“My mum used to make rabbit in black sauce for me. Since I was little, I have always been a very clean eater, but with that dish I was always covered in the sauce, it was just brilliant!”
Barbora Stiess runs the Devilled Egg Kitchen Academy. She says, “I absolutely love what I do, not just because of the food, but what got me into it, is because of my mum’s attitude and my grans – you know, people sharing the food. That’s what food is to me, it’s fuel of course but is so much more than that.”
Ingredients:
2 rabbit legs
4 spring onions, finely sliced
1 carrot, finely cubed
2 sprigs of celery, finely cubed
a large handful (roughly 80g) of cubed bacon
1 small glass of wine
250ml beef stock
handful of chopped dried prunes
2 tablespoons of flaked almonds
Spice mix:
1 heaped teaspoon of cocoa
Pinch of ground cloves
1 bay leaf
4 all spice
4 juniper berries
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 heaped teaspoon of fresh thyme
1 star anise
Large pinch of salt
zest of 1 lemon
To finish the sauce:
Double cream
Parsley
Squeeze of honey
Pepper
Squeeze of lemon juice
1 heaped tbsp of plum jam
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Fry the rabbit legs in a little oil until golden brown on both sides
- Remove the legs from the pan and reserve on a plate
- Fry the bacon until it’s starting to turn golden and add the onion, carrot and celery and fry for another couple of minutes
- Add the spice mix and cook for 1 minute
- Add the wine and bring to boil
- Throw the prunes and almonds in and combine
- Return the legs to the sauce and pour in the stock so it is half way up the legs
- Cover the pan with a tightly fitting lid and cook in the oven for 45 minutes
- Remove the rabbit and place on a chopping board – leave to rest for a couple of minutes
- If the sauce is too thin, boil to thicken it a little, you can also blend the sauce for a smoother finish
- Add the double cream just lighten the sauce (2-4 tablespoons)
- Add the plum jam, honey, lemon juice and pepper to taste
- Serve with dumplings or mashed potatoes, sprinkled with chopped parsley
