Hasenpfeffer stew over sauteed cabbage and carrots.

So much easier to use a resealable bag for both marinating the meat and dredging it in flour.

Back in the day, people used to raise their own meat. In urban areas this very well could be meat rabbit or squab. Today, we’re talking about rabbit. It was sometimes called city chicken. For the tale on that, check out the podcast this recipe was featured on.

The magic in this recipe has to do with the comfort of home, as well as the energy of youth, and the good memories that continue to feed us. Yes, this is a recipe that includes meat rabbit, which is sometimes unheard of depending on where you live. But it’s packed full of good nutrition as well as nutrients to fuel you through transitional seasons. It’s also has the energy of making do with what you have into something special.

Go out of your comfort zone and give this one a whirl. Your dinner guests and cauldron will thank you.

Notes:

In the photos, Runa included sweet potatoes and some red onion. Both are optional. However, this recipe does include instructions for it.

You can see why people call this city chicken.

You can use any flour you like. The photos here show whole wheat flour.

Rabbit bones can be very fragile. Be sure not to cook too long before you decide to de-bone it.

Runa always uses a resealable plastic bag when marinading or dredging the meat. However a glass dish or ceramic pan will work, too.

This recipe traditionally is marinaded for 48 hours; but, you can push the marinade to 12 hours and it doesn’t affect the flavor. Runa has put the rabbit in the marinade first thing in the morning and made the stew that night. Still yummy.

This is a stew, not a soup.

You do not have to serve over anything, but we love having sauteed cabbage & carrots with this. You can “cheat” and just buy a “cole slaw” bag from the produce department of your local market.

Ingredients:

Golden goodness

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 4 scallions, halved lengthwise
• 4 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
• 3 dashes of Tabasco
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1 sprig flat-leaf parsley
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon whole juniper berries
• 1 3-pound rabbit, cut into pieces

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  

  One sweet potato cubed and a small red onion chopped in big chunks add a great flavor to this dish; however, both are optional.

  

  Strain the marinade well.

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• All-purpose flour (for dredging)
• 1 good-sized Sweet potato, cubed (optional)
• 1 small to medium Red Onion, chopped (optional)
• Shredded cabbage & carrots to serve over (or boiled potatoes or cooked egg noodles)

Need to slow the cooking down a bit? Use a lid. Otherwise, tops off!

Instructions:

Heat oil and butter in a large heavy pot. Place some flour in a shallow bowl or resealable plastic bag and dredge rabbit in flour, shaking off excess.

Working in batches if needed, cook rabbit, turning once, until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer rabbit to a plate and cook sweet potatoes and onions in drippings from pot, about 5 minutes to soak up seasonings and let onions get translucent. Pour reserved marinade into pot and bring to a simmer. Add rabbit pieces, cover, and simmer gently until rabbit is tender, about 60 to 90 minutes.

Take rabbit out again, let cool to touch and de-bone. Put meat back in cauldron and simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring as necessary to keep from burning. In the last 15 minutes of cooking the Hasenpfeffer begin to saute your cabbage and carrots. When marinade is reduced and rabbit tender, serve the Hasenpfeffer over sauteed cabbage and carrots (or traditionally boiled potatoes or cooked egg noodles).

All cooked down and ready to eat. So good and so good for you. Hasenpfeffer.

This recipe is connected to episode 37, Season One