Sous-Vide Rabbit in Piquant Sauce

Sous-Vide Rabbit in Piquant Sauce

I was browsing the web the other day when I stumbled across Stefan’s blog. I wasn’t even looking for recipes, none the less to run into a Sous-Vide recipe that I hadn’t tried before. Rabbit! Yes, please!

I’ve never tried cooking Rabbit before because I always hear how difficult it is, I’d leave it to the pros. But Sous-Vide is practically auto pilot, so without further ado I would like to share this awesome recipe with you. There will be some work involved before and after cooking sous vide, but you can split it up over a few days so it is still very easy!


Credit, of course goes to Stefan at www.StefanGourmet.com, if you would like to visit the recipe directly click here.
Sous Vide Rabbit
Important Excerpts:
“…cook rabbit sous-vide for 8 hours at 75C/167F for consistent results.”

Ingredients:

  • 2 rabbit legs, about 400 grams (.9 lb) total
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 80 ml (1/3 cup) dry white wine
  • 120 ml (1/2 cup) pureed canned plum tomatoes
  • 60 ml (1/4 cup) good-quality white wine vinegar
  • 1 anchovy fillet, minced, or an equivalent amount of anchovy paste
  • 1/2 Tbsp minced fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
  • 1 Tbsp rinsed, dried and minced capers

 

Steps:

  • 1. Season the rabbit legs with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Brown them in olive oil on all sides.
  • 2. When the rabbit legs have been browned, take them out of the pan and put them on a plate to cool. Add half a tablespoon of minced rosemary and a minced garlic clove to the pan, and stir for a few seconds (making sure the garlic doesn’t brown, as that would make it bitter).
  • 3. Deglaze your pan with 80 ml (1/3 cup) of dry white wine.
  • 4. Cook over medium heat, scraping with a wooden spatula to get any browned bits into the sauce, until the wine has been reduced by about half.
  • 5. Add 120 ml (1/2 cup) of pureed canned tomatoes.
  • 6. Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, while the rabbit legs are still cooling off.
  • 7. Keep going until the sauce has a nice thick consistency. Remember that the sauce won’t reduce when it is cooked sous-vide in a vacuum sealed bag!
  • 8. Vacuum seal! If you are using a clamp style vacuum sealer you will need to place some paper towel towards the top of the bag to absorb any liquid before it escapes. This recipe is actually ideal for a chamber sealer. If you are lucky enough to have a chamber vacuum sealer, allow both the rabbit and the sauce to cool off completely, then vacuum seal. (When they have not cooled off, the low pressure will make the juices boil at a low temperature.)

Vacuum Sealed Rabbit

Vacuum Sealed Rabbit and Piquant Sauce

  • 9. Cook sous-vide for 8 hours at 75C/167F.
  • 10. After those 8 hours, pour the sauce from the bag into a frying pan and add 60 ml (1/4 cup) of white wine vinegar.
  • 11. Cook over medium heat until the sauce has a nice thick consistency.
  • 12. Put the rabbit legs in the pan as well, and add half a tablespoon of minced parsley, a minced anchovy fillet, and a tablespoon of minced capers. Stir to incorporate those into the sauce, and cook over low heat until the rabbit legs have warmed up a little on the outside
  • 13. Serve the rabbit with the sauce on preheated plates.

 

Will it Vacuum Seal?

Place any leftovers in a bag, sauce and all, then pre-freeze for an hour or so. Once mostly frozen you can use a vacuum sealer to remove the air and save the leftovers for quite a long time. Enjoy the hard work you put into this recipe again later! If the bag you used to Sous Vide is still intact and large enough, re-use it to store your left overs.