Author Notes
Isn’t it romantic! My favorite person to cook for is the most adventurous eater I know. He LOVES rabbit! I created this recipe for him quite a while before I went to Burgundy, but I DID make it there. The “My Way” in the title concerns the several hot peppers in the recipe (which are VERY Creole). Burgundians wouldn’t make it so spicy, but we like it like that! My former catering partner, seeing the name of this recipe in print, laughingly named it "Rabbit Sinatra." It stuck. —ChefJune
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Ingredients
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6 ounces
red onion finely chopped
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6 ounces
green bell pepper finely chopped
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6 ounces
celery finely chopped
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1 or 2
small hot peppers, seeded, deveined and finely chopped
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2
cloves garlic, finely chopped
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1
3-pound (fresh) rabbit cut into 6 pieces
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3/4 cup
all purpose flour
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2 1/2 teaspoons
sea salt
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3/4 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
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1/4 teaspoon
cayenne
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1/4 teaspoon
ground mace
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1 cup
chicken stock
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1/2 cup
Dijon mustard
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1 teaspoon
crushed brown mustard seed
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2 cups
red wine (such as Côtes du Rhône)
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1 cup
water
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1/4 teaspoon
crushed red pepper flakes
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1 teaspoon
sea salt
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1/4 cup
Cognac
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1
basket pearl onions
Directions
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Dredge rabbit pieces in flour mixture. Heat the olive oil in a deep-sided sauté pan. Sear rabbit on all sides to brown very well. Remove from pan and keep warm.
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Sauté vegetables in the same oil until soft.
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Blend the mustard and crushed seeds into the chicken stock. Add all the liquid to the pan. Add the salt and crushed red pepper. Return the rabbit to the pan. Cover tightly and allow to braise for 1 hour, or until very tender.
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Remove rabbit from pan. Raise heat and cook liquid down to one half. Purée vegetables in sauce with a stick blender or in a food processor fitted with the metal blade.
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2. Return sauce to pan and add 1/4 cup Cognac. Add 1 basket of pearl onions (peeled and trimmed) and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until onions are tender. Return rabbit pieces to sauce to reheat and coat well with the sauce.
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Teacher’s Tip: Serve with buttered noodles or mashed potatoes to sop up all the delicious sauce and a lovely Pommard wine.
30+ years a chef, educator, writer, consultant, "winie," travel guide/coordinator
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