by Kim Mackenzie
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup sliced celery
- 1 cup chopped sweet pepper
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
- 3/4 cup half-and-half
- 2 1/2 cups cooked, chopped rabbit meat
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
Crust
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup hazelnut meal
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) or lard, or combination
- Ice water
Directions
- To make crust, stir together flour, hazelnut meal and salt in medium bowl. Using pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon ice water over mixture and toss with fork. Sprinkle additional ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time (4 to 5 tablespoons more), over mixture until it is moistened and comes together in a ball. Refrigerate pastry.
- Heat oven to 400°F.
- To make filling, melt butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion, celery, sweet pepper and carrots, and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
- Stir in flour, thyme, salt and pepper, and cook for 3 minutes. Whisk in broth and half-and-half, and cook until thick and bubbly. Stir in rabbit meat and parsley.
- To assemble pot pie, butter 2-quart casserole dish or 8-by-8-by-2-inch baking dish.
- Turn pastry dough out onto floured surface and roll out 1 inch larger than dish. Pour hot filling into dish and place pastry on top. Use fork to crimp edges, flute with your fingers, or just leave it as is for a rustic-style crust. Use sharp knife to cut slits in crust to allow steam to escape.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.Â
This rabbit pot pie recipe is a great way to use up your leftover rabbit meat, or roast a rascally rabbit like Mrs. McGregor did (in Peter Rabbit). Nothing is quite as comforting as serving up (or being served) a pot pie for supper on a cold fall or winter evening, and made with rabbit meat, it’s an extra-special treat. Hazelnuts are a delicious accompaniment to rabbit, but if you can’t find hazelnut meal where you are, just omit it and use 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour — it will be just as delicious. Serve with a green salad tossed in a mustardy vinaigrette.
MAIN ARTICLE:
Cooking Rabbit: Recipes and Tips
