Preparation
Take the rabbit out of the fridge about half an hour before baking. Pat the pieces dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
Melt the butter in a heavy stew. Brown the rabbit pieces well all over. If necessary, do this in several portions, so that the meat really bakes and does not start to cook. Remove the rabbit from the jar.
Cut the onions into half rings and let them color quietly in the same fat over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and caramelize briefly.
Sprinkle the onions with the flour and stir well. Then, little by little, add the brown beer while stirring the crust from the bottom. Add about 250 ml of stock.
Return the rabbit to the pot. Add thyme, bay leaf, cloves, mustard, syrup, and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar . The meat does not have to be completely covered, but there must be enough moisture in the pot to stew quietly.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to very low and simmer gently with the lid on the pot for about 11/2 hours . Wild rabbit can be a bit tougher than tame rabbit; Therefore, check regularly. Add some extra stock if necessary.
After about an hour, add the prunes. This way they can stew for half an hour to three quarters of an hour without falling apart completely.
When the rabbit is nice and soft, remove the pieces from the sauce if necessary. Let the sauce reduce without a lid until it is nice and dark and thickened. Taste and season with salt, pepper and possibly a small dash of red wine vinegar. The sauce should be sweet and sour and strong , not overtly sweet.
Return the rabbit to the sauce and let it heat through for a few more minutes.
Ingredients (for 4 people)
- 2 wild rabbits, divided into pieces
- 250 to 300 g pitted prunes
- 2 large onions
- 1 bottle of brown beer of 33 cl, for example a double or dark abbey beer
- 250 to 400 ml game stock or brown stock
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 large tbsp apple or pear syrup
- 1 tbsp mustard
- 1 to 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 2 cloves
- salt and pepper
