NEW RSS feed! | Mon 06.02.08 |
Rabbit Ragu |
The first time I made this dish I inadvertently did so just before Easter.
Bad. Timing.
I honestly thought nothing controversial of it at the time, but found myself having to explain to altogether too many people that no, I wasn't trying to "make a statement." So just to clear the air, I do not want to eat the Easter Bunny -- or Bugs Bunny, or the Trix Bunny, or what might possibly be a the descendant of the disciple Peter.
The different feelings people have towards eating rabbits, I believe, can best be explained by where in the animal kingdom they decide to classify them. There are those who put rabbits in the same category as dogs and gerbils, i.e. as furry animal companions. Such people are likely to refer to them as bunnies and become mildly nauseated at the suggestion of eating what invariably are beloved pets.
Then there are those who put rabbits in the category of possums and racoons, which theoretically are edible, but, eww, why would you do that? Why can't you eat a cow?
And while I can understand the reasoning behind both positions, I nonetheless subscribe to a third: rabbits are like chickens. Because they taste kind of like chicken. (Which I guess brings up a rather postmodern fourth opinion, wherein rabbits are like frogs and alligators: semi-exotic things to eat that taste like chicken.)
In all seriousness, rabbit meat has a lot going for it. It's a very lean protein, even more so than chicken and distinctly more flavorful. Wild rabbit has a wonderful gaminess and the farmed variety, while obviously less intense in flavor, still has a richness to it and at least is more widely available. I get mine at the local Korean market, where it's found next to the "beef pizzle".
As far as cooking, I'd think you could treat rabbit pretty much as you would treat chicken, owing to their similar consistency. So grilling, roasting, pan-frying and deep-frying are all possibilities. But since it's positively foolproof, I usually opt for the easy route of braising, leaving the rabbit to cook for a couple hours and become wonderfully tender. An extra perk is that most of the cooking is unattended -- you just let it simmer in your braising liquid, which here was red wine and tomato, with some mushrooms, summer peas and sweet summer corn added towards the end. After the long cooking, the braising liquid reduces down to a delicious ragu, which is very! very! awesome atop some polenta.
I hardly ever make grits or polenta, but I'm really glad I did today. Both the polenta and the rabbit are slow, slow cooking dishes, and the combination of the soft, creamy polenta with the richly savory ragu was immensely enjoyable. It helped that I had wonderful polenta guidance here at Hungy in Hogtown. As they explain and I can attest, the key is to avoid the instant stuff and do it proper, which means using simple stone-ground cornmeal and letting it cook for around three hours (but, at least, with hardly any stirring). Like the ragu, most of the cooking for the polenta can be unattended - just don't go out to a movie or something as you should give the pot a good stir every 15 minutes or so, lest you end up with a burnt crust of cornmeal at the bottom.
And as I do with most braised-meat dishes, I topped off this one with a gremolata of chopped parsley, garlic, and lemon peel, which adds a fresh brightness well-received by slow cooking.
Rabbit Ragu with Peas, Corn, and Mushrooms
1 whole rabbit, skinned and cleaned
1 12-oz can tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups red wine
1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
5 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper
4 oz. oyster mushrooms
4 oz. green peas
2 ears of corn, kernels removed
Heat some olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium-high. Season the rabbit with the cinnamon, salt and pepper, and brown it in the pot on both sides. Remove the rabbit and add the diced onion, celery, and carrot, cooking until softened.
Add the tomato paste and let it cook for about 1 minute, then add the can of tomatoes (crush them if they are not already crushed), and red wine. Add a bay leaf and the garlic cloves (whole). Return the rabbit to the pot, and add additional water if needed so the liquid comes up to it a little over halfway. Put a lid on the pot, reduce the heat to a simmer, and let the rabbit cook for around 1.5 hours, turning it over halfway through.
When the rabbit is about tender, heat some butter in a small skillet and saute the mushrooms (season them). Once the mushrooms are brown, add the corn and the peas to the skillet (season again) to saute for another minute or so, then add the vegetables to the pot with the rabbit.
Let the rabbit cook for another twenty minutes or so, then remove it to a large plate. Reduce the braising liquid further, if desired, and serve the rabbit and its ragu atop some polenta, topped with some gremolata.
Slow Cooked Polenta (adapted from Hungry in Hogtown)
1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
4 cups water
parmesan cheese
butter
salt and pepper
In a medium pot, bring the water to a boil. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal, pouring in a steady stream. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer.
That's it. From now on, just check on the polenta every 15 minutes or so and give it a good stir, adding more water as needed a cup at a time for the first two hours, then less and less for the last hour as the cornmeal absorbs more and more of the liquid. The final consistency is smooth and creamy, like a loose porridge or skinny mashed potatoes.
I passed my polenta through a coarse sieve to make sure it was really creamy, but this is optional. Season heavily with salt, pepper, and parmesan, and a tablespoon or two of butter. To serve, top with a drizzle of olive oil and more parmesan.
1 whole rabbit, skinned and cleaned
1 12-oz can tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups red wine
1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
5 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper
4 oz. oyster mushrooms
4 oz. green peas
2 ears of corn, kernels removed
Heat some olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium-high. Season the rabbit with the cinnamon, salt and pepper, and brown it in the pot on both sides. Remove the rabbit and add the diced onion, celery, and carrot, cooking until softened.
Add the tomato paste and let it cook for about 1 minute, then add the can of tomatoes (crush them if they are not already crushed), and red wine. Add a bay leaf and the garlic cloves (whole). Return the rabbit to the pot, and add additional water if needed so the liquid comes up to it a little over halfway. Put a lid on the pot, reduce the heat to a simmer, and let the rabbit cook for around 1.5 hours, turning it over halfway through.
When the rabbit is about tender, heat some butter in a small skillet and saute the mushrooms (season them). Once the mushrooms are brown, add the corn and the peas to the skillet (season again) to saute for another minute or so, then add the vegetables to the pot with the rabbit.
Let the rabbit cook for another twenty minutes or so, then remove it to a large plate. Reduce the braising liquid further, if desired, and serve the rabbit and its ragu atop some polenta, topped with some gremolata.
Slow Cooked Polenta (adapted from Hungry in Hogtown)
1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
4 cups water
parmesan cheese
butter
salt and pepper
In a medium pot, bring the water to a boil. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal, pouring in a steady stream. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer.
That's it. From now on, just check on the polenta every 15 minutes or so and give it a good stir, adding more water as needed a cup at a time for the first two hours, then less and less for the last hour as the cornmeal absorbs more and more of the liquid. The final consistency is smooth and creamy, like a loose porridge or skinny mashed potatoes.
I passed my polenta through a coarse sieve to make sure it was really creamy, but this is optional. Season heavily with salt, pepper, and parmesan, and a tablespoon or two of butter. To serve, top with a drizzle of olive oil and more parmesan.
