Ingredients
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1/2 cup Cognac
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1/2 cup raisins
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12 pitted prunes
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5 lb rabbit with liver
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2 1/2 tsp Salt
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freshly ground black pepper
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1/2 cup Flour
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1/2 cup diced bacon
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1/4 cup Butter
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3 finely chopped Onionsor French shallots
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2 cups dark beer
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2 tsp red wine vinegar
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1 cup Water
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2 tsp Sugar
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1 pinch nutmeg
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3 Bay Leaves
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1 tbsp corn starch
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1 tbsp Water
Directions
Rabbit cooked with prunes is a beloved classic Belgian dish, known there as “lapin aux pruneaux”.The meat of a rabbit is tender and soft, especially when it has been covered in sauce for many hours, which is how the Belgians produce such a delicate dısh. It is literally cooked in the boiling sauce after being quickly roasted in a pan and doused in fresh cold beer, a dark one, or, possibly, an abbey beer. This warm stew is a typical winter dish, but you can of course enjoy it any time on a trip to Belgium.
Preparation:
- In a bowl, immerse the raisins and prunes in the cognac (or water) as needed until the fruit is fully immersed. Marinate for 3 hours at room temperature.
- Cut the rabbit into pieces and season with salt and pepper. Cover the rabbit pieces and the liver with flour.
- In a saucepan large enough to cook the rabbit, brown the bacon in the butter for 5 minutes.
- Add the onions and let them sweat for 3-4 minutes at low temperature. Add the rabbit pieces and liver and brown on all sides.
- Once caramelized, add the vinegar, water, sugar, nutmeg, bay leaves, and beer. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
- Remove the meat from the saucepan and set aside. Let the sauce cool down and skim the congealed fat off the surface.
- Reheat the sauce and thicken with 15 ml of cornstarch diluted in 15 ml of water.
- Drain the raisins and prunes and add to the mixture. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Return the rabbit to the sauce and reheat.
- Serve with boiled or mashed potatoes.
