There Went Peter Cottontail

My wife and I are way into the experiential birthday gifts (wine school, cooking classes, that sorta thing). This year, I decided to do a home-cooked version of the fancy birthday meal, which, in better economic times, we probably would've sought in some foodie/goodie Brooklyn restaurant. In spite of Springtime's arrival, the ugly coldsnap we had last week stepped perfectly in tandem with Alpine Rabbit Stew and the amazing bottle of South African pinotage we marked the occasion with.

Rabbit? You mean wike a widdle bunny wabbit?

The very same, my friends. And acquiring this one was no easy task. I went in and out of three butcher shops, four specialty grocery stores, crossed state lines, and finally wound up acquiring the goods at a market exactly 3 minutes from our house. Although this hours-long journey was wildly aggravating, I did wind up learning a couple of crucial things in the process:

1. The demand for rabbit is higher than I expected, and the farmers who raise them are quick to speak of the many problems with keeping them. (They require special feed, they often escape from their pens, etc.)

2. Whole Foods is a bad place filled with mostly bad people.

Anyway, faced with a whole rabbit splayed out on my cutting board, I turned to YouTube for instructions on how to cut it up. Search data? How to cut up a rabbit. First result? How to trim your pet rabbit's toenails.

Ouch. I knew that was gonna be source material for all kinds of bad jokes during dinner.

I eventually found a pretty good demo, and I must say, cutting up a whole rabbit for cooking is much easier than doing the same for a whole chicken. Rabbits essentially have only a few parts—2 hind legs, 2 smaller ones up front, 2 paper-thin "steaks" (of a sort) called wings, and a fleshy strip that runs along the spine called the saddle. Separating them out from one another is as easy as dismantling one of those screw-tight bookshelves from Ikea. The grim deed took only a few minutes and was utterly devoid of any kind of mess making. Granted, my rabbit arrived home with the head already thoughtfully removed by the butcher, so perhaps that engendered me with a certain confidence and gusto that might otherwise have been lacking. After all, with a small child in the house, I have read my share of Beatrix Potter books lately.

Aloud, I might add.

But no matter—the results were incredible! The smell that wafted through the house was unlike any we'd experienced before. Once plated over a generous dollop of Parmigiano Reggiano-doused polenta, Alpine Rabbit Stew immediately revealed itself as an amazingly hearty dish which warmed us both from the inside out. While dining, we felt a bit like rugged mountain people instead of the urban limp-wristies we more truthfully walk in stride with, so three cheers for using the passing of another year as an excuse to mix up the cultural stereotypes a little bit.

Here's the recipe I followed. The only variation I utilized was switching out the Juniper berries for a jigger of gin. This guy's photos are way better than mine, though possibly more gory if you ever kept a rabbit as a pet or are just generally squeamish about eating characters from children's storybooks. With that in mind, our plans to eat Santa Claus for next year's birthday celebrations remain under review until further notice.

Comments

[Stephanie]

Ooh, I want to try that recipe.

Here (in Providence) we live a couple of minutes walk from an Italian butcher where you can get rabbits - they have them in the back, it's a 15 minute wait, and you get them warm (which I have to admit is slightly disturbing). We also have a family friend who sends rabbits from their farm, and they're even better - which might be because the freezing makes them less tough.

Anyway, my favorite rabbit recipe/preparation I've tried is: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Rabbit-with-Mustard-Sauce-101107

[r:m:b]

Mmmm, mustardy rabbit sounds good, thanks! I've only ever had rabbit a couple times before, and the seasoning seems pretty key. The meat by itself isn't really that flavorful, but it has a wonderful and unique consistency when it's been cooked down for an hour or two! -mike

[Lou Z]

I know the Bronx is a haul but there are a number of butcher shops on Arthur Ave. that sell rabbit.

[r:m:b]

Mmm, one more reason to go to the real Little Italy. -mike