RABBITS—PLAIN AND FANCY

New Zealand Listener, Volume 17, Issue 422, 25 July 1947, Page 22

RABBITS—PLAIN AND FANCY

ABBITS can be cooked in so many different ways that you can really serve them once a week for about three ‘months without repeating the same dish. It is best to soak a jointed, or whole, rabbit in salted water with a dash of vinegar, for about an hour, afterwards drying with a cloth, In a recent letter, "Dorothy Anne," of | Christchurch, a very active Link in the Daisy Chain, sent the following idea:- _ "Here's another hint I had passed on to me a few weeks ago about cooking that accommodating, coupon-saving little chap, the Rabbit. Soak in salted water overnight (or for a few hours); dry, and fill with stuffing-chopped celery is nice included in this. Tie the legs up, back ones to front ones, smear over with a cut lemon; then with a slice of bacon on top, wrap up like a parcel in WELLGREASED BROWN PAPER, and bake in a moderate oven, Put it in about 300deg. electric, and leave for approximately three hours, top element off, bottom low. It needs no basting or turning, and in fact, need never be looked at from the time of putting in, till "dishing up." I have baked rabbits this way ever since, and prefer it to any other method of cooking. They are really luscious, just like young chicken, and _ beautifully white. Maybe other folks know this way, but the brown paper idea was new to me, and it certainly does keép it beautifully moist, ‘so I pass it on for what it is worth." Mock Fried Chicken This recipe is supposed to really deceive the family. The rabbits must be young. Cut into small pieces, put into saueepan with bdrely enough water to cover, and bring slowly to the boil. Add a medium sized chopped onion, a little salt, and simmer. slowly until tender. Then take out the pieces of rabbit, dip in egg and roll in breadcrumbs-covering thickly and evenly.,Fry golden brown in hot fat. Thicken the liquid in the saucepan with flour or cornflour, add finely chopped parsley, and serve with the fried pieces. Nice with baked jacket potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Rabbit Baked in Milk Soak the jointed rabbit in salted water with a dash of vinegar for an hour, Dry the joints, and arrange them in a casserole with plenty of sliced onion, pepper and salt, and a pinch of mace. Then put in 2 cupfuls of white breadcrumbs, and on top of all 2 or 3 slices of raw bacon. Cover the whole with milk, put a butterpaper over, and then a well-fitting lid. Bake in a steady oven for approximately 2 hours, or till the rabbit is tender. No thickening is necessary, as the breadcrumbs swell and make it thick enough. Serve straight from casserole. . Casseroled Rabbit : Wash the jointed rabbit in salted water, containing a little vinegar. Dry the joints, and coat each one with flour well seasoned with pepper and salt, Melt sufficient dripping in a deep frying

pan, and brown the joints well all over. Bacon fat is nice for this. The pan may first be rubbed over with a peeled clove of garlic. Place the browned joints in a casserole or baking dish, just cover with milk, put the lid on, and bake in a hot oven, 375deg., for about an hour, or until rabbit is tender. Serve with red currant jelly or quince honey. Stuffed Roast Rabbit First make the stuffing, which is a novel.one,’with 1 cup each of soft breadcrumbs, chopped apple, and chopped Taisins or sultanas; a tablespoon of finely chopped onion; 2 slices of minced bacon; pepper and salt to taste, and a beaten egg to bind. If an egg is out of the question, a little milk must do. Fill the rabbit, sew it up, smear well with dripping, and bake in a steady oven. A slice or two of bacon should be placed over the rabbit the last half-hour, as you do when baking a fowl. Takes about 2 hours. Whole onions may be baked round the rabbit. Baste occasionally with the fat. Rabbit Soup Cut up a rabbit, cover with water; add plenty of cut-up onion and a carrot or two, and boil until the meat leaves the bones. Spring onions may be used, also a turnip if liked. Strain, and return to the saucepan. Add % pint of milk, thicken with flour or cornflour, and sedson to taste. Some of the rabbit meat should .be put back into the soup, also the vegetables if desired. Good and nourishing. : Curried Rabbit This is much used by housewives whose families think they don’t like rabbits; but who find them such a help in saving rationed meat. Make like other curries-cut up and fry plenty of onions in hot fat-bacon fat is excellent, Sprinkle the onions with curry powder: while frying. Remove the onions to a clean saucepan, and fry the rabbit joints (washed and dried and lightly floured)sprinkling them also with a little salt and curry powder as they fry. Put them into the saucepan with the onion; add-a little hot water to the residue in the frying pan and pour into the saucepan, so that the rabbit is well covered with hot water, Stew gently until tender. Remove the rabbit and keep hot while you thicken the gravy with. flour, adding sugar to taste, and a dash of vinegar. Pour this tasty gravy over the rabbit in serving dish, and serve hot with sweet chutney or quince honey---or even plum jam. Boiled jacket potatoes and a green vegetable complete a really nice dinner, Rabbit with Apple and Dumplings Cut rabbit into joints, and roll them in seasoned flour.’ Fry in bacon fat. Brown on both sides. Put in saucepan, barely cover with hot water. Slice in 4 good apples, sprinkle with a little sugar, Slice in 4 good onions, and a teaspoon of salt. Cover. Simmer slowly 244 hours or so-and half an hour before taking up put in wee SUET DUMPLINGS-1 cup of flour; 1 teas of baking powder; and 2 tablespoons of shredded suet. Mix with water.