Cold weather hits the farm and all we dream about—besides the hot showers we get to take at home at the end of the day to get back up to temp—is hot stews and soups. And this rabbit braise fits that hankering very nicely.

Katie actually cooked this up for Richard’s birthday staff lunch back in early October, and we paired it with a fresh garden salad and our butternut squash soup. It wasn’t crazy cold yet, but just cool enough that this really hit the pot. Savory and broth-y and warming to the bone.

Note: Carriage House Farm raises and sells rabbit meat at our on-farm market. The rabbits are raised in hutches when small and then moved to the pasture in rabbit tractors where they can forage and graze at will. We raise our rabbits naturally and humanely.

Ingredients

1 Rabbit, 2-3lbs, cut into 6 parts
3 Tbsp flour
Salt and pepper
2 slices thick-cut Bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 small onion or fennel bulb, diced
2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 Tbsp chopped herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley, etc. Your choice!)
2 cups dry red wine
~1 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp honey

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350

In a cast iron skillet or dutch oven, heat 2-3 Tbsp Vegetable oil to medium heat (shimmering but not smoking).

Season the rabbit generously with salt and pepper and coat lightly in flour. Brown the rabbit parts in batches, turning often to get color on all sides. Be mindful to adjust the heat as necessary throughout this step. Don’t worry about cooking the rabbit through at this point. Browning the meat first before adding liquids simply helps develop a deeper, more complex, and all around more delicious final product.

As the rabbit parts finish browning, set them aside in a bowl or plate deep enough to catch the juices.  

Add the bacon, onion, carrot, celery, and a big pinch of salt to the pan and sauté just until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and herbs and continue cooking just until fragrant, about another minute. 

Nestle the rabbit parts on top of the bacon and vegetable mixture. Pour in the red wine, chicken stock, honey, and any juices left from the rabbit. Cover the parts of meat about ¾ of the way up with liquid. Adjust with the chicken stock so that the rabbit is neither swimming in too much liquid nor too exposed above the liquid. 

Bring to a boil and then immediately reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook on the stove top or in the oven for about 1 hour. Remove the lid and continue to cook for another 30 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken.

Remove from heat. Taste the braising liquid. Does it need salt, or a dash of red wine vinegar? Make it tasty. 

At this point you have two options: 

1. Serve it right away over rice, wide egg noodles, or polenta. Yum!

2. Or prepare this dish in the most traditional and most refined method...

   take out the meat and set aside, then strain the braising liquid, discarding all the solids. Let this liquid cool completely and then leave overnight, covered, in the fridge. The next day, skim any fat on the surface of the liquid and discard. Return the liquid to a boil and then simmer for about 10-15 minutes to further reduce and thicken. Adjust the seasoning to your preference.
   
   If you’d like, you can also add in a fresh batch of lightly sautéed vegetables such as onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms, etc. Or you can leave the sauce just as is—pure and delicious!