Super day today! I had some lovely rabbit that I picked up from Quails R Us. The weather was a little warmer also; 38F(3C). Sultry 🙂
These are nice, meaty, perfectly cleaned rabbits, heads off. The people at Quails know what they’re doing!
They even provide you with a little plastic pouch with the offal from the rabbit! I’ve fallen in love with these people! I thought I did an excellent job of cutting the rabbit into pieces. Look at that “rable”!
I like it that they do their own slaughtering, butchering and packaging of the rabbit and their labeling is reassuring. I’m getting some guinea fowl when they have it 🙂
Serendipitously, my husband discovered a bottle of Pascal Bouchard Petit Chablis in an unpacked carton of our affairs today. Hallelujah! I was really going into a decline 😡
Lifted, I sliced the baby bellas for my rabbit tajine. These were the closest to the Paris(crimini) mushrooms I could find, and they were good. Earthy.
This is a ragout that tempts you to eat it even before the final cooking but, sipping my wine, I just put the cover on, put it into the oven and walked away.
Rabbit Tajine
1 normal sized rabbit, cut up
2 tbsp olive oil
6 bacon strips, sliced
1 tbsp of butter
2 onions, halved and sliced
4 celery branches, sliced
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
10 sprigs fresh thyme, stripped of leaves
2 tbsp fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1/2 lb large crimini mushrooms cut in half
6 small potatoes, quartered
1 glass white wine
Brown the rabbit in the olive oil and put into a large bowl. In the same pan, brown the bacon, remove from the pan and put in the bowl with the rabbit. In the same pan, add the butter and saute the onions, celery and garlic. Mix in the thyme and parsley, then pour all into the pan with the rabbit. Add the mushrooms and potatoes, stirring to blend.
Put the rabbit mixture in a tajine and pour the wine over all. Cover with the top and bake in a 350 degree oven for 60 minutes.
That looks delicious – you’ve definitely found the right supplier! That picture of the rabbit bottom made me laugh.
I was tempted by a hare today, but the pheasants are so big and cheap that I bought yet another brace… 🙂
Thank you Mad. I wish I was in a place that I could blithely talk about cheap pheasants 😀
Ha ha – the farmers’ market stall I get them from is actually from a fantastic lamb and mutton farm, but they also do game in season. I find it amazing that people spend an absolute fortune on shooting a large number a pheasants, but only take half a dozen home (if that) and therefore the people organising the shoots have a lot to sell on at a very low price. They cost less than battery chicken!
That is incredible. As I said, I’m living in the wrong place. But I knew that 🙂
Looks delicious!!
Thank you Amy.
Excited you found Quails etc – and so close!! I can get decent frozen rabbits here at Fresh Market and made a very satisfying Brunswick Stew last month with one. This will definitely be my next rabbit recipe! Question to you – from someone who does not love celery, do you think it is essential??
Not essential Laura but if I wasn’t using it I would use a sliced fennel bulb or lots of slice leek.
I love rabbit ! When we lived in Malta dishes containing rabbit were very popular (and still are, actually). AND – I received a lovely tangine last year for Christmas. And – sometimes I can find frozen rabbit at the local supermarket, although this recipe makes me want to try to ‘google’ some local ‘raisers/sellers’ of rabbits. We raised rabbit two different years when we had the farm in Quebec – luckily my husband’s cousin would slaughter them. I know I couldn’t…
I want to go to Quebec. Soon.
You will just love Quebec. I miss it so much. I may have already told you we had a wonderful farm 30 mins. from Old Quebec City. It was in the picturesque village of St. Antoine de Tilly. Please let me know when you plan to go to Quebec, OK!! (If you have a minute, look up St. Antoine de Tilly, Quebec – you’ll see how lovely the village where we lived is !
It’s charming. How could you leave!?
It wasn’t easy. We had lived in Montreal in the early 1970s and our twin sons were born there. (I sold the farm two years after my husband died to a wonderful family who loves it as much as we did!)
(( Sorry about the ‘double comment’ – WordPress had some sort of ‘meltdown’ !! ))
It wasn’t easy to leave Quebec since I love it so much. We had lived in Montreal in the early 1970s and our twin sons were born there. (I sold the farm (near Quebec City) two years after my husband died to a wonderful family who loves it as much as we did!) I feel I’ve left a small piece of my heart everywhere I’ve lived & you probably feel the same!
Sorry to hear about your husband Cecile. So glad that you have such wonderful memories of your farm and your life there with your family.
Well, it’s Merry Christmas for me!! I just discovered rabbit meat is sold at a store not too far from me!! Plus they sell a wide assortment of ‘all natural’ meats & poultry!! It seems they also sell Buffalo, Venison, Rabbit, Ostrich, and Pheasant. Color Me Happy !! ; o )
Bravo Cecile!
Rabbit tagine… now that is a damn fine idea!
Thank you food.
Fabulous. As you know, there’s no chance of rabbit tagine in La M, but I’m enjoying it vicariously. You’ve found a good producer it seems. Nice bottle too:)
Thank you Roger.
Mmm this sounds lovely! I haven’t heard of crimini mushrooms before.. I wonder if they go by another name? Either way they looked delicious so I’m going to try and hunt for some! 😀
Thank you.
Lovely. Delighted to see you discovered the wine. I cooked a Spanish style rabbit stew a couple of weeks ago. I love rabbit. My seasonal posting means all have to wait to see the outcome.
Thank you Conor. Looking forward to seeing your rabbit recipe.
I’m usually carping about people being too far removed from where their food comes from. But I must admit: those rabbit heads in Europe kind of creep me out. Beautiful dish. Hooray for Quails R Us … Plus!
Thank you Michelle. Those rabbit heads are creepy 🙂
Yes. This looks so wonderful. I kind of wish you were cooking for me.
Thank you Amanda. I’m cooking for everybody. Come on down.
This totally makes me want to get some rabbit for tonight. Yum!
Thank you Mary 🙂
I’ll have to check out that website and get some ingredients. 🙂 Fabulous!
I used to eat rabbit quite a lot as a child. My father would bring it home from hunting, and my Mother would make delicious dishes using it. I have recently seen in again at our local Amish butcher and would love to try the Rabbit Tajine recipe. It looks delicious!
Thank you Sam. I’ve had good luck with this recipe. Bon Appetit!
This definitely makes me want to try it at home.