Slow cook Rabbit stew

 

Ingredients
1 small rabbit, cleaned and jointed (into large chunks – maybe 4)
Flour for dusting
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
2 rashers of smoky bacon cut in large strips
1 onion diced plus 2-3 spring onions cut in batons
1 medium carrot cut in chunks
1-2 bay leaves (I find they can be astringent so use your own judgement on number)
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 whole Allspice berries
100ml red wine
150ml chicken stock
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2-3 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped OR half tin of diced tomatoes
A spring of dried oregano or 1/2 tsp dried oregano
Parsley stalks
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Optional 1-2 shiitake mushroom – fresh or dried (I simply chopped the dried mushrooms and buried them in the pot)

Method
Wash the rabbit pieces well, then pat dry and dust with flour. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and lightly fry with the bacon. Place meat in slow cooker
Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Season with a little salt and pepper and cover the ‘crock’ pot (this can also be done in a slow oven).
Cook on high for 45 mins then reduce heat to low and cook for 5-6 hrs until the rabbit is tender. Check and give a light stir occasionally.
You can thicken the sauce near the end if it is too liquid but serve with risoni or rice and that will sop up that delicious juice (almost the best part).

Depending on size of rabbit, this will serve 4-6 people.

Chooks note:  I haven’t tried this but my taste buds say that fennel would go very well with this dish. Recommend you quarter a few fennel bulbs, lightly fry in EVO and add to the pot an hour or so before the end of the cooking time.  A nice garnish would be a handful of crispy butter-fried sage leaves but the dish really stands alone.

If you’re lucky enough to get the heart and kidney, save them for a breakfast fry-up with a tiny bit of mustard, tomato paste or Worcestershire sauce, onion and bacon.