Rabbit Etouffee

Submitted by Chef #573036

"From Bon Appetit Magazine"

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 20mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 8 ounces bacon, chopped
• 2 (1 1/2-1 3/4 lb) rabbits, thawed if frozen, each cut into 8 pieces or 3 1/2 lbs chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 6 large fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes in puree

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F Sauté bacon in wide ovenproof pot over medium heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels.
2. Sprinkle rabbit with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high. Working in batches, add rabbit to pot and sauté until browned, turning often, about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer to large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon butter to pot; add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté until vegetables begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and bay leaves; stir 1 minute. Return rabbit and bacon to pot. Add wine; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in broth and tomatoes; bring to boil. Cover pot tightly. Transfer to oven and cook rabbit until very tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among plates; spoon grits alongside.
3. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Reviews

[Dr. Jenny]

DH and I made this rabbit dish for dinner a few nights ago. It was very easy to prepare. I really liked the flavor of the wine sauce over the rabbit--the bacon gives it a great taste. This recipe makes a huge amount of sauce, so it was good served with mashed potatoes for soaking up some of the sauce. DH thought the rabbit was a bit dry and suggested that next time, we might cook it longer--perhaps 2 to 2.5 hours instead of an hour and 15 minutes. Also, I did not use low sodium chicken broth, and still thought the dish needed a bit of salt at the end (could have been because my potatoes needed salt, though). All in all, we really enjoyed this recipe and will try it out again with a longer cooking time. Thanks for posting!