The meat that dare not speak its name: rabbit in mustard sauce

Ah, ragazzi, this is one that stirs up debate.  Annalena has posted a few recipes for rabbit, and inevitably she gets at least one  "how COULD you?  They are so CUTE"  type of message.  She also gets the "BUT I HAD A RABBIT AS A PET!!!!"   messages.  She respects them, yes she does.   And if you don't want to make the recipes, for whatever reason, don't.  Many of Annalena's readers are vegetarians, or choose not to eat animal flesh.   They ignore the recipes that include the ingredients they do not eat.  Or they ask:  can you make a substitution?  Indeed, you will see Annalena write , frequently  "you can do this with," or  "you can leave out the..." when she thinks it is appropriate.  For this one, for example, she will say right up front:  use chicken if you like the idea, but not the idea of using rabbit.

The fact is, rabbit is eaten just about everywhere else in the world, with no issue whatsoever.  For many peoples,  wild rabbit was just about the only protein that they had available, and most people do not know that the original paella was made with rabbit and snails, nothing else in terms of meat.  It was what you could hunt, what you could find, that was edible.   And the dish in question is a classic of the French kitchen.  One doesn't see it very often,  and Annalena often wonders why, because in classic form, this is an easy dish to prepare, and delicious.

But like all "classic" dishes, there are a million variations on it. When Annalena wanted to make it, she checked a lot of versions, and finally settled on one that was developed by one of the most underrated chefs working today, David Tanis.  His recipe does not rely on a sauce the way most of the variations do, and thus it becomes something far less intimidating to cooks.

Annalena knows her readers are not intimidated by sauce making, but for the few of you out there who may want something without the sauce, here it comes.  With a sauce variation , of course.

What Annalena likes about this recipe is the simplicity of it.  Yes, simplicity is wonderful.    So here we go.

You will need about 3 pounds of legs. For lapin , cornejo, coniglio, or rabbit, that is about eight legs.  For chicken, it is probably about four. That's four whole legs, not drumsticks.    You want to pat them dry and then salt and pepper the surface.

Leave them airdry while you prepare the rest of these ingredients . Annalena used an 8 ounce jar of grainy mustard, although traditionally, you will use less of dijon (because it is hotter), or you will use half and half.  Up to you. Annalena does like the grainy mustard for its texture.  Put this in a large bowl, with 8 ounces of creme fraiche.  (This, by the way, is going to substitute for the cream that is usually put in at the end for a sauce).  Smash six cloves of garlic, and slice it into thin pieces and toss that in again, together with a full tablespoon of chopped thyme, and four bay leaves, broken in half.  If you have fresh bay leaves, use them, and don't try to break them.  If you happen to have tarragon around, and like it, put in some of that too.   Finally, chop up about 3 ounces of bacon, pancetta, or the French one, ventricche.

Now, get your protein back into the bowl, toss everything together, and put it in the fridge , overnight if you can, or for at least three hours.  The acid in the creme fraiche, taken with the acid in the mustard, allows a certain break down of the protein in the meat, texturizing it, and flavoring it.

When you're ready to cook, bring the meat to room temperature.  That will take about two hours.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and set up a baking sheet, with a cooking rack on it.  Lay out the meat, skin side up for the chicken, and take whatever marinade is left and dollop it on top.  Put this in the oven, for 30 minutes.  Then, take it out, use some tongs and turn it over for another 20.

This is really all you HAVE to do, but look at what's on the baking sheet:  stuff has fallen off of the meat, there's burned "stuff" and essentially, there's lots of FLAVOR there.  So, here's what Annalena suggests you do:  get your finished protein to a safe spot, and remove the rack.  Have a pot ready.  Now pour a half cup of white wine right on the baking sheet.  You'll get a bit of sizzling, and some smoke, and much of the stuff will dissolve into the wine. Scrape it a bit to get as much as you can, and with gloved hands (the sheet is still very hot), pour this into a pot, and add another half cup of wine.  Bring it to a boil, and reduce it by half.    IF when you taste it, you want to soften it, add about a tablespoon of butter, and/or a few tablespoons of heavy cream. Annalena liked it as it was, but you must account for your own tastebuds.

And there you are.  Polenta, spaetzle, noodles,  rosti potatoes, or anything you like, will be fine with this dish, be it the meat that dare not speak its name, or chicken (and Annalena thinks chickens are very cute too.  Stupid, but cute. ).

Give it a try ragazzi.  Annalena bets this will become a favorite.