Rabbit and Celeriac Carbonnade

I don't often buy rabbit, because although I like it, Simon does not. But once every couple of years I will succumb and we will have rabbit. This time I decided to braise it in beer, as a carbonnade.

Rabbit and celeriac carbonnade, served with egg noodles.

This recipe is a little fiddly, with lots of taking the meat out and putting it aside, then putting it back in at a later stage. But the flavour and texture is good and the rabbit comes out tender and juicy. I liked it because it used entirely locally produced ingredients. 

Pieces of browned rabbit.

Ingredients
A rabbit, cut into half a dozen pieces
Salt
Flour for dredging
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 onions, French cut (ie cut in half then sliced from stem to root)
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
A small bunch of thyme
375 ml Belgian beer, or similar real ale
125 ml chicken stock
Black pepper or a blend, ground
A celeriac, peeled and cut into large dice or small chunks
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp whole grain mustard
Chopped fresh parsley leaf

Method

1. Arrange the rabbit pieces on a large plate, sprinkle generously with salt and leave for half an hour.
2. Sprinkle flour over the rabbit and toss the pieces so they are well coated.
3. Heat the oil and butter in a large pot until foaming, then add the rabbit.
4. Brown the rabbit on one side for 5 minutes, then turn and brown the other side.
5. Remove the rabbit from the pot.
6. Add the onions to the pot and cook until golden, then add the garlic and thyme.
7. Increase the heat and add the beer, let it foam for a couple of minutes then add the stock.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Layer the celeriac over the onions, then the rabbit over the celeriac.
10. Put the lid on the pot then simmer very gently for 45 minutes.
11. Remove the rabbit and keep warm.
12. Boil the contents of the pot so the liquid reduces by a third.
13. Stir in the mustard and the sugar.
14. Take the rabbit meat off the bones and return to the pot to warm up.
15. Serves 4, sprinkled with parsley and accompanied by egg noodles, baguette and beer.

 Celeriac, peeled and sliced.

When I buy rabbit it is always from a local producer who comes to the market in Preuilly. I get him to remove the head and discard it, then cut the rabbit up into portions.

Beer from a local microbrewery.

The celeriac came from my local organic market garden, the Jardins Vergers de la Petite Rabaudière (at the market in Preuilly on Thursday mornings or selling from the farm on Monday evenings).

Locally produced poultry and rabbit at the market.

The beer came from one of the local small breweries that have been springing up in the last few years.

Yum

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