Hasenpfeffer (German Rabbit Stew)
by Jay Wadams
Nothing beats a rich and comforting stew when the weather turns cold outside. Hasenpfeffer, or German Rabbit Stew, is a deliciously flavoursome meal made from tender red wine marinated rabbit. Serve this traditional German dish with plenty of mashed potatoes and braised red cabbage. Guten Appetit!
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg rabbit cut into 8 pieces
for the marinade:
- 500 ml dry red wine
- 125 ml red wine vinegar
- 1 large onion sliced
- 1 Tbsp peppercorns crushed
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 tsp marjoram
- 2 tsp juniper berries crushed
- 1 tsp allspice berries
- 1 tsp sea salt
to cook:
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 medium carrot diced
- 1 parsnip diced
- 1/8 th celery root / celeriac peeled and diced
- 125 g bacon, diced
- 2 Tbsp plain or all-purpose flour
- 250 ml vegetable or chicken stock or broth
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 Tbsp brandy
- 1 Tbsp peppercorns crushed
to serve:
- small bunch of fresh parsley chopped
- mashed potatoes
- red cabbage
Scan the QR Code to view the online recipe with detailed instructions, photos, hints, tips and more at daysofjay.com
Instructions
- MARINATE THE RABBIT: Place rabbit in a large bowl or dish big enough to hold all the pieces. Mix together all marinade ingredients, then pour over the rabbit. Cover with plastic wrap, then marinate in the fridge for 24-48 hours.
- PREPARE: When ready to cook, remove the pieces of rabbit from the marinade, then strain the marinade through a fine sieve, reserving both the liquid and the onions.
- BROWN THE RABBIT: Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a wide, heavy-based saucepan, casserole or Dutch oven. Pat the rabbit dry with paper towels, then fry the rabbit in batches in the hot butter, taking care to get plenty of colour on the rabbit pieces; it should be a beautiful golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- COOK VEGETABLES: Add the remaining butter to the pan, along with the reserved onions, carrot, parsnip, celery root and bacon. Cook for 3 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften, then add the flour to the pan, stir well to coat, then cook for 2 minutes.
- ADD LIQUID: Deglaze the pan by adding 250ml (1 cup) of the reserved marinade and stirring well, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the vegetable stock and rosemary, then return rabbit pieces and any resting liquid to the pan, tucking the pieces in snugly, in one layer if possible and as much under the liquid as possible.
- COOK: Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to very low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer gently for 2 hours until the rabbit is very tender and pulls easily away from the bone with a fork.
- SHRED: Using two forks, pull the meat away from the bones, discarding the bones. Stir well, then season to taste with salt, crushed peppercorns (I use a whole tablespoon, but it's up to you), or a pinch of sugar. (see notes).
- SERVE: Serve with mashed potatoes and braised red cabbage garnished with parsley.
Notes
Sweetening the gravy: It is common in this sort of dish to sweeten and flavour the gravy with gingerbread. If you'd like to try this (it is delicious!), crumble 2-3 Specula's/Biscoff cookies into the cup of reserved marinade before adding it to the pan. You could also try adding a splash of maple syrup or similar.
Pepper: It's not traditional, but I like to add loads of pepper to this dish. I crush peppercorns in a mortar and pestle and sprinkle them, but this step is up to your personal tastes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 947kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 82g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 259mg | Sodium: 1269mg | Potassium: 1873mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2877IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 8mg