Yesterday I made Stewed Rabbit Chassuer (Hunter Style) in the slow cooker. The slow-cooker or “Crockpot” is a wonderful invention; just throw in all the ingredients (no searing, etc., required), turn it on and leave it alone all day. The end result is meat that falls off the bone and sauce that’s thick and tasty from all the vegetables that have slowly dissolved in it. I can only guess that the nutritional value is probably higher too since it never boils and there’s no steam escaping with the nutrients attached. And the pot itself is pretty cheap to buy, about 20-30 bucks.
Lately I’ve been using a secret ingredient in my cooking (that won’t be secret anymore after this!): Maple Syrup. Yup, maple syrup! In small quantities (a couple of tablespoons) it’s almost imperceptible from the sweetness perspective, but it nicely balances out any acidic sauce such as tomato. Of course, people have used sugar to do the same thing for centuries, but the maple syrup, IMHO, is just a little bit better. Try it. I use the darker and cheaper variety of Quebec maple syrup, but of course, any type will do so long as its real.
Rabbit Chasseur
- One large onion sliced into very thin rounds or semi-rounds;
- One large rabbit cut into eight pieces;
- Four large carrots and four large celery stalks, coarsely cut into large pieces;
- One liter tomato sauce (or canned tomatoes, fresh, diluted paste, etc. will all do);
- One cup white wine;
- Two tablespoons maple syrup;
- Vegetable broth to cover (I use Pacific brand organic vegetable broth). Water will also do;
- Spices: I like smoky paprika, bay leaves, ground chipotle peppers, salt, and black pepper. Some liquid smoke is also nice.
Throw everything in the slow-cooker, turn it on, and leave it alone. Don’t stir too often, especially towards the end as the meat will separate from the bone and look a mess. Drain the liquid into a saucepan and boil down until reduced by about half. Return to slow-cooker. Put on low and keep warm until ready to serve. Goes great with homemade fresh polenta (I use the 3-minute variety), or German egg noodles. Or just plain crusty French/Italian/Greek bread.
Polenta, for those unfamiliar with it, is just cornmeal grits. A very versatile food, it can be served fresh and soft like mashed potatoes, or put into a bowl or other form and allowed to cool and stiffen in the fridge. Then it can be sliced and brushed with olive oil and grilled on the BBQ or pan-fried. A terrific alternative to potatoes, rice, or pasta.
POOR RABBIT!!!
I bought a nice crock pot today at Walmart for 19.95 just based on your photos , that stew looks great . I have been a lacto ovo vegetarian for twenty years so instead of rabbit which I last tasted 30 years ago ,I will use defatted tofu chunks which as painful as it may strike your taste buds is the closest I get to meat. For meat eaters I can’t imagine the stuff is in any way a good approximationto rabbit but its texture is somewhat reminiscent of meat. lol
Also just to update, bought a Gem G Bar, a great one , nice and shiny on Ebay for $8 and some blades from Gio. I have shaved with it twice and all went well though I kept trying to revert to using it like a DE razor. The second shave I properly placed the razor and got into the groove of using it. Only problem areas were the chin and moustache where I got some irritation and weepers. This razor I think takes a few uses to master but I like the shaves I get with it. I don’t think I will use it everyday but its in the rotation.
I wonder how the tofu will do stewing for so long. Maybe better to put it in for the last couple of hours.
I was a vegetarian for 14 months but gained 30 lbs…it was like a license to eat, constantly hungry. Probably a sign of metabolic syndrome. So as a compromise, I now just eat vegetarians!
You ruined poleta for me a long time ago. I cannot seperate it from the smell of liver and sulfur.
You were 5. Time to get over it!