Rabbit is a lean and delicate meat and by making it into a pie you end up with tones of flavour and super tender meat.
Time
1 hour 50 mins
Serves
5
Difficulty
Hard
Ingredients
Pie filling:
• 1 Field & Flower portioned rabbit
• 8 rashers Field & Flower smoked streaky bacon, diced
• 8 shallots, peeled & quartered
• 2 celery sticks, trimmed & finely diced
• 1 turnip, peeled & finely diced
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• ½tsp field&flower wholegrain mustard
• 500ml medium-sweet cider
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Mash topping:
• 2 small celeriac, peeled & cubed
• 6 parsnips, peeled & cubed
• 1½tsp field&flower wholegrain mustard
• Olive oil
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 160°C/Gas 3.
2. Fry the bacon in a medium sized casserole dish on a low to medium heat, until the fat has rendered. Remove the bacon from the dish, leaving the fat in the pan.
3. Brown the rabbit pieces on all sides in the bacon fat, remove from dish and set aside.
4. Fry the shallots and celery on a low to medium heat until soft. Add the carrots, turnip, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves, stir and fry for a further 3 minutes.
5. Return the bacon to the casserole dish along with the wholegrain mustard and stir to combine.
6. Place the rabbit on top of the vegetables and pour in the cider to a level just above the meat (top up with a little water if necessary).
7. Bring to the boil before cooking in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes.
8. Boil the celeriac and parsnips until soft. Mash and stir in the mustard and olive oil. Season to taste.
9. Remove the casserole from the oven and pick out the rabbit, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves.
10. Allow the rabbit to cool slightly before removing the meat from the bones. Return the meat to the casserole and stir everything together.
11. Turn the oven up to 180°C/Gas 5. Fill a pie dish to 2/3rds with the rabbit stew – keep some of the liquid back, as you don’t want it too wet.
12. Top with the mash and create peaks using a fork or spoon. Bake in oven for 20 minutes, or until the top is lovely and golden.
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