A few years ago my husband got a job as a butcher. He jokes that I almost had him converted to vegetarianism, but the job saved him! We just weren't eating much meat at the time. I did not have a draw to eat meat and he did not like to touch it (raw). So once in a while I put chicken in the stir-fry. Exciting, right?
With the new job came exciting new things to try. Among the most adventurous: frog legs and alligator. Most recently: rabbit. We made pan fried rabbit and rabbit stew. I actually took pictures of the stew, so here is the stew story.
It was good.
I guess you will want to know more than that though, huh?
My husband left the stew choice up to me since soup type food is not his thing. I looked up recipes on line (foodnetwork.com mostly) in search of a thick, flavorful stew. I found one with a roux base and wild mushrooms, mmmm. It seemed to fit the bill. I adapted the recipe a bit since I forgot to get port and I only had about half as much meat as was called for. I do not know how Emeril's version tasted, but I know mine was good!
It might sound funny, but I was most excited about the mushrooms. I got oyster and shiitake mushrooms. The oyster mushrooms looked a little different than I remember. They came from Kroger, who knows. The shiitake was pretty. It was so smooth, it cut like butter almost.
The rabbit looks like it has a lot of skin or fat on it, but when it is hot you would never know.
The meat is surprisingly red, especially considering how much it resembles chicken after it's cooked.
The spice of life! The meat is seasoned and pan seared, but there is plenty more seasoning in the stew!
All the mushrooms, onions, rabbit and spice simmer away for a half an hour, and we can't forget the bay leaf. The bay leaf made the whole house smell amazing for almost an entire day!
I actually did follow the recipe for the cracked pepper biscuits. In my opinion, they were a bit strong on the baking soda flavor, but otherwise good. Use freshly ground black pepper though. I promise it's better.
The taste of the biscuits is a good combination with the rich stew. Throw a double cream stout in the mix and you have the makings for a pretty tasty dinner!
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Rabbit Stew
Adapted from Emeril
4 pieces of rabbit (about 1 1/2 lb)
creole seasoning
2-3 Tbs flour
1 medium onion chopped
wild mushrooms
~2 hand fulls oyster
~1 4in shiitake
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 oz ham, finely chopped (use tasso if you can find it)
1/2 cup red wine
1 bay leaf
1 cup chicken stock
Heat a few tablespoons oil in in a heavy skillet. Season rabbit with creole seasoning (I made Emeril's Essence which is what the original recipe called for. It is just creole seasoning basically.) Brown evenly on each side, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a platter (or the cutting board next to the stove as the evidence in the very first picture shows) and set aside.
Add flour to the skillet stirring constantly. Make a medium brown roux.
Add onions, mushrooms, salt, cayenne, and black pepper stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. Add ham (or tasso) and continue stirring for 2 minutes. Return the rabbit to the pan, add the wine and bay leaf. Cook 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook* 30-35 minutes, or until rabbit is tender. Turn rabbit every 10 minutes or so to prevent it from drying out.
*the recipe says uncovered, but I put a lid on mine at this point. I think my roux was thicker than it should have been, making the whole dish rather thick. Use your own judgment as to covering or not.
The Essence and Black Pepper biscuits can be found here, along with the original stew recipe.
2-3 Tbs flour
1 medium onion chopped
wild mushrooms
~2 hand fulls oyster
~1 4in shiitake
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 oz ham, finely chopped (use tasso if you can find it)
1/2 cup red wine
1 bay leaf
1 cup chicken stock
Heat a few tablespoons oil in in a heavy skillet. Season rabbit with creole seasoning (I made Emeril's Essence which is what the original recipe called for. It is just creole seasoning basically.) Brown evenly on each side, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a platter (or the cutting board next to the stove as the evidence in the very first picture shows) and set aside.
Add flour to the skillet stirring constantly. Make a medium brown roux.
Add onions, mushrooms, salt, cayenne, and black pepper stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. Add ham (or tasso) and continue stirring for 2 minutes. Return the rabbit to the pan, add the wine and bay leaf. Cook 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook* 30-35 minutes, or until rabbit is tender. Turn rabbit every 10 minutes or so to prevent it from drying out.
*the recipe says uncovered, but I put a lid on mine at this point. I think my roux was thicker than it should have been, making the whole dish rather thick. Use your own judgment as to covering or not.
The Essence and Black Pepper biscuits can be found here, along with the original stew recipe.
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