Upon receiving word of the SOUP theme for May's issue my initial thought was "Fairy Tales?!? What in Morgana's name can I do with that?" Fairy tales do not often contain recipes for wizardkind or Muggles to use, so I grumbled and groaned along with a few others who will remain unnamed and made my way back to my tiny desk in my dark corner. Being the third editor-in-line doesn't quite lend itself to glitz and glamor---they do not receive their own office as I sadly came to find out.
There are a few that do mention food from both worlds so I raced off to my personal libra... uh, I mean... I raced off to the Dragon's library which holds many books on fairy tales and children's stories to begin researching. The Princess and the Pea---I suppose I could do like pea soup? Stone Soup---umm...let's not go there. Goldilocks and the Three Bears---well.. that would be a bit morbid, now wouldn't it? I grew more and more frustrated as I found not even a wisp of an idea in the Muggle section. I spent days researching, weeks even. Nothing. Luckily this particular library also held a Muggle television with something called Net Flicks or something. Not sure what a fisherman has to do with a television, it must be a fisherman though---right? Flicking nets about to catch fish? I was so desperate that I gave it a try. The screen turned on and abruptly began an episode of some animated cartoon that someone left in the middle of.
I never thought that this is where I'd get my idea, but there it came as my eyes marveled at the flashing colors on the screen. A black duck held open a book titled 1000 Ways to Cook a Rabbit as he said things like "Rabbit au gratin de gelatin under tooled leather. Oh, drool, drool." and "Chicken-fried rabbit with cottontail sauce braised in carrots. Mm-mmm." There was some odd grey rabbit spouting duck recipes as well, but it was these rabbit ones that brought about an unpleasant memory from my childhood.
My older brother always had an odd fascination with trying to terrify me as a small child. My parents often forced him to read the book The Tales of Beedle the Bard to me at night. They thought it would ensure we bonded. Let me tell you right now we did NOT. Anywho, my brother often adapted these tales to his own desires. To this day I cannot hear the tale of Babbity Rabbity without screaming in terror and hiding in a dark and empty closet. At least something has been born of my childhood fears... it reminded me of a fairy tale that I could tie into a recipe. Revenge is a dish best served cold, after all.
INGREDIENTS:
Marinade
1 rabbit, cleaned and cut into 8 pieces (about 3 lbs)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup water
1 tbs salt
1 tbs cracked black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 sprig thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
1 sprig rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
1 tbs juniper berries, crushed
2 cloves
4 allspice berries, crushed
Stovetop
1/3 lb bacon
1-2 shallots, diced
1/4 cup sour cream
Flour, to dredge
Salt and pepper, if desired
INSTRUCTIONS:
Bring all the marinade ingredients, except the rabbit, to a boil then let cool to room temperature. Place the rabbit in a large storage container with a lid, then pour the cooled marinade over it. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, up to 24 hours.
Remove the rabbit from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Keep the marinade. Season the rabbit with salt and pepper, if desired. Dredge in the flour then set aside.
In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until the fat has rendered, about 3-4 minutes.
Add shallots and sauté until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon and shallots, and set aside.
If necessary, add more oil to the pot, but only enough to brown the rabbit pieces. Working to avoid crowding, brown the rabbit on all sides, then remove from pot and set aside.
Pour marinade into the pot and bring to a simmer. Return the rabbit to the pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the meat is ready to fall off the bone, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours (a bit longer if using wild meat).
Remove the rabbit to a serving dish, then strain the sauce of the solids. Stir in the bacon, shallots, and sour cream.
Serve over roasted potatoes or spätzle, and enjoy!
There you have it folks. A super delicious recipe for rabbits...of all types. Perhaps even ones who are deceitful creatures who live to fool people and make others look horrible.
#ColdRevenge, #NotCondoningMurder, #MuggleCartoonsRockStay tuned for next month's offering, one never knows where it will come from!