Rabbit with smoked bacon, tarragon, cider & cream

Ingredients 

1 wild rabbit jointed

200g of smoked streaky bacon lardons

50g of plain flour

1 large or 2 smaller onions, thinly sliced 

3 cloves of garlic thinly sliced or crushed

500ml of medium cider

350ml of double cream

4 - 6 sprigs of fresh tarragon

2 torn fresh bay leaves

1 handful of parsley leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Recipe from Gill Meller

Add a dash of olive oil to a casserole dish, followed by the bacon pieces, cooking them gently until they are golden brown. Remove them from the pan and set aside on a plate. Toss the pieces of rabbit through the seasoned flour to coat them and then add them to the hot pan. Fry the rabbit in the bacon fat until it’s taken on a golden colour, lift them out and put them on the plate with the bacon. Add the onion, then the garlic and bay leaves and cook until the onions are soft. Now add the meat back to the pan, followed by the cider and bring to a simmer. Leave to simmer on the lowest heat for an hour and a half or until the rabbit starts to feel tender. Make sure the pan lid slightly ajar to allow some steam to escape. For the final 30 - 45 minutes stir in the cream and leave to thicken, until the cream has reduced by at least half. Roughly chop the tarragon and parsley leaves and stir in before serving, as well as seasoning with plenty of salt and pepper. Allow the dish to rest for 10 - 15 minutes. I served with mashed potato and savoy cabbage.

Read Gill’s original recipe, which can be found on his website here.