Ingredients

• 1 x 1.5kg/3lb 5oz farmed rabbit (ask your butcher to joint the rabbit into 2 legs
• 2 shoulders
• with the saddle and rack cut into 4. Keep the kidneys intact)
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• plus extra for drizzling
• 1 onion
• roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• roughly chopped
• 1 large fennel bulb
• roughly chopped
• 1 lemon
• juice only
• 250ml/9fl oz pastis
• 4 slices smoked ventreche or pancetta
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp roughly chopped fennel tops or fresh dill
• to serve
• 1 x 400g tin cooked chickpeas
• drained
• 2 garlic cloves
• chopped
• 150ml/5fl oz extra virgin olive oil

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3.
• Place the rabbit in a large bowl and smother with the mustard.
• Heat the oil in an ovenproof pan and gently fry the onion
• garlic and fennel for 2 minutes. Add the rabbit
• lemon juice and pastis and season with salt and pepper. Lay the ventreche on top.
• Cover with a tight-fitting lid and bake for 1–1¼ hours. Leave to cool for 15 minutes.
• To make the chickpea purée
• blend the chickpeas and garlic in a food processor and gradually add the olive oil until a smooth purée is formed. Warm through in a saucepan.
• Transfer the rabbit to serving bowls. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle over the fennel tops. Lay the cooked ventreche on top and serve with the chickpea purée.