Slow Cooked Rabbit in Red Wine on Sage Polenta & Wilted Spinach

On Thursday i was wandering around Camberwell Market, checking out what sort of crabs the fishmongers usually stocked. On my way out, i wandered past one of the poultry sellers and noticed they sold rabbit! No idea what to do with it, i thought heck i'll figure that part out later, and bought one.

I came home, sure that i've seen bazillions of recipes for rabbit before. But after flicking through my cookbook, i was wrong! The one recipe i could find, that seemed appetizing, was a stifado- which i cooked using beef cheeks only a couple of months ago!

Thankfully i found a trend of slow cooking the rabbit in wine. So i pulled together this and that from the various recipes i came across, and came up with something a bit fancy.

Ingredients (serves 2 as a main, 3 as an entree)

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 rabbit (about 800gm)
• 500ml red wine
• 75gm prosciutto
  
• 1/2 an onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup polenta
• 2 cups milk
• 5 sage leaves
• 3 handfuls spinach
• Salt & Pepper

Method:

Okay so this is what a rabbit looks like. Now what?

Somehow or another i came to this. I would love to show you how, but i didn't find it the easiest thing in the world. I suggest you google 'jointing a rabbit' and go from there.
Set aside the rabbit pieces and heat the oven to 150 degrees.

Chop up the proscuitto, onion  and garlic and add to a small pot with the olive oil over a medium heat.

Saute for 5 minutes or until the onions are soft but not browned.

Add the rabbit pieces, and a good dash of salt, then pour in wine until almost covered.

Place a lid on the pot and set into the oven for 4 hours, sloshing around hourly.

Meanwhile, place the polenta, sage and milk with a dash of salt over low heat and cook until thick and slightly lumpy.

Turn the polenta into a flat dish (one that could fit 3 can lids or coffee mugs in it, or 3 that could fit 1 can lids in it. 

Refridgerate for 1 hour.

Remove the polenta from the fridge and turn onto a chopping board.

Cut 3 circles of polenta out using a can with both ends removed, or a mug lip.

Pan fry both sides of each polenta circle until very lightly golden, being careful not to let them stick and break up.

Place onto serving plate.

Remove the stems from the spinach leaves and place in a pan over medium heat with 2 tbsp water.

Cook until wilted, then place in a sieve and squeeze out excess water.

Place the spinach ontop of the polenta.

When the rabbit is ready, remove from the oven. Remove the rabbit pieces from the pot.

Pour the remaining ingredients from the pot into a blender and puree.

Return the sauce to the pot and reduce until 1/2 it's original amount.

Place the rabbit atop the polenta and spinach mound, and spoon some sauce over the top.

Le fin!