !
Merci.
I’ve never tried rabbit meat but your photos are so inviting. I love all the colors. Truly appetizing, I bet.
Thank you Tia.
Doesn’t everyone know that it “tastes just like chicken”. I enjoy rabbit when we are in Europe but you hardly ever see it here. And please never stop cooking and photographing…you are too good. 🙂
Wow! Thank made me feel very good Karen!
I must have been asleep when I typed that. I meant Thank you.
Reblogged this on Simply Divine and commented:
I’ve never had rabbit. mmmhmm