This French recipe of rabbit with plums and raisins has the particularity of being cooked in red wine. This might contradict the classic rule which establish that white wine is the one that pairs with white meat. And yet this combination is triumphant, thanks to the balance provided by the plums and raisins.
Ingredients:
1 small clean rabbit (approx. 1 kg)
1/2 kilo of fresh plums
2 tablespoons raisins (or currants)
200 gr of bacon (or raw ham)
3 glasses of red wine
3 shallots
2-3 garlic cloves
Thyme, rosemary, bay leaf and if possible, some juniper berries
Salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil
Optionally to thicken the sauce: a little flour and some red fruit jelly
The marinade:
Arrange the chopped rabbit in a bowl, season it with thyme, rosemary, bay leaf and salt. Add the red wine, cover and keep in the fridge, ideally for about 8 hours. Take it out half an hour before the next step. At that point, reserve the rabbit and the marinade separately.
The preparation:
In a wide pan, heat a little extra virgin olive oil without letting it smoke. Brown the rabbit on both sides and reserve.
Add a little more oil if needed. Cut the shallots, slice the garlic and fry everything over moderate heat until caramelized, stirring occasionally in order to prevent it from sticking or burning. Add the bacon cut into small cubes. When the ingredients are golden brown, add the rabbit and the wine from the marinade. Season with a little more thyme. Cover and when it starts to boil, continue cooking over low heat. After 10 minutes, add the plums and raisins and cook for an additional 20 minutes. If available, add the liver after 10 minutes. Correct the salt and season pepper at the end.
Tips and tricks:
- Pre-marinating the rabbit is not absolutely essential in this case. But this process always helps to improve or intensify the flavor of the meat and also to tenderize it, by using an acid agent such as wine or vinegar.
- The amount of wine indicated is small, but you can add more if you prefer. And if you want to reduce the sauce later, just add a tablespoon of flour or cornstarch and mix. But in this case, a very original idea is to also add a bit of red fruit jelly.
- French cuisine is usually very elaborate and full of details like the one just mentioned. Another very sophisticated step that I have also skipped is to pre-marinate the raisins in a little gin
- Of course you don’t have to open the most expensive wine for cooking, but for the best result use one that is good to drink as well.