Best Orange Braised Rabbit Recipes

BRAISED RABBIT

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook rabbit in oil until lightly browned; remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute onion until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, thyme, pepper and bay leaf. , Return rabbit to pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until meat is tender and a thermometer reads 160°., Remove rabbit to a serving platter. Discard bay leaf. Combine the flour, lemon juice and water until smooth; stir into pan juice. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with rabbit.

BRAISED RABBIT WITH FRESH PAPPARDELLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 F. Season rabbit with salt and pepper. In a large pot over medium heat, add oil followed by rabbit (everything but the wings) and sear until golden brown, 15 minutes. Delicately remove the rabbit when golden brown and set aside to rest.
• To the pan, add onion, celery and carrots and cook 10 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, sage and rosemary and cook 5 minutes. Continue by adding tomatoes, vinegar, and verjus and cook 5 more minutes. Add rabbit wings and dashi and bring to a boil. Add remaining rabbit and season with salt. Cover with parchment paper (cartouche) and place in the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Pull some rabbit meat off the bone along with braising liquid and place in a saucepan.
• Add 1 cup cooked pasta and toss with rabbit, parsley, Parmesan and butter. Gently cook pasta until glazed with sauce and appears sheen. Serve with additional rabbit and Parmesan shavings.

ITALIAN-STYLE BRAISED RABBIT WITH ROSEMARY AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Cut the rabbit into 9 pieces (or ask your butcher to) as follows: with a sharp cleaver, cut the saddle (center portion) into 3 pieces, leaving the kidneys attached. Cut the front portion (front legs) in half through the backbone. Chop each hind leg into 2 pieces. Reserve the liver and heart to sauté as a snack.
• Heat .25 inch of olive oil in a Dutch oven or deep, wide heavy skillet over medium heat. Season the rabbit pieces with salt and pepper, then dust lightly with flour. Lightly brown the rabbit for about 3 minutes on both sides, working in batches. Drain on kitchen towels, then transfer to a baking dish in one layer. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Pour off the used oil, wipe out the pan and add 2 tablespoons fresh oil. Heat to medium-high, add the onions and cook till soft, about 5 minutes. Add the leek, garlic, rosemary and mushrooms. Season generously with salt and pepper, and add red pepper flakes to taste. Cook for 2 minutes more, stirring.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and wine, and let the mixture reduce for 1 minute. Add the broth, bring to a simmer, taste and adjust seasonings.
• Ladle the mixture evenly over the rabbit. Cover the dish, and bake for 1 hour. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

BEST BRAISED RABBIT

Steps:

• Heat the roaster or casserole over moderate heat and cook the bacon, stirring and turning it frequently, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Set the pan with bacon fat aside for a few moments.
• Cut the rabbit into serving pieces. Cut away and discard the belly meat.
• Add the salt, pepper, and flour to a brown paper bag. Add a few rabbit pieces to the bag and shake to coat with flour mixture; repeat with remaining rabbit pieces.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Heat the reserved bacon fat in the pan over high heat until it sputters.
• Brown the rabbit pieces on all sides, in batches; this should take about 10 minutes. Transfer them to a serving plate.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoon of fat and cook the onions in it until they are soft and translucent. Pour in the vinegar and chicken stock and add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, scraping up any browned bits clinging to the bottom and sides of the pan.
• Return the rabbit with juices to the roaster or casserole. Add the drained bacon. Cover the vessel tightly, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, or until the rabbits are tender but not falling apart.
• Serve the rabbit directly from the roaster or casserole, or arrange the pieces attractively on a heated platter.

BRAISED RABBIT WITH ROOT VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
• In a deep baking dish, layer the tomatoes, carrots, celery and onion. Distribute the bunch of thyme throughout the vegetables.
• Heat grapeseed oil in a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Season the raw rabbit with salt and pepper and then lightly dust with flour; sear on each side for 1 minute. Remove the rabbit from the heat and deglaze pan with the white wine.
• Place the rabbit on top of the vegetables, and pour the deglazing liquid over the top. Place the baking dish in the oven for 1 hour.
• Serve rabbit over the vegetables.

BRAISED RABBIT WITH CARAMELIZED RADICCHIO AND SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• In a shallow bowl, combine flour, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Dredge the rabbit in the seasoned flour and set aside.
• In a large pot, fry the olive oil, garlic, rosemary and chilli to infuse the oil with their flavours. Remove the rosemary and chilli and set aside. Place the seasoned rabbit pieces in the pan and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, on both sides, until the meat is golden brown. Place the reserved rosemary, whole chillies and garlic back into the pan and add the olives, wine and chicken stock. Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
• When cooked, remove the rabbit from the pot with a slotted spoon and place on a platter. Reduce the remaining liquid on a high heat until it coats the back of the spoon and pour over the rabbit platter. Garnish with parsley. Serve with Caramelized Radicchio and Salsa Verde.
• Slice the radicchio heads in half and saute in 2 tablespoons olive oil over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping periodically.
• In the meantime blend together the parsley, capers, anchovies, lemon and 1 cup olive oil in a blender. Drizzle the salsa verde over the cooked radicchio and serve with the rabbit.

MUSTARDY BRAISED RABBIT WITH CARROTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Tie thyme, rosemary and clove in a spice sachet or square of cheesecloth (or just toss them in pot if you do not mind accidentally biting into clove later).
• Season rabbit pieces all over with salt and pepper. Coat each piece evenly with flour; tap off excess. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large oven-proof Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear rabbit in batches, until browned all over, 5 to 6 minutes a side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
• Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pot; reduce heat to medium. Add leeks and 2 tablespoons sage and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the carrots, celery, garlic, coriander, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until vegetables begin to color, about 5 minutes.
• Add wine and increase heat to high; simmer, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Return rabbit to pot. Add stock (it should come almost halfway up the sides of rabbit) and herb sachet (or herbs and clove). Transfer pot to oven and cook, partially covered, until meat is fork tender, about 2 hours.
• Transfer rabbit pieces to a serving platter. If liquid seems too thin, place pot over medium-high heat and simmer until it thickens slightly. Discard sachet. Stir in mustard, to taste. Spoon sauce and vegetables over rabbit. Garnish with parsley and remaining 1 tablespoon chopped sage. Serve with noodles, if desired.

ORANGE BRAISED RABBIT

Steps:

• Prepare rabbit Lay the boned saddle skin side down on a clean work surface and season with salt and pepper. Lay fatback strips down the center end to end and then a sprig of rosemary. Season generously with salt and pepper. Wrap the flaps of the saddle over to enclose, and secure with twine.
• Brown rabbit Season rabbit pieces on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute, then add enough oil to barely coat bottom of pan and heat until shimmering. Cook the rabbit pieces (in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan) until well browned, starting with the skin side down and letting them sear before turning (to prevent the meat from tearing). This will take 4 to 5 minutes per side. Reduce heat if the bottom of the pan is getting too dark. (If there are burned bits after all the rabbit has been cooked, deglaze the pan with a little water and discard liquid and bits.)
• Cook aromatics Reduce heat to medium and add the oil, onions, and garlic. Lightly season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes, then stir in the red pepper flakes and cinnamon. Continue cooking and stirring until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes more.
• Braise rabbit Heat oven to 200°F. Deglaze pan with the wine, scraping up any brown bits from bottom, and continue boiling until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Stir in the orange zest and juice, olives, and remaining sprig rosemary. Arrange the rabbit pieces skin side up in a single layer (they should fit snugly). Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover tightly and cook until the saddle is just cooked through, about 30 minutes. Transfer saddle to an ovenproof platter, cover and keep warm in the oven. Continue cooking legs until very tender, with meat almost falling off the bone, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Transfer legs to the platter.
• Finish sauce Boil the braising liquid in the pan until it thickens and turns syrupy, 6 to 7 minutes.
• Serve Remove the rosemary sprig from the sauce and from the saddle; discard. Slice saddle piece crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Arrange one of the legs with a couple of saddle slices on each plate, then spoon some of the olives, onions, and sauce over the rabbit. Garnish with orange wedges.
• Equipment
• A large straight-sided skillet (with a 3-quart capacity) will be large enough to hold all of the ingredients for braising. Make sure it has a tight-fitting lid, as rabbit (especially the loin) is particularly prone to drying out. You can also use a Dutch oven.
• Ingredients
• Fresh rabbit can be found at butcher shops and some specialty markets; call ahead to order, since it might not always be in demand, and have the butcher fabricate it for you and bone the saddle.
• This dish can be made with 3 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (in which case you wouldn't need the extra rosemary sprigs or fatback). The cooking time should be about the same.
• Fatback, or salted pork fat, is available from most butchers; pancetta can be substituted. You can leave it out, but the rabbit won't be as flavorful.