Red Wine Braised Rabbit With Sage Polenta Food

BRAISED RABBIT WITH PORCINI AND POLENTA

Steps:

• Soak the mushrooms in warm water for a half-hour, then squeeze them dry, discarding all but two tablespoons of the liquid. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat; saute the onion, prosciutto and mushrooms until the onion is lightly browned. Add the rabbit and brown on all sides.
• Add the wine, thyme, salt and pepper and cook covered over medium heat for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, dice the tomatoes and add them to the rabbit. Lower the heat and cook, uncovered for another 30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened somewhat.
• In the meantime, make the polenta. Fill a large pot with three quarts of salted water, add the polenta in a steady stream and cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the spoon stands by itself in the center and the polenta pulls away from the sides of the pot. Serve the polenta in large bowls, topped with the rabbit.

RED-WINE BRAISED RABBIT WITH SAGE POLENTA

Steps:

• In a large bowl stir together flour and salt. Add rabbit and toss to coat. In a heavy kettle heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown rabbit in batches, transferring pieces to a bowl.
• Add onion and remaining tablespoon oil to kettle and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned. Stir in garlic and rosemary and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth, wine, and rabbit with any juices accumulated in bowl and simmer, covered, 1 hour, or until rabbit is tender. Remove lid and simmer until sauce is thickened slightly. Stir in parsley.
• Stir sage into warm polenta. Serve polenta topped with rabbit and sauce.
• To make basic polenta:
• In a heavy saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of pan, about 40 minutes for cornmeal and about 15 minutes 2for instant polenta. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. Stir polenta just before using. Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.
• Note: In the traditional method of cooking polenta, forty minutes of constant stirring is required to achieve a lumpless texture and fragrant flavor. However, Italian-food expert Marcella Hazan has developed a method that involves very little stirring during this time. We believe it produces a very good polenta, one nearly as flavorful and smooth as the traditional procedure. To make satisfactory polenta in a real hurry, an imported instant polenta (precooked cornmeal) is available. This cooks in a mere fifteen minutes.

RABBIT WITH SPRING VEGETABLE RAGU AND POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cut the rabbits as follows: With a sharp cleaver, cut off the front portions (from right behind the front legs) of the rabbits and cut them in half through the backbones. Then cut the saddles from the hind legs; remove the bones but keep the saddles intact. Chop each hind leg into 2 pieces¿the thighs and the drumsticks or lollipops. Remove the bones from the thighs; discard the bones. Reserve the livers and hearts.
• Place the front portions on a baking sheet and roast until golden brown, about 25 minutes. While they roast, bring the brown or white chicken stock to a simmer in a small stockpot over medium heat. Add the roasted rabbit pieces and continue to simmer. Reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, puree the onion, fennel, celery, garlic and 1 tablespoon rosemary leaves in the food processor. Scrape the puree into a bowl.
• Coat a large Dutch oven with some of the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Season the rabbit lollipops with salt and brown on all sides. Transfer the lollipops to a plate. Add the pureed vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until almost dry.
• Add the white wine and let it bubble away until reduced by half. Stir in the mustard. Return the rabbit lollipops to the pan and add enough simmering stock to cover by 2/3. Simmer about 10 minutes, add 2 full ladles of rabbit stock, simmer another 10 minutes, and add 2 more ladles of stock. Continue to cook the rabbit until tender, about 30 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in the remaining heaping teaspoon of whole grain mustard.
• While the lollipops cook, cube the thigh meat. Put it in the bowl of a food processor with the hearts and livers, the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary, the Parmesan cheese and some salt. Pulse to combine. With the processor running, stream in the cream until the mixture is smooth. This is the forcemeat.
• Cut the caul fat so that you have 2 pieces a little bit larger than the saddles with the loins attached. Spread the pieces of caul fat on a cutting board and lay the prosciutto on top to cover. Put a saddle on each one. Scoop the forcemeat onto the saddles between the loins and roll everything up so that the caul fat encloses the whole bundle. Season with salt. Tie with butcher's twine in a few spots.
• Coat a medium skillet with some of the remaining olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the loins seam-side down and brown them well on all sides. Leave the skillet over the heat. Transfer the loins to a small baking sheet and roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the center registers 160 degrees F, about 15 minutes.
• While the rabbit loins roast, ladle some rabbit stock into the pan you browned them in and scrape any brown bits with a wooden spoon; add the mixture to the pot of rabbit stock.
• For the ragu: Coat a medium skillet with olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the spring onion, season with salt, and sweat them, stirring occasionally, until softened; you don¿t want them to take on any color. Add the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the fava beans and rabbit stock and cook just to heat the beans through.
• To serve: Slice the loins into thick rounds. Spoon some Polenta and ragu into the centers of 4 dinner plates. Divide the rabbit legs and sliced loin over and around the vegetables, and serve immediately.
• Bring the milk, 2 cups water and bay leaf to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Season generously with salt, almost to the point of over-seasoning. How do you know that you are there? TASTE IT!
• When the liquid reaches a boil, slowly whisk in the polenta in small sprinkles. Once all of the polenta has been incorporated, reduce the heat to medium and immediately switch over to stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook the polenta until it begins to pull away from the pan, adding water to loosen it up if it becomes too thick.
• When the polenta is thoroughly cooked, it should look creamy and not feel gritty on your tongue, about 5 minutes. Remove it from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, mascarpone and chives.

SOUTHWESTERN BRAISED RABBIT WITH BLACK BEANS AND FRIED POLENTA

Steps:

• For the black beans: Sauté the onions in some bacon fat or oil in a large pot over medium to medium-high heat until dark golden brown and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add the red pepper and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the chili powder and paprika, then add the beans and cover with fresh water by 2 inches. Bring to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper.
• For the braised rabbit: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Sauté the onions in some bacon fat or oil in a large pot over medium to medium-high heat until dark golden brown and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, chili powder, tandoori spice, Cajun spice, peppers, celery and jalapeños and sauté until the spices start to stick, about 5 minutes. Deglaze with the beer and reduce. Add the rabbit and brown very slightly. Cover with water and add the brown sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, transfer to the oven and cook until the rabbit is just tender, about 1 hour.
• For the polenta: Add the butter to a saucepan and heat until hot. Add the onions, peppers, garlic and chili powder and sauté until the vegetables are soft. Add the chicken stock, bring to boil, reduce to a simmer and slowly whisk in the polenta. Simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, adding more stock as necessary to get a fairly thick consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a shallow pan and let set to cut later for frying.
• When ready to fry, cut into pieces and fry in clarified butter until golden brown.

BEER-BRAISED POT ROAST AND VEGETABLES WITH POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Heat a large Dutch oven or roasting pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until the bacon is brown and the fat is rendered, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside. Leave the pot on the heat.
• Season the roast on all sides with the salt and pepper. Add the roast to the bacon fat remaining in the pan and sear on all sides until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the roast from the pan and set aside. Add the onions to the pan and cook until wilted and fragrant, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook stirring occasionally until the mushrooms are soft and are beginning to color, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 45 seconds. Add the beer, beef stock, tomatoes and their juices, and the roast to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot tightly, place in the oven, and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
• Carefully remove the roast from the oven and add the carrots, parsnips and turnips. Turn the meat, basting with the pan juices. Cover tightly and return to the oven. Bake until the meat shreds easily and the vegetables are tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, depending upon the size of the meat.
• Remove and discard the bay leaf. Remove the roast from the pan and let sit on a cutting board until cool enough to handle. Using two forks or a knife and form, shred the meat.
• Skim the fat from the pan juices and discard. Return the meat to the pan, add the parsley, and stir well.
• To serve, spoon the polenta into wide entree bowls and spoon the pot roast, vegetables, and gravy on top.

BRAISED RABBIT, ITALIAN-STYLE

Steps:

• Rinse the rabbit pieces in cold water and pat dry.
• In a deep wide skillet with a lid, put the oil, celery, garlic, and the rabbit in a single layer. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 2 hours. Turn the meat once or twice. If some of the ingredients begin to scorch, add a little water.
• After 2 hours, the rabbit may have thrown off a lot of liquid. Uncover the pan, turn the heat up to medium, and cook until the liquid has evaporated, turning the meat from time to time.
• Add the wine, rosemary, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, until the wine has evaporated.
• Dissolve the bouillon cube, tomato paste, and sugar in the warm water. Pour it over the rabbit, and cook gently for another 12 to 15 minutes, basting and turning the rabbit two or three times.
• Serve immediately, accompanied by polenta if desired.
• (The dish may be prepared entirely ahead of time. Reheat gently with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water over low heat, covered, turning the meat occasionally.).

BRAISED RABBIT WITH POLENTA

Steps:

• In large casserole over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and add onion, bacon, bay leaves, sage, rosemary and cloves. Saute, stirring constantly, until onion is wilted, about 4 minutes.
• Season rabbit pieces with salt and pepper to taste. Add rabbit to casserole, and saute until lightly browned, about 3 minutes a side. Add tomato paste and wine. Stir, scraping bottom of pan. Add stock. Simmer partly covered until rabbit is cooked, about 40 minutes.
• Remove rabbit pieces to a platter, and keep them warm. Strain sauce, and return it to a clean pan. Bring it to a boil, and reduce for 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Pour sauce over rabbit, and serve with polenta.