George Reis creates a healthy and tasty spring dish.
By Jan Walsh
Photography by Beau Gustafson
Executive chef and owner of 5 Point Public House and Ocean creates braised rabbit with spring vegetables and fava beans. Reis finds rabbit similar to chicken in both its health benefits and its meatiness. He invites you to try his recipe and techniques at home.
Rabbit Ingredients:
1 Whole cleaned rabbit (with front and hind quarters and loins removed and carcass reserved for stock)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon minced shallot
1 Teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
1 Teaspoon fresh chopped parsley
1 Cup fresh English peas
1 Cup fresh turnip, diced
6 Whole baby carrots
2 Cup fava beans
2 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Stock Ingredients:
1 Rabbit carcass
1 Whole clove garlic
1 Sprig thyme
Few parsley stems
1 Bay leaf
2 Whole black peppercorn
1 Cup diced onion
1 Cup diced celery
1 Cup diced carrot
1 Gallon cold water
Procedure: Combine stock ingredients in a stock pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to asimmer. Allow to cook for four hours. Strain liquid with a chinos or fine mesh strainer. Chill. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Season front and hindquarters and loin with salt and pepper. Heat roasting pan or skillet to high. Add 1 tablespoon EVOO. Add front and hind quarter to hot pan Sear on one side for three minutes. Turn to other side. Add rabbit loin. Cook another three minutes. Turn rabbit loin. Deglaze pan with two ounces of white wine. Cook for one minute. Add four to six ounces of rabbit stock. Cover, and place into preheated oven for 9-11 minutes. While the rabbit is in the oven cooking, sauté together the spring vegetables and fava beans with one tablespoon of butter, one teaspoon of garlic, and shallots. Add rabbit stock and reduce until most of the liquid is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of parsley and fresh thyme.
Remove rabbit from the oven. Remove from pan. Place over the spring vegetables. Reduce remaining liquid from rabbit pan. Add a tablespoon of butter. Reduce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over rabbit and vegetables. Serves two.
Published by B-Metro Magazine, April 2017