This dish lends itself to the gentler flesh of tame rabbit, rather than wild. You could substitute chicken.
It’s good to be back and updating! Before I get into the recipe, I wanted to congratulate Carol of French Laundry at home fame on her announcement of Alinea at Home! I recently got my copy of the cookbook in the mail, and I just can’t wait to see how she pulls off some of the dishes. If anyone can, Carol can.
Also, Hank over at Hunter Angler Gardener Cook has an amazing post up about salmis, a classic French preparation. Check it out!
Now, on to the recipe.
This is the last dish in the book that uses fava beans, so I wanted to go ahead and finish off the extra fava beans I had left over from the last update. This time the recipe called for me to remove the gray jackets, so only the bright green kernels remained.
I started things off by lightly browning a whole chopped up rabbit that had been seasoned with salt and pepper. Once the pieces were done …
… I added some leeks, onions, and a potato to the pot for sweating. Mr. Henderson instructed me to make sure that nothing colored too much, and eventually return the rabbit to the pot.
Chicken stock, garlic, and a bundle of parsley and thyme were also added. I brought the heat up until a gentle boil was reached. From there, I dropped the heat and let things simmer for almost an hour.
When the time was up for the rabbit, I removed all of the pieces and set them aside in a warm place. Their absence was filled with the peeled fava beans and some peas. This time I made sure to cook the beans until they were the right consistency.
Now, to pass on a bit of info: If you try and make hot purées in a blender that uses rubber connections to spin the blades, the heat of the food will cause those connections to get soft, and break off. I’m now in the market for a new blender. I’m currently looking at this one that Mr. Ruhlman recommends.
A quick plating, and the dish was complete. Mr. Henderson mentions that the rabbit and purée should be served with hot beets and a minty vinaigrette. “The combination of colors looks very fine and it tastes fantastic.” I can attest to the truth of that statement, because between me, my wife, and a friend we polished off the whole rabbit!
One down, ninety seven to go.
6 Comments to “Rabbit With Pea And Fava Bean Purée”
October 13, 2008
This one looks quite good. I suspect, were I to cook it that I would be using chicken instead (otherwise I’d be shopping for a new wife, not a new blender).
Also, instead of using a blender, why not a food processor? One of the recipes I cook regularly calls for blending up a very hot sauce (hot as in fresh from 30 minutes on the stove simmering). The food processor works perfectly for this, and the heat doesn’t phase it.
October 13, 2008
Ryan-
I have found that using a handheld blender (wand blender) is a much better alternative than using a regular blender. Less mess, less fuss and more control. I highly recommend you pick one up. Another benefit: just puree soups and sauces int he pot they were cooked in, no need to do 2 cup batches at a time.
I love the colors in this rabbit dish.
October 16, 2008
I have that blender… make sure the plate at the bottom and the shaft/pylon thingie are the pro variety… I think they’re white, not black. At any rate, the blender (with infrequent use) blew out the works pretty early in its tenure. But the replacement “pro” blade/pylon/plate whatever has been rolling perfectly since.
October 17, 2008
Eric, new blenders are easy. New wifes, not so much. :) I do have a food processor, and I could use it, but I just like make purees in a blender.
enassar, I agree. I’ve got a hand blender too (I’m a gadget guy, I admit it!) and I LOVE it for making pasta sauce and soups. I’ll have to give it a shot at some point, but as I told Eric, I really like making purees in a blender. I can’t give a good reason why, either. And I agree with you, the colors were just awesome!
Chumsize, thank you! I’ll have to find a pro version of the blender. There is light at the end of the tunnel!
October 21, 2008
A lovely dish! I adore the combination of rabbit and favas, although I only eat them in springtime. Oddly enough, I just made a version of a Spanish rabbit recipe with almonds, olives and white wine…only I used squirrel.
October 26, 2008
Hank! I just saw your update on squirrel. The dish looks just amazing!