Slow-cooked rabbit and carrots, three ways

Over the centuries, wild rabbit meat has gone in and out of fashion for various reasons, but now it’s making a bit of a renaissance — and with good reason: it’s plentiful, tasty and good for you.

This easy-to-prepare recipe is a nice riff on the rabbit and its favourite meal: the carrot. Indeed, the rabbit meat’s slightly gamey flavour is complemented by the vibrant fresh taste of carrots — preferably organic — that are served in three different ways: shaved, cooked and puréed. The trick is to prepare the carrots while the rabbit meat is cooking slowly — you can cheat and buy tinned puréed carrots, though it’s easy to make yourself. Simply boil or steam 100g of carrots for about 20 minutes until tender, then mash or whizz with a handblender, together with a knob of butter and a little brown sugar to taste.

This dish is well complemented by a glass of cold, white wine.

Slow-cooked rabbit and carrots, three ways

Method

1. Cut the rabbit into three (front shoulders, saddle, back legs) and place in a saucepan.
2. Cover with the stock, add the garlic, thyme and star anise.
3. Simmer for one hour until the meat falls off the bone. Remove from the heat.
4. Remove all the meat from the rabbit and place into a bowl. Season well and fold in the chopped chives.
5. Pot the rabbit and serve with the carrots, three ways.