Hasenpfeffer is a traditional German delicacy that is made from rabbit or hare meat. The dish takes nearly 2 hours for preparation and has many spices and herbs to accentuate the taste. Most notable amongst the ingredients of this delicacy are wine, pepper, shallots, garlic, and bacon. The dish works best if you have the time to rest the marinated meat for a couple of days.
Health Benefits
Rabbit meat is rich in omega 3 fatty acids and iron. Rabbits are also a good source of protein and phosphorus.
Ingredients
lbs rabbit meat — cleaned and cubed: 3
2 tbsp + 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
tsp salt: 1/2
lbs bacon — diced: 1/2
clove garlic — chopped finely: 1
cup shallots — chopped finely: 1/2
cup dry red wine: 1
tbsp currant jelly: 1
cup water: 1
tbsp chicken bouillon — granules: 1
bay leaf: 1
black peppercorns — crushed: 10
tsp lemon juice: 2
tsp dried rosemary — crushed: 1/4
tsp dried thyme — crushed: 1/8
tbsp water: 3
How To Make 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.