Rabbit Test

Now, again, I'm separating the young from the not so young, like myself.

"In the old days," when someone spoke of "the rabbit test," it meant that she (it was always a she), was going to the doctor to see if she was pregnant. I am not all that sure as to how the test worked, but to come home and say "The rabbit died," meant that you were pregnant (if of course you were the one being tested). No more bunnies give their lives in the pursuit of families, as far as Annalena knows. We have fought, and continue to fight, the cruelty with cosmetic fights with rabbits as the poster children, and let's all 'fess up to it: we grew up with Bugs Bunny, the Easter Bunny, and we all have that soft spot in our hearts for the critters.

Right up front, let me say that Annalena will not tolerate cruelty to animals, period. It's a slippery slope, when one eats meat, because there can always be the argument that killing the animal is the ultimate act of cruelty. We begin to dance on the head of a pin with these arguments, it is true. We all make a distinction between what we regard as cruel, and not. And it is hard to separate the "OH, but it's so CUTE" monniker from an animal that also serves as food. I have one friend, for example, who won't eat "cute" animals, but will eat beef and pork. Well, what can I say?

It is interesting, in the case of rabbits, that in cultures where there is no "Bugs Bunny" and no "Easter Bunny," the sense of cuteness about rabbits simply does not exist. My German teacher, who used to eat rabbit regularly, told me that when he was a child, and those cartoons first became available in what used to be East Germany, they were a failure because the region from where he's from, a farming community, regarded them merely as pests who ate the vegetables. There is nothing cute about getting up in the morning and finding that every cabbage has been chewed up by a lagomorph (one of my favorite words). So, with all of this in mind, let me say that I am aware of the issues, just as I am with veal, with farm raised fish, and so forth. And we move on.

I have enjoyed rabbit for about 5 years now. Before that, I was somewhat repulsed by it. For Annalena, the defining issue was: it's a rodent. Like mice. Or rats. Or squirrels. I could not get pass that issue. Then in food crazed SF, when I saw that restaurants sold out of rabbit everywhere we went, it was time to take the plunge. It was good. It was VERY good. After 3 years or so, I made my first foray into rabbit meat, using it in a paella. And now, I have prepared it, for the first time, on its own.

Some thoughts right up front: rabbit is somewhat like fowl, in that the legs are very tough and very sinewy. You need to braise them, or do some other form of cooking that takes a long time. We will not work with that type of meat in this entry. Indeed, try to find rabbit legs separate from the whole animal. Betcha you won't. The loin or saddle, which is what I prepared, is very tender, and very mild. "It tastes just like chicken" may have come to your mind. Well, no, I don't think so. It certainly does not taste strong, but it does not remind me of chicken.

It is very easy to cook, if you can get over the sentiment of the "cute little critter." This is a riff on a dish that I ate in Oakland. I think it is quite delicious. A bit involved, but delicious.

Now, I will also give you some advice. When you buy the rabbit meat, make sure you know what you are getting. I was convinced I was getting "dressed" rabbit. This does NOT mean it was wearing a suit and tie or blouse and skirt, but that it is cleaned and boned.

Uh, no. When I opened the package, first I found the backbone and ribs were still in the meat. And then... yup, the offal . Still attached to the body. Now, boning meat is a skill, but removing internal organs is a bit more involved. There are surprises. For example, if you hack away at a liver, you may very well sever a bile gland and wind up spoiling the entire thing. Annalena happens to still have her dissection skills from her days as a premed student intact, and with some patience and a sharp knife, those organs were removed, with no damage to the meat itself. Getting the bones out was a more involved process. The bones of a rabbit are very small, and very fragile. They break easily. If you have to bone the rabbit, I guarantee you you will not get them all out. So, the bottom line? Spend a few more bucks and get the cleaned, boned rabbit. It will be called the loin, or the saddle, but ASK.

Now, here's my recipe. It is "sort of" boned rabbit, stuffed with walnut pesto, and wrapped in prosciutto. First, let's make some pesto. Get a cup of toasted walnuts (350 in the oven for 10 minutes), and put them in a blender . Pulse them a few times. Then slowly add olive oil , with the machine running, until you get a thick paste. Taste it, and correct for salt. Believe me, you will want it to be somewhat salty. Put this aside, and get some good quality prosciutto ready. I used my favorite kind, San Daniele. You will need two slices or so for each loin or saddle. Lay the slices down, next to each other, slightly overlapping. Put the rabbit meat on it. It will be somewhat rectangular, and you want to place it so that the shorter sides are perpendicular to you, the long sides, parallel. Put a few tablespoons of the pesto on the meat and then roll it up, using the prosciutto to push it along. It doesn't have to be picture perfect. The ham is sticky enough so that it will keep the package intact. Do this with all of the rabbit meat, and if you have the time, let this refrigerate for an hour. If not, keep going.

Preheat your oven to 350, and also put a slick of olive oil into a big skillet. When it's hot, add the rabbit rolls. Fry them until the ham crisps, and then turn to crisp the whole package. When you're done, drain them a little bit to take off the excess fat and then put them into the oven for 15 minutes. That will cook the rabbit through, completely. Let it rest for five minutes or so, and either serve them as whole pieces, or, in a nicer presentation, slice each roll into three large sections and plate it, with some veggies (the squash salad that will follow, for example).

Everyone draws the line in the sand somewhere, and if the idea of eating rabbit has crossed your line, Annalena apologizes, and suggests you not make the recipe. If, however, you've always been curious about cooking and eating rabbit, here you go. Time to give it a try. I did, I liked it, and I'll do it again.

I DO think, though, that serving it with carrots, would push my buttons.