Rabbit Casserole with Boozy Prunes - Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 whole rabbit (about 1.5kg), jointed into pieces
Salt
Pepper
50g plain flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bulb garlic
1 bottle light red wine
500 ml chicken stock (the red wine and stock combined needs to be enough liquid to cover the meat and should be made with equal parts)
1 Bouquet Garni
25g unsalted butter

For the boozy prunes
Pack of stoned prunes
2 tbsp Whiskey
1 tbsp brown sugar

To serve
1 kg Maris Piper potatoes
3 spring onions
200g butter
Parsnips
Sweet potato
Baby organic carrots
1 sprig rosemary

Method

To make the boozy prunes, heat whiskey with the sugar until the sugar melts. Add the prunes. Cool, refrigerate and let them happily absorb the juices for days until they are plump and very boozy.

Ask us to prepare the rabbit and chop into portion size pieces especially for this dish. Make sure the meat is cleaned properly before soaking all the rabbit pieces in a large pot of salted water for at least 2 hrs or preferably overnight. Rinse thoroughly and dry with kitchen paper. The liver and kidney can also be used as they add depth to the flavour.

Preheat oven to 180°c. Season the rabbit pieces with salt, pepper and flour. Heat the olive oil in a heavy based casserole pan, cut a bulb of garlic in half and rub this around the pan in the oil. Leave the garlic in the pan and add the rabbit pieces. Brown the rabbit but be careful not to burn it. Pour over a bottle of red wine, use a light red wine like a Fleurie. Cover the rabbit with chicken stock and add a bouquet garni.

Put a lid on the dish and cook at 180 for a minimum of 1 ¾ hours. The stew will be cooked once the meat is nice and tender. Once it is cooked, remove the bouquet garni and place the rabbit on the side. Strain the jus through a sieve and turn the gas on under the jus. Simmer for a few minutes until the liquid has reduced by half, and add a spoonful of unsalted butter. Add about a dozen of the boozy prunes. Place the rabbit and the jus back in the casserole dish and warm through in the oven at 120°.

Serve the rabbit with mashed Maris Piper potatoes. Boil the potatoes and mash until smooth with 100g butter. Sweat the scallions (spring onions) until soft in remaining 100g butter and add to the mash.

For the roast vegetables, peel parsnips, sweet potato and baby organic carrots. Chop them into small 1 inch pieces. Add olive oil and fresh rosemary to a baking dish, and bake the parsnip and carrot at 220°c for about 150 mins before adding the sweet potato until they are all cooked (The sweet potato doesn’t require as long to cook).

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