This rabbit in creamy dried tomato sauce recipe combines the delicate white meat of rabbit with a rich, oven-dried tomato and cream sauce. It’s so delicious, it’s guaranteed to be a crowdpleaser!
I’ve wanted to come up with a recipe like this for a very long time. I’ve always thought that rabbit meat would go beautifully with a creamy sauce, but my first few attempts weren’t that great. I finally hit on the perfect sauce to go with rabbit meat and I think this is how I’ll cook rabbit from now on. It’s so delicious!
Image by Onkel Ramirez from Pixabay
Rabbit meat is very delicate, lean and pure tasting. It’s very similar to chicken or turkey breast, but without the protective skin covering that keeps both chicken and turkey from drying out. I like to season or marinate rabbit meat before cooking it so it doesn’t get too dry and tough. Rabbit is also extremely lean; if you’re watching your fat intake this is the meat for you! It also takes on any flavouring you add to it. This is why marinating or pre-seasoning rabbit meat works so well.
For this recipe, I used a dry rub, then braised the rabbit in water, then added the sauce. It’s a rather complicated recipe but it is definitely worth it. I think it’s an excellent meal for gatherings. The leftovers keep well in the fridge and taste great the next day, so you can even make it ahead of time. I used the delicious oven-dried tomatoes I made at home with this recipe. If you don’t feel like making your own dried tomatoes, use store-bought sun-dried tomatoes instead.
Ingredients
- Four rabbit legs; I used the four legs of the same rabbit. This is a good portion for four people.
- One tablespoon kosher salt
- One teaspoon chilli flakes
- One tablespoon dried Italian herb mix
- Half a teaspoon smoked paprika
- One teaspoon ground black pepper
- One tablespoon canola oil, and little more for frying the tomatoes and garlic
- Two cups of sliced oven-dried or sun-dried tomatoes
- One cup heavy cream
- Three large cloves of garlic
- Two tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
- One cup rabbit braising liquid (rabbit stock)
Method
- In a bowl, mix the spices, herbs and salt together. Reserve one teaspoon of the mix. Rub the rabbit legs with the remaining spice and herb mix. Add one tablespoon of canola oil to ensure the spices cover the rabbit legs. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.
- Preheat the oven to 390 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the rabbit legs in a casserole dish or glass pan. Add one and a half cups of water to the bottom of the pan, or until the rabbit legs are half covered.
- Bake in the oven for 50 minutes.
- After you remove the rabbit from the oven, in a skillet, heat up the remaining canola oil.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and garlic. Sauté on medium heat until the garlic is slightly brown but not burned.
- Add the remaining herbs, spices and salt.
- Pour in the heavy cream, let it come to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
- Add any remaining braising liquid from the rabbit legs into the sauce. Mix thoroughly and allow to simmer until it thickens slightly, about ten minutes.
- Turn off the heat, then add the parmesan cheese. Mix well until it is combined in the sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the rabbit legs in the casserole dish. Place it back in the oven for 10 minutes, or until it is all heated through. Serve over rice or pasta. Enjoy!
Photo by L.E.
Have you ever tried rabbit meat? What are your favourite rabbit dishes? Let me know in the comments!
For other rabbit recipes, check out this Roast Rabbit Legs recipe.
© 2019, L.E.. All rights reserved.