Rosemary rabbit is a flavorful and delicious dish that is perfect for any special occasion or a regular family dinner. This comfort food is made by braising rabbit in a savory sauce made from a carpet of veggies and topped with rosemary branches resulting in flavorful and juicy rabbit meat.
The rosemary adds a woodsy and earthy flavor to the rabbit meat, providing depth and complexity to the dish. Whether you’re looking to impress your guests or simply want to enjoy a comforting and satisfying meal, this rosemary rabbit recipe is sure to please.
Even if this recipe may look a little bit complicated, it is very easy to make and it is easy to follow. You may pair the rosemary rabbit with mashed potatoes, polenta, or with a green salad.
As the rabbit is lean meat, when cooked it usually becomes dry, but I will share with you a few tricks that you should do in order to get juicy rabbit meat.
When making rosemary rabbit, it is also important to use fresh and high-quality rabbit meat. Look for rabbit that is well-marbled and has a pinkish color.
The meat should be firm to the touch and have a mild, gamey smell. It is also important to brown the rabbit before braising it to create a rich and flavorful base for the sauce.
If you will have some leftovers, you can use them in some sandwiches, wraps, or a slice of focaccia bread.
🥰 Why You Will Love This Recipe?
- Even if the rabbit meat is considered lean and often becomes dry after cooking, by following this recipe, you will get juicy rabbit meat that will fall off the bones.
- It is easy to make and follow the recipe and you can easily adapt the recipe to suit different tastes and dietary needs.
- This dish is perfect for a regular midnight dinner or for a special occasion. It looks gorgeous on the plate.
- It is a versatile recipe in that you can adjust the taste by using different vegetables or spices in it.
🥘 Ingredients and Substitutes
- Rabbit Meat.
- Rosemary.
- Seasonings. I used a simple mix of salt and pepper because I wanted to highlight the rosemary flavor. If you want, you can add other spices such as sage, thyme, paprika, and chili flakes.
- Onions and leeks. I added them to this recipe to add extra juiciness to the rabbit meat because this meat is quite lean and there is a risk that it will be dry. Besides these vegetables, you can add carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers, olives, or capers.
- Garlic. I put it for the flavor because it goes well with rabbits. Even if you are not a fan of the garlic taste, I will recommend keeping it in the recipe, because, during cooking, it will lose its intense taste, instead it will give the meat a more intense aroma.
- Water. It is necessary to add water to avoid burning the vegetables in the first step of cooking the vegetables.
- Wine vinegar. To balance the taste, we need an acidic ingredient. I opted for wine vinegar, but you can replace it with dry white wine or with another type of vinegar such as honey, apple, or rice vinegar.
👩🍳 Step-by-step Directions
Season the rabbit meat with salt and pepper. Mix it well and leave it to marinate for about 30 minutes.
In the meantime, cut the vegetables and put them in the saucepan in which you will stew the rabbit later.
After this, take a frying pan, pour oil into it, and add crushed garlic. Fry a little bit the garlic until you feel the aroma of garlic.
After that, put the rabbit meat in the frying pan and fry on high heat on both sides until you get a golden crust.
Quick Note: Do not cover the rabbit meat with a lid because, you will smother the meat, but you will not give it a crust. To avoid splashes, use a frying splatter screen.
Pro Tip: Start frying the biggest pieces of rabbit meat. We are doing that to put the biggest pieces of the meat at the bottom of the saucepan over the vegetables. As a result, these pieces will get a greater amount of heat and the meat will cook more evenly.
Quick Note: It is not necessary to cook the rabbits now, our goal is only to seal the pores so that the juice does not come out of the meat.
After browning the rabbit well on all sides, put it in the saucepan over the vegetable carpet. Then put the rosemary branches on top.
Add water and vinegar to the rabbit meat.
After this, you can set the heat to low, cover them with a lid, and let the rabbit cook slowly for 1.5-2 hours.
Quick Note: It is not necessary to mix vegetables and meat. The meat will steam and keep its shape. Thus, the final result will be more attractive.
In the end, check if the meat is cooked enough. It is considered ready when it comes off the bone easily. Serve it on a deep plate, along with some breadcrumbs or a slice of bread with which you can enjoy the sauce that leaked from the vegetables.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Rosemary rabbit is a flavorful and delicious dish that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. A few ideas will be to serve the rabbit near a polenta, mashed potatoes, near garlicky bread, or near some vegetable side dishes like green beans or other roasted vegetables.
🏆 Expert Tips. What to Pay Attention To?
- If you know that the rabbit you are using is a bit older and has hard meat, I recommend you add 2-3 tablespoons of butter to make the meat juicier.
- Do not mix the meat during cooking because you will break the pieces and it will not look good when served.
- Put the larger pieces of meat at the bottom of the pan so that they receive more heat. As a result, you can be sure that all the pieces of meat will be cooked evenly at the end.
Can I Use a Different Type of Meat for This Recipe?
Yes, you can substitute rabbit with other meats such as chicken, turkey, or even pork. However, the cooking time and flavors may vary depending on the type of meat you choose. Make sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly and ensure the meat is fully cooked before serving.
Can I Make This Dish in a Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker?
Yes, you can adapt this recipe for a slow cooker or pressure cooker. For a slow cooker, brown the rabbit and sauté the vegetables as instructed, then transfer everything to the slow cooker, adding broth and rosemary. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until the rabbit is tender. For a pressure cooker, follow the same initial steps and then cook under high pressure for 20-25 minutes, followed by a natural pressure release.
How Do I Know When the Rabbit Is Cooked Through?
Rabbit is cooked through when the meat is tender and easily separates from the bone. The internal temperature should reach 160°F (71°C) when checked with a meat thermometer. Cooking time will vary depending on the size and cut of the rabbit, but it generally takes about 1-1.5 hours of simmering.
Can I Add Other Vegetables or Herbs to the Dish?
Yes, you can customize the dish by adding other vegetables like carrots, celery, or mushrooms for added flavor and texture. You can also experiment with other herbs like thyme, sage, or oregano to enhance the dish’s overall taste. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time and liquid amount accordingly.
📋 Recipe Card:
Juicy Rosemary Rabbit
Ingredients
- 3 lb Rabbit
- 6 Branches Rosemary
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 Onions Small
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 Leek
- ¼ cup Water
- ½ teaspoon Wine Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Instructions
- Season the rabbit with salt and pepper and leave it to marinate for 30 minutes.3 lb Rabbit, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- Cut the vegetables and put them in a saucepan.2 Onions, 1 Leek
- In another frying pan, add olive oil and fry the garlic in it.3 cloves Garlic, 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Put the rabbit over the garlicky oil and fry until you get a golden crust. At this stage, it is not necessary to cook the rabbits now, our goal is only to seal the pores.
- After that, put the fried rabbit over the veggies carpet in the first saucepan that we prepared earlier. Put the rosemary branches over the rabbit.6 Branches Rosemary
- Add water and vinegar over the rabbit meat.¼ cup Water, ½ teaspoon Wine Vinegar
- Cover the saucepan with a lid, and let the rabbit cook slowly for 1.5-2 hours
- In the end, check if the meat is cooked enough. It is considered ready when it comes off the bone easily.
Quick Note
I highly recommend reading the entire recipe to find more tips and notes about this recipe. Read Full Recipe ⇑
Notes
- To ensure the best results, select fresh, high-quality rabbit meat. Look for meat that is well-marbled and has a pinkish color. The meat should feel firm to the touch and have a mild, gamey smell.
- Rabbit meat is lean and can become dry when cooked. To prevent this, season the rabbit with salt and pepper and let it marinate for about 30 minutes before cooking. This will help the meat retain its juiciness.
- Layering the seared rabbit over a bed of vegetables (onions, leeks, and garlic in this recipe) not only adds flavor but also helps keep the meat moist. You can customize the vegetable selection to your liking, including options like carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers, olives, or capers.
- To determine if the rabbit is cooked through, gently check if the meat easily comes off the bone. This indicates that it’s ready to be served.
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