Although bread is a very important part of our diets and it is pretty much served at all three meals a day. Not all bread is created equal...the loaf of a crusty Italian bread fresh from a local bakery is pretty hard to match. Supermarkets are fine in a pinch, and sliced white bread is a good choice for grilled cheese, but they will never stand up to that local bakery's creation.
Fresh plum tomatoes are the cornerstone of this dish. Chopped in a food processor, placed in a pot with olive oil, onions and garlic. Then you add salt, pepper and oregano and allow it to cook for about a half hour.
Now you take a fresh rabbit. Perhaps you harvested it on a recent hunting trip, or you have an Italian friend who raises them. Your friends rabbits come minus the lead shot.
The rabbit is washed, seasoned with salt and pepper and fried lightly in olive oil. You don't really need to brown the rabbit or cook it through, just lightly brown. Then you take the rabbit and place into that beautiful sauce you just made. Bring the sauce to a boil and turn it down to a slow simmer. Allow it to simmer for at least an hour and a half. Cook some pasta and serve it.
Rabbit served with pasta and fresh Romano.
This is the way I like it. Served with lots of sauce and cheese and plenty of bread for dipping.
Oh man that look's good! No bunnies tho, how's chicken for a substitute?
ReplyDeletebillp
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Bill you can use chicken or any game bird. The sauce flavors and tenderizes it.
My son-in-law just dropped off some pheasants. I might just try them.
DeleteDavid fix them up. The breast meat is fantastic.
DeleteBrook trout fishing and great food. Now I know why I like your site so much.
ReplyDeleteJJ
Beaverdam
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Joe we have it all. Like the sub title says...For those who love small streams, wild trout, and life...in their simplest form
Hi Alan - that simply looks delicious and I've been humming "Kill da Wabbit, kill da Wabbit" all morning. Elmer J Fudd never gets old but really I have to stop. The vegans here at my office calling that "hate speech" and I'll probably get sent to HR (again) for a stern talking too. Sorry but I'm a carnivore and can't help it.
ReplyDeleteDean F
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Dean eat all the meat you like. A rabbit's diet is all vegetarian, so it's actually plant based meat. Run that by the office.
Rabbit! Yes, please!
ReplyDeleteAl R
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A hunter I suspect, or a guy who loves a change of pace at meal time.
Alan,
ReplyDeleteWhat a delicious post! We used to raise tame rabbits to eat and they are far superior to wild rabbit as far as taste! Your use of it in this recipe looks wonderful! I like what Dean said above and your comments also about good Italian bread! Hard to find in our locale!
Do your Italian friends also save the hides for you? That would be good!
Doug
Dougsden
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Doug I agree on the home raised over wild. My barber who is Italian and has retired. He told me if the rabbit is not wild he won't eat it. He love game meat.
As far as hides go I was given a few feet but the hides I think they sold.
It's been a long, long, long time since I've had rabbit. Ours always had that caveat "watch out for the buckshot". Mighty good looking meal.
ReplyDeleteMark Kautz
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Mark, shot in wild rabbit adds a mystery to the dish. I prefer the domestic bunnies.
Before I got married, and moved away, my mom used to have an outstanding rabbit recipe she called "Hasenpfeffer", which was a rabbit stew.The last time I had it was probably close to 40 years ago.
ReplyDeletedpnoll
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Yes sir "Hasenpfeffer" is a very popular dish in Europe. They hunt those big hares over there and one of them can fill a pot.
Brk Trt, WOW Rabbit. I haven't had it in years. I used to own two beagles named Barney and Fred. Rabbit hunting was a ton of fun. I loved hearing those two hounds bay hot on a rabbits trail. Sorry, I got carried away.
ReplyDeleteDinner looks good!....Phil Carroll
DRYFLYGUY
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Phil it's amazing how those beagles hunt. They actually circle that rabbit back to the hunters. Years ago I found one that was lost. He was lying on a flannel shirt. I looked at his collar and called the number. The beagle belonged to a pastor. He was happy to get his dog back.
brk trt, sorry for the late response. Actually leaving a familiar article of clothing from the hounds master is a way to have the dog stay once it returned back to where you start. My beagle Barney got way, WAY out of range while hunting to a point of barely hearing his bay. We left the local area to search for him up and different down dirt roads surrounding where we were hunting and left my jacket on the ground. We shortly returned to where we started and he too was laying on my jacket waiting for us.
DeletePhil, that's exactly what the pastor told me.
DeleteHi Alan
ReplyDeleteOnce you have started baking your own bread, you only go back to supermarkets in an emergency! My youngest son and I made a sourdough starter about 3 years ago which is still going strong. At the start of the UK lock down yeast was hard to come by so the missus made a 2nd starter which gives a slightly different flavour to the first. We follow (loosely) a recipe passed to us by Two Terriers.
Rabbit is a meat I enjoy but can no longer partake in, my wife and boys have kept house rabbits as pets for years......
Take care and stay safe
Alistair
Alistair
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Alistair if you were to eat a good meal and the bread served was "so so" then your soon to forget it. But good bread with it's unique aroma will never be forgotten. Pets are difficult to eat...
That looks fantastic, Alan! I love rabbit, but only if it's farm raised; the ones I shoot in the woods, snowshoe hare, are almost inedible, no matter what method I use to soften them up.
ReplyDeletemike
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Mike farm raised rabbits are without a doubt superior to wild. A rabbit in the wild uses it's muscles and that makes the meat tough. I think maybe farm raised rabbits on your farm is a possibility?
Alan
ReplyDeleteWow, that looks so good, I haven't eat rabbit since I was in Jr. High School. Your dish is a bit more health conscious than the way I use to eat it, deep fried and plenty greasy. Is the bread wheat or white bread? Thanks for sharing
Bill Trussell
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Hey Bill I had deep fried rabbit and I found it more greasy then deep fried chicken. Non of that stuff for me now.
The bread is made with white flour but has a beautiful crust.
Lovely
ReplyDeleteBureboyblog
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Somehow I knew you would appreciate this post.
Amazing cuisine, and I’d dine on it all day, but my wife and daughter would throw a fit if I put a bunny in the skillet. I’ll try it with maybe some grouse if I am lucky enough to bag one during PA’s winter season.
ReplyDeleteKevin
Ned Zeppelin
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Kevin the grouse would work fine and you'll keep peace in the family. Grouse hunting in PA. my son and I enjoyed many years doing just that. We had to special coverts in game land 183 in Pike county. Those birds and the woodcock in Delaware Water Gap made for some memories.
Hi Alan, I like your rabbit recipe, I'm going to try to imitate it to see what comes out, at least it made me want to eat rabbit. ..a hug
ReplyDeletebeautiful the fly Genesee Jewel that you see in the photo, a question ... the tail of which is composed ...? ...
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