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Braised rabbit, fennel and smoked bacon
Serves two
I’ve always loved cooking and eating rabbit. Farmed rabbit is easier to cook than wild, but the latter has more flavour. You can ask your butcher to joint it or chop it into chunks. Any additional bits such as the head can be made into stock. Rabbit can be boned out and cooked, but I prefer it cooked on the bone so that you can pick and suck the meat and get stuck into it.
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First, bring the rabbit to room temperature and sprinkle it with salt. This will take about 20 minutes.
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In a heavy-bottomed, oven-safe pan, brown the pieces of jointed rabbit in the olive oil. Keep adjusting the heat to make sure the oil doesn’t burn. Take the rabbit out and leave it to the side.
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Add the lardons to the pan and begin to brown; add the shallots, garlic and wedges of fennel. If needed, add a little more olive oil. Stir gently and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
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Once everything softens a little, add the rabbit, pour in the calvados and wine, then reduce by a third.
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Add the bundle of herbs and top up with some chicken stock. The rabbit should be half immersed in stock. Cover with a lid or tin foil, and cook in the oven at 150C for 40 minutes until the meat is giving but not collapsing.
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Leave to rest for 20 minutes.
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Take the rabbit pieces out. Reheat the juices, then add the mustard and crème fraîche and stir, bringing it to a higher heat. The sauce should all come together nicely.
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Add the rabbit back to the vegetable and sauce mixture, simmer gently and check for seasoning.
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Serve with mashed potatoes and a bottle of your finest burgundy.
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