Australin Poached Rabbit With Bruschetta

4 servings though you can stretch this to 5-6 if you are eating very lightly (it is the middle of the night European time)

Ingredients
1 Spanish onion, peeled and sliced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
12 black peppercorns
1 medium to large rabbit (don’t ask - get the butcher to do it for you!)
2 cloves of garlic, quartered
16 Fresh sage leaves (don’t use dry!)
2 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil
1 or two (see servings note above) crusty Italian ring loaf of bread (preferably day-old)
Mesclun, to serve

Method
In a little oil fry off the onion, celery, and carrots just to soften not brown. Bring 6 litres of salted water to the boil in a large saucepan. Add softened onion, celery, and carrot mixture, together with the herbs (not sage) and peppercorns and return to the boil. Skim surface. While waiting for liquid to boil gently brown the rabbit in the pan used for the vegetables.

Once water has reached boiling point add the browned rabbit and return to the boil. As soon as the liquid has reached boiling point, reduce heat to lowest setting, cover and simmer very gently for 1 hour, or until rabbit is tender. Remove from heat and cool rabbit in cooking liquid. Remove rabbit from liquid, strip meat from bones and place it in a single layer on a plate or tray. Season meat generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

(Return bones to cooking liquid and boil again to make stock, to freeze for another purpose, if desired. It really is worth doing this, real stock just knocks the pants off bought ones; also soup always makes a great starter).

Transfer rabbit to a bowl. Add garlic, sage, and oil just to cover. Using your hands, mix ingredients to combine, then cover and refrigerate for 48 hours. I have tried to leave for three days but it just gets too tempting.

Cut bread into relatively thick slices (1/2 inch 1.25 cm) and brush both sides with remaining oil combined with 1 teaspoon sea salt. Place in a single layer on a rack on an oven tray and bake at 150C for 30 minutes, or until pale golden. Using a slotted spoon, remove rabbit from oil, and serve at room temperature with warm bruschetta, and mesclun leaves.

Based on an Australian Gourmet guide I got in the 90’s

Wine
Oakridge Yarra Valley Merlot Cabernet or Shiraz (We tend to have both!!). This is just a personal choice as is the rest of this little journey. There are dozens of Victoria wines to choose from though I wouldn’t recommend you do all of them in one weekend.

By Phil Hitchings - the Grand Prix Gourmet
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