Civet of Rabbit, or Hasenpfeffer
An unusual dish with the traditional addition of chocolate for richness. This is best with hare but very nice with the much milder domestic rabbit (and quite good with chicken, too). This is one of those rare occasions when I find a long marinade really helps. You can begin the dish in the morning and finish it that day or start it twenty-four hours (or even more) in advance.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Mix together the wine, vinegar, chopped carrot, and roughly chopped onion in a bowl large enough to hold the rabbit. Add the herb and the rabbit, along with some salt and pepper. Marinate in the refrigerator, turning the rabbit pieces occasionally, for at least 8 hours. Strain the marinade, reserving it, and dry the rabbit pieces.
Step 2
Cut the bacon into bits and render it over medium-low heat in a Dutch oven or steep-sided skillet. After 5 or 10 minutes, when it has given up much of its fat and is becoming crisp, remove it and add the chopped onion, diced carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring, over medium-low heat; chop the mushrooms and add them, too. If you have soaked dried mushrooms, strain and reserve the soaking liquid. When the vegetables are soft, after about 10 minutes, remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside with the bacon.
Step 3
Turn the heat to medium. Dredge the rabbit pieces in the flour and brown them in the fat that remains in the pan, turning as needed to brown evenly and seasoning with salt and pepper as they brown. When they are browned, lower the heat and return the vegetables and bacon to the skillet; stir, then add the reserved marinade and mushroom soaking liquid, if any. Raise the heat a bit, bring to a boil, stir, then add the chocolate, some salt, and plenty of pepper.
Step 4
Lower the heat even further, cover, and cook until the rabbit is tender and the sauce thick, about an hour. If the sauce is too thin, transfer the meat to a warm oven and reduce the sauce over high heat, stirring almost constantly, until it is thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve immediately, with buttered noodles, rice, or crusty bread.
