RABBIT AND BUTTER BEAN STEW WITH COURGETTE AND SORREL
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 250g/9oz spicy chorizo
- diced
- 1 onion
- diced
- 1 celery stick
- diced
- 1 carrot
- diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- grated
- 2 red chillies
- roughly chopped
- 50g/1¾oz caster sugar
- 100ml/3½fl oz red wine
- 100ml/3½fl oz red wine vinegar
- 2 x 400g can butter beans
- drained
- 2 bay leaves
- 300ml/½ pint chicken stock
- 2 wild rabbits
- jointed
- plain white flour
- for dusting
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large courgette
- diced
- knob of butter
- for frying
- 2 large handfuls fresh sorrel
- chopped
- 1 unwaxed lemon
- zest only
- 100g/3½oz manchego cheese
- 2 tsp cracked black pepper
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large ovenproof pan with a lid. Fry the chorizo until the oils come out.
- Add the onion
- celery
- carrot
- garlic and chillies and fry gently for a few minutes. Add the sugar
- wine and vinegar and cook until reduced in volume to a glaze.
- Add the butter beans
- bay leaves and stock.
- Meanwhile
- dust the rabbit shoulders and legs in flour. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a clean pan and fry the shoulders and legs
- turning
- until golden-brown. Season with salt and pepper and add them to the pan containing the stock and beans. Bring it to the boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer and put the lid on.
- Bake for 30 minutes then remove the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes
- checking the liquid doesn't dry out. Cook until the rabbit is cooked through. Remove the pan from the oven. Take out the rabbit pieces and keep to one side.
- Place the pan on the hob and bring to the boil. Reduce the liquid down in volume a little
- then add the courgette and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Fry the rabbit loins in a clean pan with a little butter for 2-3 minutes on each side
- or until cooked. Remove them from the heat
- slice them and stir them and the sorrel into the beans. Place the legs and shoulders back on top.
- To serve
- grate on the lemon zest and manchego cheese. Sprinkle on some cracked black pepper and serve.

