Rabbit stew with dumplings

[Frances]

Rabbit is one of my favourites, but I've never done it in the WFO till today. And this was the best Rabbit I've ever tasted!

This fed two hungry adults.

Brown 1/2 a rabbit cut into 5 pieces in your cast iron pot with olive oil (and with a new knob on ), add chopped onion and some bacon cubes. When browned, add chopped veg (in this case a leek, two carrots, and some peas), chopped rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir for a while then slosh rose wine and some water over the top until nearly covered, bring to the boil, slam on the lid and place in your oven at 110 C.

After about one hour add 4 large dumpligs made of

4 heaped table spoons of wholemeal flour
4 table spoons of oats
2 large table spoons of coconut fat
salt to taste
and enough water to make a stiff dough

The dumplings take 20 mins to half an hour to cook.

This was really really good!

And for desert - by popular request - we had MORE MGANIFICENT MACAROONS, but I'll spare you the photos this time...

[Xabia Jim]

Re: Rabbit stew with dumplings

slam on the lid and place in your oven at 110 C.

Frances are you afraid the poor rabbit is going to get away....

Sounds tasty!
Jim

[Frances]

Re: Rabbit stew with dumplings

You never know - we've had moving pizzas, haven't we?

Btw, did you ever hear of the receipe in Mrs Beaton's which starts with "first catch you hare"?

[Xabia Jim]

Re: Rabbit stew with dumplings

I'm seeing rabbits on the road below us...coming out to enjoy the sun.....but alas, vaughn won't let me catch them.

[gjbingham]

Re: Rabbit stew with dumplings

Sounds great Fances. There's no rabbits aound here to try it on. How about a possum or racoon?

[Frances]

Re: Rabbit stew with dumplings

Sure, I've done that receipe with just about any kind of meat I could find. Any part of a cow or calf, horse, chicken, turkey, lamb...

Ostrich is the only meat I didn't like with it so far.

Seriously though, do/can you eat possum and raccoon? I was in Texas for a while years and years ago and very surprised to discover people would eat squirrels.

[gjbingham]

Re: Rabbit stew with dumplings

I think there's a few people living out in the woods that would still eat possum. Ken??? That's a southern dish, huh?? There's a lot available as road kill - (yuk)

Racoon - Naaaa

Squirrels - once again, heard it done, wouldn't do it myself. This topic is turning my stomach a bit. I think I feel a gag coming on.

[asudavew]

Re: Rabbit stew with dumplings

Squirrel = big rat with bushy tail.

Same O... Same O...


Rats do, however, make wonderful pets.


Can't wait to try this recipe though!

Looks yummy.

[RCLake]

Re: Rabbit stew with dumplings

Seriously though, do/can you eat possum and raccoon? I was in Texas for a while years and years ago and very surprised to discover people would eat squirrels.

My first stint in Texas after college, my officemate brought in squirrel gumbo. Was shamed faced into eating it.

[Frances]

Re: Rabbit stew with dumplings

Yes, well... the guy who ate squirrels said he'd never eat rabbit "because they're so sweet and fluffy"...

Until I met you guys I assumed all Americans were like that .

Hey George, you're the seasoned traveller! Where's your sense of adventure? I once ate what I hope was guinea pig in South America.

[CanuckJim]

Re: Rabbit stew with dumplings

Frances,

A friend of mine lives out in the bush in northern Michigan (and no, it's not XJ). He's an avid hunter, unlike me, and there is a hunting season there for squirrels, or "tree rats" as they're called here. He's very adamant about eating anything he shoots, so squirrel pie it is. His only proviso is that the gray variety is okay, but the black squirrels are "kinda skunky."

I'll try anything--once--and I've had my go at tree rats. Skunky about sums it up.

In winter, my yard is overrun with small burrowing bunnies, unlike the larger long eared type. The small ones eat the bark off my shrubs, so I've been eyeing them for the stew pot. We don't have a hunting season for tree rats, so they are everywhere and very bold. In Michigan, they're secretive and timid. Wonder why.

Jim

[gjbingham]

Re: Rabbit stew with dumplings

Hmmm....? Gun shy? Bunnies do a heck of a lot of damage to shoots and bark on small plantings. They're great sport with a 20 guage.

[Xabia Jim]

Tree Rats

CJ, I was going to post on Tree Rats in Michigan and you beat me to it. Yes, we do hunt squirrels...they taste like chicken. I've cooked up a few, stripped the meat off the bones and made a nice white chili.

Dave, I think you're very right, they're just a rat that lives in the trees. Cuter though than the ground ones in the concrete seas. I'm sure they're eaten somewhere.

And Frances, Jimmy Carter talked about going to his grandmothers house where she cooked possum....said you could smell it a mile away...didn't get the impression he liked it!

I believe you can eat just about anything if you know how to prepare or cook it. Have you ever tired a raw olive? I think people must have just kept trying different ways to prepare things to learn about brining, pickling, salting, smoking....etc

[Xabia Jim]

Re: Rabbit stew with dumplings

Oh, and I prefer a 22 to a shotgun for my rabbits and squirrels.....I hate pulling shot out of my mouth when eating!

[Frances]

Re: Rabbit stew with dumplings

I was thinking about this thread today, and decided that my basic approach is that I would try anything once, so long as its not someone's pet, its not an edagered species, and it was kept and killed in fair conditions.

See? I don't really ask for much.

Alligator was disgusting, like eating raw gristle - they certainly needed to work on preparing that one!