Recipe: Grilled Rabbit with Roasted Tomato Salsa
Page: 194
Date Cooked: September 28, 2012
I'm not sure how popular rabbit cooking is for the home cook or perhaps it's a regional thing. However, it is safe to say I hadn't cooked rabbit prior to this recipe. I had to special order the rabbit from my grocer (I later found out that the Amish families at the farmers market sometimes have it), waited a week for it to arrive, and was quite excited for this recipe.
The recipe called for the rabbit to marinate for 12-48 hours. Accordingly, upon getting the rabbit (already cut into pieces by my butcher) I went right to marinating. I sliced some shallots and peeled half a garlic head's worth of cloves. I combined the wine, the shallots, garlic, olive oil, and rosemary in a large bowl. I added the rabbit pieces, covered with plastic, and let it marinate in the fridge.
Two days later, I resumed the recipe. I cut the tomatoes in half, sprinkled them with salt and pepper, topped them with the rest of the garlic, some more shallots, minced rosemary, and olive oil. I placed the pan of tomatoes in the oven to roast. Upon removing the tomatoes from the oven, I transferred the contents to a bowl, and crushed the tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
Then it was time to grill the rabbit. I removed the rabbit from the marinade, rubbed the rabbit pieces with olive oil, and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I placed the rabbit on the grill and let it cook for about 20 minutes - 10 minutes on each side.
In the meantime, I heated some olive oil in a pan, added the garlic and shallots from the marinade, and sauteed until they became brown. I then poured in the reserved marinade, additional wine, and let the it boil. I strained the wine mixture into another saucepan and reduced it to about a cup. I finished the wine reduction with some butter.
Then it was time to plate. Jonathan Waxman suggests serving the rabbit with buttered fettuccine. I happened to have made fettuccine earlier that week and this was a perfect use of it. I placed some fettuccine on a plate, added the rabbit, spooned the wine sauce over the rabbit, and garnished it with the tomato salsa.
This was such a fun recipe to make; and when you look at it, it didn't take too much work. The most time intensive part was the marinating and heck you don't have to do anything while it marinates. But the flavors are so complex. I loved the gaminess of the rabbit and it definitely had that wonderful grill flavor. The wine sauce was delicious and it added a bit of sweetness and fat to the dish. The roasted tomato salsa was incredibly flavorful, I could have just eaten the salsa on its own. As a result of each component being great, the dish as a whole was soo freaking good. It was without a doubt restaurant quality material!
Page: 194
Date Cooked: September 28, 2012
I'm not sure how popular rabbit cooking is for the home cook or perhaps it's a regional thing. However, it is safe to say I hadn't cooked rabbit prior to this recipe. I had to special order the rabbit from my grocer (I later found out that the Amish families at the farmers market sometimes have it), waited a week for it to arrive, and was quite excited for this recipe.
 |
| Shallots, garlic, rose wine, olive oil, rosemary sprigs, rabbit, plum tomatoes, Kosher salt, black pepper, and unsalted butter |
The recipe called for the rabbit to marinate for 12-48 hours. Accordingly, upon getting the rabbit (already cut into pieces by my butcher) I went right to marinating. I sliced some shallots and peeled half a garlic head's worth of cloves. I combined the wine, the shallots, garlic, olive oil, and rosemary in a large bowl. I added the rabbit pieces, covered with plastic, and let it marinate in the fridge.
 |
| Rabbit in the marinade |
Two days later, I resumed the recipe. I cut the tomatoes in half, sprinkled them with salt and pepper, topped them with the rest of the garlic, some more shallots, minced rosemary, and olive oil. I placed the pan of tomatoes in the oven to roast. Upon removing the tomatoes from the oven, I transferred the contents to a bowl, and crushed the tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
 |
| Roasted Tomato Salsa |
Then it was time to grill the rabbit. I removed the rabbit from the marinade, rubbed the rabbit pieces with olive oil, and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I placed the rabbit on the grill and let it cook for about 20 minutes - 10 minutes on each side.
 |
| Grilling the rabbit |
In the meantime, I heated some olive oil in a pan, added the garlic and shallots from the marinade, and sauteed until they became brown. I then poured in the reserved marinade, additional wine, and let the it boil. I strained the wine mixture into another saucepan and reduced it to about a cup. I finished the wine reduction with some butter.
 |
| Making the wine sauce |
Then it was time to plate. Jonathan Waxman suggests serving the rabbit with buttered fettuccine. I happened to have made fettuccine earlier that week and this was a perfect use of it. I placed some fettuccine on a plate, added the rabbit, spooned the wine sauce over the rabbit, and garnished it with the tomato salsa.
 |
| Grilled Rabbit with Roasted Tomato Salsa |
This was such a fun recipe to make; and when you look at it, it didn't take too much work. The most time intensive part was the marinating and heck you don't have to do anything while it marinates. But the flavors are so complex. I loved the gaminess of the rabbit and it definitely had that wonderful grill flavor. The wine sauce was delicious and it added a bit of sweetness and fat to the dish. The roasted tomato salsa was incredibly flavorful, I could have just eaten the salsa on its own. As a result of each component being great, the dish as a whole was soo freaking good. It was without a doubt restaurant quality material!
Enjoy!
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