This video provides a step-by-step guide to breaking down a rabbit from the grocery store (Mercadona) in Gijon, Spain, and steps for how to braise the rabbit.
The video includes a quick chicken stock made from chicken feet, which is used to cook a totally new product for me, "Maravilla Pasta".
I drained the pasta, reserved the stock, and created and fresh vegetable and herb Maravilla Pasta salad....people in Spain told me that Maravilla pasta should only be included in soups, but man this approach was delicious. Sometimes it's fun to not know the customary way to do things and just have fun with new ingredients!
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Ingredients for Braised Rabbit:
1 whole rabbit, skinned, giblets removed
2 tsp Kosher salt
2 Tbsp sunflower seed oil, or neutral oil
1.5 onions, quartered
2 carrots, cut in half
2 celery stalks, cut in half
4 cloves garlic, whole
1 cup red wine
5 cups water
2 bay leaves
1.5 cups fortified stock (I had a crazy homemade pork stock that I used)
1 Tbsp Kosher salt
Instructions for Braised Rabbit:
(1) Remove the giblets from the rabbit and cut into sections as shown in the video.
(2) Use the 2 tsp of Kosher salt to lightly salt the rabbit sections.
(3) In a large saute pan, add 2 Tbsp of sunflower seed oil, or any neutral oil will work great here.
(4) Increase the heat to high, and wait until the oil is nearly smoking.
(5) Pat the rabbit parts dry with paper towels.
(6) Brown the rabbit sections in the hot oil, and remove from the pan.
(7) Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup red wine, and transfer this deglazing liquid to a stew pot.
(8) Add your vegetables (onions, carrots, celery, & garlic) to the pot, along with the remaining 3/4 cup of red wine, 5 cups of water, 2 bay leaves, and 1.5 cups fortified stock.
(9) Bring the mixture to a simmer, and reduce the heat to low.
(10) Taste the liquid, and season with some additional Kosher salt to taste.
(11) Braise the rabbit at barely a simmer for about 2 hours, or until the meat is fully cooked and nearly falling off the bone.
(12) Serve with Maravilla Pasta Salad, described below.
Ingredients for Maravilla Pasta Salad:
1 cup dried Maravilla pasta
2 cups chicken foot stock (boil chicken feet in water, and strain, then season gently)
1 ripe tomato, diced
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 red bell pepper, minced
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 red onion, small dice
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
3 Tbsp basil, finely sliced
3 Tbsp mint, finely sliced
3 Tbsp chives, finely sliced
A healthy drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, as a garnish
Watch the video for the precise methodology here--I absolutely loved how these came out! Maybe at the end of the day, it would be better with chicken thighs...rabbit is a lean meat...my friend Hugo mentioned you can cook the rabbit wrapped in bacon, which sounds like fun.
Instructions for Maravilla Pasta Salad:
(1) Bring 2 cups of stock to a boil, and combine with 1 cup of dried dried Maravilla pasta.
(2) Cook according to package instructions, or until completely tender and soft, about 6-8 minutes.
(3) Drain the pasta and reserve the stock for use later in the week.
(4) Place the cooked pasta in a large mixing bowl.
(5) Incorporate the remaining pasta salad ingredients, using a fork to gently mix everything together.
(6) Drizzle with a bit more olive oil, and serve with the delicious rabbit that you braised earlier.
Equipment and Supplies:
If anybody is looking for the Wusthof 8" chef’s knife like the one I use: https://amzn.to/3PhQgBx
This is the chef's knife we were issued in Culinary school at the CIA, which I absolutely loved from Mercer and is great value: https://amzn.to/3qVELFU
I wish I had this Le Creuset Dutch Oven for braising: https://amzn.to/3NnTlgN
If you are looking for a solid microplane: https://amzn.to/3N7PNPL
The large golden Kunz spoon I use is available in silver here: https://amzn.to/44dSExr
For a set of metal tongs: https://amzn.to/43Xdoty
If you are in the market for an expensive, higher-end chef's knife: https://amzn.to/3qJ9xBA
For a nice olive oil: https://amzn.to/44bWMOv
Or for olive oil just come to Spain homies. It's a big part of life out here--folks in Spain consume more olive oil per capita than Italy, but an incredibly small fraction makes its way to the U.S. And it's expensive in the States, generally.
You are the man. I would eat anything you cook AND would try to cook anything you post. This sounds awesome.