It’s a shame so many wonderful old dishes are now all but forgotten, said
Robin Mather Jenkins in the Chicago Tribune. Venison, duck, quail, pheasant, and various fish dishes that used to be served routinely at the family dinner table have now virtually disappeared. In our fast-food world, few men have the time, inclination, or necessary equipment to procure game or fish the old-fashioned way—with a gun or rod. But “the man of the house doesn’t need a shotgun” for a home cook to make hasenpfeffer, or “peppered hare.” Young rabbit is available in many supermarket freezers. The main thing to remember in preparing this old German standby: Plan
ahead. Marinate the meat for at least two days. Traditionally, it’s served with buttered noodles, baked acorn squash, beer or cider,and apple crisp.
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Recipe of the week
Marinated Braised Rabbit
(Hasenpfeffer)
1/2 lb bacon, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cups red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
2 cups water
6 cloves garlic, crushed
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley
1 tbsp each: dried thyme, dried basil, whole cloves, whole allspice, crushed
black peppercorns
1/8 tsp mace (optional)
1 rabbit, 3 to 4 lbs, trimmed, cut into 6 pieces
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp; transfer to paper towels to drain. Transfer to food-storage bag; refrigerate. Add celery, carrots, and onion to bacon fat in Dutch oven; cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 8 minutes.
Pour in vinegar; cook, scraping up browned bits, about 1 minute. Add water, garlic, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, basil, cloves, allspice, peppercorns, mace. Cover; heat to boil. Lower heat to simmer; cook 1 hour. Set aside to cool, about 1 hour. Add rabbit pieces to marinade. Transfer to food-storage bags, if desired. Refrigerate 24–48 hours.
Remove rabbit from marinade; pat dry with paper towels. Set aside. Remove bacon from refrigerator; set aside. Combine flour, salt, and pepper to taste in large food-storage bag. Add rabbit pieces, in small batches, shaking to coat. Reserve remaining seasoned flour. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook rabbit, in batches if necessary, turning until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Strain reserved marinade through sieve into pan. Add cooked bacon; heat to boil. Cover; place in oven. Cook until rabbit is tender, about 2 hours. Transfer rabbit to platter; keep warm. Place Dutch oven over medium heat; heat pan juices to boil.
Meanwhile, combine 1/2 cup of reserved seasoned flour with 1/4 cup water in small jar with tight-fitting lid; cover and shake thoroughly. Stir flour-water mixture into Dutch oven; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Pour gravy over rabbit. Serves 4.
