I was thrilled to feature Andromeda Romano-Lax’s latest historical novel/thriller Annie and the Wolves on The Blue and Yellow Kitchen. I haven’t read a ton of fiction as an adult (sticking to work-related non-fiction for most of my life). Reading a well-crafted novel like this has been such a pleasure. Romano-Lax weaves in elements of real-life historical characters like Annie Oakley, footnotes about her life (she was held captive by a farming family as a servant for two years), a modern-day thriller, and even a little time travel. It all works; I couldn’t put this book down. Buy the book here (affiliate link) or from your favorite indie bookstore.
Inspired by Annie’s legendary sharpshooting skills, I chose to cook rabbit for this episode. That involved Googling “fresh rabbit meat San Diego” and learning that yes, it was available, but only frozen, and only at one of two meat markets in town. Rabbit is expensive nowadays, but in Annie’s time, it was plentiful so long as you had the skills to acquire it. If you’re at all squeamish, I would recommend pre-ordering it so the butcher can thaw it and break it down for you. This recipe produced a luscious pan gravy that I could eat spoonfuls of all on its own, and nicely cooked, lean meat that was a welcome change from chicken. Watch the full episode below.
Braised rabbit with pan gravy
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp bacon fat (rendered) use reduced-sodium bacon for low-sodium diets
- 1 onions diced
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp salt omit for low-sodium diets
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cloves (dried, ground)
- 1 rabbit thawed if frozen, cut into 5 pieces
- 1 bottle beer (gluten-free) Omission pale ale (12 ounces)
- 1/2 cup milk whole milk
- 2 tbsp cornstarch organic
Instructions
- Heat bacon fat in heavy pan with a lid over medium heat until shimmering. Sauté onion with bay leaves, allspice, salt, pepper, and cloves for five minutes until onion begins to turn translucent.
- Push onion mixture to sides of pan and add rabbit, cooking for 2 minutes per side just until lightly browned.
- Pour in beer and stir to deglaze pan. Bring just to simmering then cover and cook for about 1.5 hours, checking every 15 minutes and flipping the pieces. There should be some movement in the liquid but no active bubbling or boiling.
- When meat is tender(ish), remove to a plate and keep warm.
- Add enough of the milk to the cornstarch in a bowl and stir to make a smooth slurry. Add remaining milk, then stir into pan liquid, bring to a boil, and cook at least five minutes or until thickened. Add more milk if necessary and adjust heat to keep from sticking.
- Serve rabbit with gravy poured over and a sprinkle of smoked paprika, if desired, along with pan-roasted or mashed potatoes and a green vegetable as the side.
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