Rabbit Stew with Apple, Fennel and Tarragon in White Wine
Ingredients
| 1 | whole rabbit, jointed into six | |
| 50 g | plain flour | |
| 1 tablespoon | 15 ml | mustard powder |
| 1/2 teaspoon | 2.5 ml | salt and pepper |
| 4 | medium potatoes (preferably floury like King Edward), sliced | |
| 1 | leek, sliced into half moons | |
| 1 | bulb fennel, sliced to the thickness of pound coins | |
| 1 | Bramley apple, sliced | |
| 2 tablespoons | 30 ml | tarragon, fresh or dried |
| 250 ml | white wine or vermouth (use stock if you don't care for alcohol) | |
| 100 ml | water | |
| — | salt and pepper to taste | |
| 50 ml | cream to finish (optional) | |
| — | fresh tarragon to garnish |
Instructions
Rabbits usually come skinned and unjointed. I use poultry shears to divide the rabbit into six pieces: two back legs, two front legs and the body halved. Remove the offal if attached. You can pan-fry it separately, but I find it a bit bitter for adding to the sauce.
- Season the flour with the salt, pepper and mustard powder and coat each portion of rabbit well. Shake off any excess.
- Prepare the vegetables (potatoes sliced, leek in half moons, fennel sliced to the thickness of pound coins, apple sliced). Add half of them as a layer on the bottom of the slow cooker crock, then place the seasoned rabbit on top. Season further and add the tarragon. Cover with the remaining vegetables.
- Carefully pour the liquid down the side of the crock so it doesn't wash all the flour off the rabbit. You could use cider here, as the flavours work and it's less expensive than a bottle of wine.
- Cover with the lid and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours.
The rabbit will become plump, moist and tender while you get a wonderful stock-meets-gravy in the bottom of the crock. The vegetables have soaked up the flavour and will be soft and yielding. Any fresh tarragon you used will still be surprisingly robust after the slow cooking, but I like to add some more chopped fresh tarragon to the stew before serving. You can also add some cream at this stage too if you like it all a little richer.
Serve in shallow bowls. The rabbit should fall off the bone beautifully. All you need with it is the remainder of the bottle of wine and some crusty bread to soak up any juices going begging.
Source: http://www.northsouthfood.com/slow-cooker-rabbit-stew/