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Braised rabbit with fennel and pastis and chickpea purée

Preparation time
less than 30 mins

Cooking time
1 to 2 hours

Serves
Serves 4

 

Pastis and fennel is the perfect combination to complement the richness of this slow-cooked rabbit.

By Michel Roux Jr.
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 1 x 1.5kg/3lb 5oz farmed rabbit (ask your butcher to joint the rabbit into 2 legs, 2 shoulders, with the saddle and rack cut into 4. Keep the kidneys intact)
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 large fennel bulb, roughly chopped
  • 1 lemon, juice only
  • 250ml/9fl oz pastis
  • 4 slices smoked ventreche or pancetta
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp roughly chopped fennel tops or fresh dill, to serve

For the chickpea purée

  • 1 x 400g tin cooked chickpeas, drained
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 150ml/5fl oz extra virgin olive oil

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3.

  2. Place the rabbit in a large bowl and smother with the mustard.

  3. Heat the oil in an ovenproof pan and gently fry the onion, garlic and fennel for 2 minutes. Add the rabbit, lemon juice and pastis and season with salt and pepper. Lay the ventreche on top.

  4. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and bake for 1–1¼ hours. Leave to cool for 15 minutes.

  5. To make the chickpea purée, blend the chickpeas and garlic in a food processor and gradually add the olive oil until a smooth purée is formed. Warm through in a saucepan.

  6. Transfer the rabbit to serving bowls. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle over the fennel tops. Lay the cooked ventreche on top and serve with the chickpea purée.

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