Lapin

Warning:  This post is not for the vegetarian or meek of stomach, as I discuss carving up a rabbit. 

A necessity for cooking in my kitchen.

Oh boy, is this cooking adventure an adventure!  Rabbit with red rice sounds easy enough.  Though listed in The French Kitchen as an autumn dish, the ingredients were in season now, and so we went ahead and made it while we could get our hands on a lapin.  (side note:  G is determined to have rabbit for Easter one year as a symbolic ending of the Easter bunny.  Yeah.)

Unfortunately for me, I hadn't noted that the recipe said to have your butcher cut the rabbit into 6 joints.  So I had a whole rabbit.  That needed to be taken apart.  And as the resident chef, that was my job.  I had G call his dad who has hunted rabbit before for advice.  In the end I was slightly impressed with myself as I carved off the hind legs, the front legs, and the back section.  I then realized there was a hunk of meat on the ribs and carefully carved it off as well.  I threw the ribs, and the spine into a pot with the organ meat (you shouldn't eat the organ meat of wild rabbit, apparently it's often diseased, but this was clearly farmed and the organs looked good) and water to make a stock.  G snapped away with the camera on this adventure, so the pics here are only the tip of the iceberg.

All cut up and ready to cook!

Browning up quite nicely.

My area.  Stock boiling, pot I used for cooking waiting more tasks, the kettle with hot water for tea, and water put on to boil for my first time ever peeling tomatoes.

Easy as pie.  

Red onions, thyme, and a bay leaf.  And my favorite olive wood spoon!

I followed the recipe to a tee, except that instead of water I used the rabbit stock (and saved the rest for later), chopped up the kidneys and the liver for the casserole, and I removed the thyme after cooking the onions and such.  Thyme has a strong flavor that I like in small quantities.  The red rice was delicious, and we will be cooking with it again.  It has a firmer texture, and is nutty. 

We started the meal with long radishes sliced in half, drizzled with melted butter and sprinkled with sea salt.  Then the next course was day old bread (a baguette), with goat's cheese and balsamic drizzled over it.  Then the rabbit with red rice.  And finally a roasted artichoke that we shared, dipping the leaves in butter.  The meal was sumptuous, and we will be eating it again later this year.  

Back leg. 

The artichoke was attacked!

Is anyone else feeling more adventurous with their cooking lately?