Musings on Life & Cooking

I can just about eat (and drink) again, after Saturday night's dinner party. I spent the last several weeks dreaming up a menu that I thought would be worthy of my sweet friend Chris, a true gourmand, whose 40th birthday bash on a gulet in the middle the Aegean I missed out on because of my knee injury in September. This is the second year in a row that I've made him a belated birthday dinner, last year we bbq'd in the rain, but this year I wanted to take it up a notch. When we spoke on the phone a month ago, Chris had mentioned that he'd like to eat rabbit, and immediately started thumbing through my cookbook collection to see what there was to offer. I originally intended to do a North-African/Mediterranean influenced menu; but when I came across the following recipe in Simon Hopkinson's Roast Chicken And Other Stories, I knew that I need look no further and I built the menu around this recipe, with an eye for the best of this season's produce. 

I was having far too much fun eating, drinking and enjoying the company of my friends and lover, to photograph the whole dinner. My photos tend to get blurrier as the evening wears on, undoubtedly having to do with the amount of alcohol I consume (tsk-tsk), but I'd like to thank those who directly influenced my meal by linking to the posts that inspired me.

Savory Rugelach of spinach almond pesto & goat's cheese

Pumpkin soup topped with shaved Parmesan, fried sage leaves and a dollop of crème fraîche served with a smoked paprika crouton

Louis Jadot Pinot Noir 2006

Warm chanterelle, pancetta and hazelnut salad

Louis Jadot Pinot Noir 2006

Braised Rabbit with White Wine, Shallots, Rosemary and Cream

Hugel Riesling 'Hugel' 2006

Top Secret birthday cake with homemade chocolate ice cream

Belvedere Moscato di' Asti

I've cooked wild before, that is to say with passion and abandon, but I've never cooked wild (the Dutch term for game). I wanted the best rabbit I could get my hands on, so I called Slagerij Yolanda en Fred de Leeuw, which one could argue is one of the best butchers/delicatessens in Amsterdam, offering a wide range of high quality meat and game, as well as gourmet treats like bread from Poilâne in Paris (delivered once a week), and other high-end gourmet produce. The owner himself took my call and advised that I choose wild rabbit over farmed rabbit, for flavor. They don't carry rabbit daily, so pre-ordering is required, and I called during the week for a Saturday pick-up. It's been several years since I graced the doors of Slagerij Yolanda en Fred de Leeuw, but I cannot for the life of me figure out why?! As I stood before their counter I could barely contain my excitement at the variety of gorgeous meats laid out before me! Then out came my rabbit, rabbits, actually. Two rabbits in five pieces without the head, including the livers (which I shared with a Spanish friend).

Now hear this, I am firm believer that the average Westerner is far too removed from the food production process; and even though I was born and bred a vegetarian, I would really like to be able to butcher my own meat one day. That said, I am also rather squeamish and I still have chilling memories of the first time I cleaned a chicken, which was nothing compared to handling the bunnies. All alone in my kitchen on Saturday afternoon, I was really wondering if I'd made the right choice, going for wild rabbit versus farmed rabbit. Firstly, there was the smell, not strong, not off, just the real animal smell, something visceral that is rarely (if ever) present in any meat that I buy. Then there was the blood, if my rabbits weren't shot on the day they were delivered (Friday), then they were shot the day before. The lovely woman who waited on me at Fred & Yolanda's very kindly unwrapped my package to ensure everything was in order, but had to re-wrap it as it had bled through it's wrapping. Now that's fresh, ladies and gentlemen. Then there was the odd tuft of fur here and there, and last but not least, the shot which I pretty much rid the carcasses of during cleaning, with the exception of the two which we discovered during dinner (oops). What disturbed me the most though, was the little bits of fur that were pushed into the meat by the shot, which made the shot resemble little hard hair balls. I really did my best not to gag when I came across these, but it was difficult. I kept telling myself how I needed to practice what I preach, and persevered, but I was deeply worried that neither I, nor my guests would be able to stomach the finished product.

How wrong I was.

I think there are few things that don't taste good braised in a whole bottle of wine, finished off with cream and fresh rosemary, and then served with hot buttered papparedelle. To quote Simon Hopkinson, the end result, is very satisfying and it is good, rich dish. Well said, Mr. Hopkinson.

Braised Rabbit with White Wine, Shallots, Rosemary and Cream

source: Roast Chicken And Other Stories

2 small rabbits, each jointed into 6 pieces (mine came in 5 pieces)

salt an pepper

110g/4 oz butter

6 shallots, peeled and chopped

½ bottle of dry white wine (I used a whole bottle)

4 rosemary sprigs

450ml/¾ pint whipping cream

juice of ½ lemon

Season the rabbit with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a large haevy-bottomed, shallow pan until foaming. Put in the rabbit pieces adn turn the heat down. Gently fry for about 30 minutes or until pale golden brown, no more, turning from time to time. Lift out the rabbit pieces adn put on a plate. Tip out any excess fat, leaving yourself with about 3 tbsp in the pan. Fry the shallots until pale gold and return the rabbit to the pan. Add about a quarter of the wine, and allow to simmer. Baste the rabbit pieces with the wine and shallots until it has become a syrupy sauce. Add a further splash of wine and carry on with this process until the wine has been used up and there is about a wine glass of liquid left in the pan. This should be tawny coloured and syrupy. Add the rosemary, turn down to the lowest possible heat, cover and allow to cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove the lid, add the cream, turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Let the cream amalgamate with the sauce, making sure that you scrape any bits in the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the sauce is a pale coffee colour and of an unctuous consistency. Add the lemon juice and correct the seasoning. Serve with buttered noodles or boliled potatoes.

This is not a dish to be hurried, rather it is one that should be nutured as you are pottering about the kitchen doing other chores.

Extra Reading: an excerpt of Roast Chicken and Other Stories over at Culinate