Hasenpfeffer (Rabbit Stew)

• Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until brown.
• Drain excess oil on paper towel and keep aside.
• Sprinkle salt on rabbit and apply 1/3 cup flour. Shake off the excess flour.
• Place the rabbit in the remaining bacon fat and cook until brown.
• Remove the rabbit from the skillet leaving 2 tbsp of fat.
• Sauté garlic with the shallots in the skillet and cook until tender.
• Add 1 cup water, bouillon, and wine while stirring. Bring to a boil and then add peppercorns, jelly, bay leaf, and rosemary. Keep stirring.
• Add bacon and rabbit to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce the flame covering the skillet and cook for approximately 1½ hours until the meat is tender.
• Discard the bay leaf. Remove the rabbit meat and place it on a warm platter. Keep it warm until the gravy is prepared.
• Add lemon juice to the skillet and stir. Add 3 tbsp water and 2 tbsp flour. Mix well and pour into the skillet stirring continuously. Cook on low heat and add thyme.
• Pour the gravy over the stew and serve steaming hot.

Trivia

• Hasenpfeffer (Rabbit stew) traditionally uses rabbit or hare meat marinated well. In fact, the word ‘Hase’ in German means ‘hare’ while ‘Pfeffer’ means ‘pepper’.
• The meat to bone ration in a rabbit is quite high making it a favorite choice among chefs.