Rabbit Pie

Rabbit pie is a classic English dish, traditionally made with game meat and fresh vegetables from the garden. Historically, the dish gained popularity mainly during World War II, when people began substituting rabbits in their meat pies due to the scarcity of other meats.

Today, it remains a well-loved traditional dish, with a lot of English homes having their own family recipes for rabbit pies passed down through generations. We present below a delectable recipe for short-crust rabbit pie served in the classic English style. It is a balanced combination of meat, sauce, and pastry, perfect to be eaten on a rainy winter evening with a glass of cider on the side.

Health Benefits

Rabbit meat is white meat, which is lower in cholesterol and fat compared to other meats such as chicken, pork, or beef. So rabbit meat is healthier and contains fewer calories than other kinds of meats. Served with a side of sautéed vegetables or salad, homemade rabbit pie is a hearty healthy dish.

Ingredients

diced rabbits or rabbit joints: 300 gm

plain flour: 4 tbsp

Sunflower Oil: 2 tbsp

leek: 1

fennel seeds: 1 tbsp

Chicken stock: 500 ml

Cream: 5 tbsp

Mustard paste: 1 tbsp

sheet of ready-made rolled short-crust pastry: 1

egg: 1

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

How To Make Rabbit Pie

1. Use a casserole pan and heat half the oil. Toss the diced rabbit meat with half the flour and season well. Fry till the meat is nicely browned and then lift out the meat and put it aside.
2. In the same pan, add remaining oil and sauté the leek and fennel seeds. Dust the remaining flour over them and stir gently till they are mixed properly.
3. Once the vegetable is cooked properly, add the meat and the vegetable stock. Let this simmer on a low heat.
4. Cook for 40-45 minutes till the meat is very tender. Once the meat can be shred off the bones, discard the bones from the pan.
5. Boil the dish till the gravy thicken and reduces to about a third of what you put in. Now add the cream and mustard. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
6. Take a pie pan and line the edge of the pan with half the ready-made pastry. Add the reduced mixture of meat and fennel. Use the remaining pastry to make a top crust of woven lattice to be put on top of the meat and vegetables. You can do this by cutting the pastry into strips, which are roughly 2.5 cm wide, and then weave them into each other taking three strips at a time.
7. Once you have put your latticed pastry tightly on top of the meat in the pie pan, cut off any extra edges. Brush the top of the pastry with a beaten egg.
8. Now put this in a pre-heated oven and leave to cook at 200C. Let the pie bake for about 25 minutes till the crust is golden.
9. Your pie is now ready and can be served with a side of vegetables or soup.

Trivia

• A male rabbit is called a buck and a female rabbit is called a doe.
• Rabbit teeth keep growing through the course of their life.