A jointed rabbit will feed 3 or 4 people.
Ingredients:
- 1 wild rabbit
- 2 tablespoons flour.
- 50g unsalted butter.
- 3 onions.
- 2 teaspoons sugar.
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar.
- 700ml dry cider.
- 2 bay leaves.
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme.
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard.
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180C 350F gas mark 4
- Joint, or ask your butcher to, the rabbit into six pieces, two legs, the saddle split in two and the front likewise.
- Put the pieces in a large bowl and add the flour.
- Add a teaspoon of sea salt and plenty of milled pepper and mix well so that the joints are well coated and no flour remains in the bowl.
- Heat a large and deep casserole dish.
- Add half the butter with a dessertspoon of olive oil and as soon as it foams add the rabbit pieces.
- Turn down the heat so the meat gently browns without the butter burning.
- Brown both sides.
- Once browned, lift out the rabbit pieces and discard the cooking fat.
- Peel the onions and slice them thinly.
- Melt the rest of the butter and add the onions.
- Cook them on a medium heat so that they colour gently as they soften.
- Once they are a nice golden brown, add the sugar and caramelise the onions.
- Before the caramel starts to burn, add the vinegar and scrape up the juices that have stuck to the pan.
- Let the vinegar evaporate completely and then add the rabbit pieces, thyme, bay leaves and the cider.
- Bring very gently to the boil and skim off any scum that comes to the surface.
- Cover the casserole and put in oven for 1½ hours.
- Dilute the mustard with a little of the cooking juice and mix it well into the sauce.
- Return the casserole to the oven for 10 minutes.
- The rabbit should be perfectly tender and come away easily from the bone.
- Check the seasoning and serve immediately with creamy mashed potatoes.
