Braised Rabbit With Bacon Sage Dumplings Recipes

RABBIT AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add rabbits and sear. Add mirepoix, and caramelize lightly. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Add stock and simmer until rabbit is tender. Cool and pick the meat from the bones. Reserve the juice.
• Sear vegetables in some butter, about 1/4 stick until lightly browned. Add the herbs and garlic and wine. Reduce au sec (until pan is almost dry). Add 1/2 stick butter and stir to melt without breaking. Stir in the flour until incorporated. Gradually stir in reserved juice.
• Cook about 30 minutes until roux taste is gone. Add picked rabbit meat and season, to taste, with salt, pepper, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and dried thyme.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Mix all dry ingredients. Mix all wet ingredients. Mix the 2 together stirring as little as possible.
• Pour the hot stew in a large casserole dish and drop golf ball size dumplings all over the top.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbling around the edges and the dumplings have become golden brown on top.

RED-WINE BRAISED RABBIT WITH SAGE POLENTA

Steps:

• In a large bowl stir together flour and salt. Add rabbit and toss to coat. In a heavy kettle heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown rabbit in batches, transferring pieces to a bowl.
• Add onion and remaining tablespoon oil to kettle and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned. Stir in garlic and rosemary and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth, wine, and rabbit with any juices accumulated in bowl and simmer, covered, 1 hour, or until rabbit is tender. Remove lid and simmer until sauce is thickened slightly. Stir in parsley.
• Stir sage into warm polenta. Serve polenta topped with rabbit and sauce.
• To make basic polenta:
• In a heavy saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of pan, about 40 minutes for cornmeal and about 15 minutes 2for instant polenta. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. Stir polenta just before using. Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.
• Note: In the traditional method of cooking polenta, forty minutes of constant stirring is required to achieve a lumpless texture and fragrant flavor. However, Italian-food expert Marcella Hazan has developed a method that involves very little stirring during this time. We believe it produces a very good polenta, one nearly as flavorful and smooth as the traditional procedure. To make satisfactory polenta in a real hurry, an imported instant polenta (precooked cornmeal) is available. This cooks in a mere fifteen minutes.