Rabbit Creole
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Ingredients
1 1/2 to 2 pounds diced, deboned rabbit (about two medium rabbits)
2, 6 ounce cans tomato paste
2, 14 ounce cans chicken broth
3 medium carrots
4 celery stalks
1 onion
2 red bell peppers
1 chili pepper (optional)
1 large sage sprig
1 tbsp. fresh, stripped thyme leaves
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. salt (I use sea salt)
2 bay leaves
1 cup blond roux (1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup flour)
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Directions
Michael Moment
I personally like chunky—it doesn’t matter if it is salsa, soup,
or stew. I want to see what I’m eating.
Prep Work
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Wash all of the vegetables and fresh spices.
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Put the tomato paste and chicken broth in a slow cooker or large pot.
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Peal and slice the carrots a quarter of an inch thick or less. If the slices are
too thick, it will take a long time to cook. If you are in a hurry, you can boil the carrots and celery in a pot
for about five minutes.
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Slice the celery.
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Chop the onion.
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Core and cut the bell peppers into chunks or slices.
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Finely dice the chili pepper. If you are going for flavor, as opposed to heat, use a milder pepper such as a yellow chili pepper, or you can use a hotter pepper but scrape out the seeds before dicing it (the
seeds have all of the heat).
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Pull the leaves off of the sage sprig.
- Pull the thyme leaves off of the stems.
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Peal the garlic cloves and dice them coarsely.
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Put all of the above ingredients into the pot and add the black pepper, cayenne
pepper, salt, and bay leaves.
Michael Moment
Do not burn the roux. If you don’t stir the roux the whole time, it will
burn. If you turn the temperature up too high it will burn. Don’t get the door;
don’t go to the bathroom; don’t check on the dog; don’t answer the phone; don’t
blink; blink and it burns; don’t turn your back; don’t look away; and don’t blink.
If you have black flecks in the roux, it is ruined. You will find it tough enough
to make it to the point where the roux goes blond—you don’t want to have to restart
it because you burned it at the last minute. Also, use a bigger pot than you think
you need and don’t get messy while you are stirring it. If any of it gets on you,
you will lose that part of your skin; it is hot and sticky.
Oh . . . did I mention not to burn it?
Prepare the Roux
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Put the butter in a large sauce pan and heat on medium until it is melted.
- Slowly
stir in the flour (1/4 of the amount at a time is a good approach).
- Wisk for twelve
minutes. It will go through several transformations: first it will
look like butter-soaked flour, then it will foam up, finally it will settle back
into a liquid and start to take on a most amazing color and smell.
- Pour it into the pot.
- Thank whatever culinary deity you worship that you
didn’t have to make a brown roux (that takes an HOUR!).
Cooking Instructions
Add the rabbit, stir well, and cook over medium-low heat until the rabbit is done and the
vegetables are tender (about four hours in a crock pot). Taste the sauce about two hours in and add salt, pepper, and
cayenne as needed.
Serve over rice with southern biscuits or focaccia bread. Leftovers can be frozen
and, when thawed in the refrigerator, heat up to near-fresh consistency.
For some variety, add some fresh picked cherry tomatoes.