This recipe turned out to be a quick and tasty experiment. I remembered that cream and rabbit work very well together, and when choosing spices, I hesitated between fenugreek and oregano… but in the end I went with saffron - and it was the right choice.
A quick note on rabbit: if you can tell by the smell that it’s not the freshest or youngest, it’s better to soak it in water for a couple of hours first. After that, everything comes together quickly and deliciously.
- 1 rabbit (2–2.5 kg)
- 1 carrot
- 3–4 garlic cloves
- 250–300 ml homemade thick, fatty cream
- a small pinch of saffron threads
- olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black peppe
Wash and cut the rabbit as you would a chicken. In a pan with olive oil or rabbit fat (if you’ve got a fatty one, render the fat and fry in it), brown the thighs, drumsticks, fillets — everything you’ve cut up — separately, until lightly golden. (Keep the carcass for stock if you like.)
Place the browned meat into a ceramic pot, a heavy-bottomed pan, or a Dutch oven. Grate the carrot and garlic, sauté them together, and add to the rabbit. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the cream (if you’re using store-bought, go for the fattest kind; pour enough to cover the rabbit “up to its waist”).
Soak the saffron threads in 40 ml boiling water for 1–2 minutes, then add to the pot. Bring almost to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer covered for 40 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, depending on the rabbit’s size and age.
Occasionally open the lid, turn the pieces of meat, and baste them with the sauce.
Serve with young potatoes dressed with butter and dill.
Wash and cut the rabbit as you would a chicken. In a pan with olive oil or rabbit fat (if you’ve got a fatty one, render the fat and fry in it), brown the thighs, drumsticks, fillets — everything you’ve cut up — separately, until lightly golden. (Keep the carcass for stock if you like.)
Place the browned meat into a ceramic pot, a heavy-bottomed pan, or a Dutch oven. Grate the carrot and garlic, sauté them together, and add to the rabbit. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the cream (if you’re using store-bought, go for the fattest kind; pour enough to cover the rabbit “up to its waist”).
Soak the saffron threads in 40 ml boiling water for 1–2 minutes, then add to the pot. Bring almost to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer covered for 40 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, depending on the rabbit’s size and age.
Occasionally open the lid, turn the pieces of meat, and baste them with the sauce.
Serve with young potatoes dressed with butter and dill.
