anyway. hi. hello. i eat a lot of rabbit. i am also blessed by god to be one of the few, the chosen, the descended from the acadians who were blessed with the ability to cook food that doesn't suck. you can trust me. màmaw cécil's ici.
just a fair warning though these recipes kinda assume you have basic cooking skills, and things are measured with the heart as my ancestors intended.
onward to the recipes
the tried. the true. the rabbit gumbo
one whole rabbit
half an onion
one package of andouille sausage (or other spicy pork sausage)
a bell pepper if you like
some okra if you like
some garlic
a jar of dark roux (savoie's is my go-to)
tony chacherie's
tabasco
filé
a good long-grain rice
debone the rabbit and cut into chunks, or pressure cook until it falls off the bones. you can also cook the rabbit IN the gumbo but this method takes a long time and is a PITA, but you do get all the good rabbit grease in the gumbo.
fill a large stock pot about 3/4 the way up with water and set to boil. add salt until it's salty to the taste. add about five to seven heaping spoonfuls of roux and let it dissolve while the pot comes to a boil.
while you wait, chop the onion and bell pepper into a rough dice and add it to the pot. i'm sure someone's màmaw will tell you what to do with okra, but i don't like it so idk. i just know some people put it in their gumbo. not me tho. tbh i don't even like bell peppers but it's traditional. anyway you can put some garlic in too. and tony's. lots of tony's.
cut the sausage into about quarter inch rounds and throw 'em in too. if you did not precook your rabbit, add it now. if you did precook, you can add it once the vegetables and sausage are cooked. around this time is also when i put the rice on.
once all the meat is done cooking, taste for seasoning and adjust as desired. it should be salty and a little spicy (or a lot, if you aren't a coward.) now all you have to do is wait for the rice to finish.
when everything is done, scoop some rice into a deep bowl (a soup crock is ideal) and pour gumbo over, making sure you get a bit of everything. top with tabasco to taste, and a healthy dash of filé.
some variety of sausage
1 - 2lbs of ground rabbit
soy sauce
garlic rice wine vinegar (if you can't find it, normal RWV works just add more garlic)
rubbed sage
garlic powder
minced garlic (if not using garlic RWV) (or if you just want it)
brown sugar
drizzle a little oil (i like using sesame oil) in a saucepan and put in ground rabbit. as it cooks, cut it up into small chunks with your utensil. once it's cooked, throw in all the rest of the everything and season with salt and pepper and a little msg if you got it. measure with your heart and taste as you go. you are shooting for a sort of savoury-sweet thing going on. it should be closer to a breakfast sausage in taste.
this goes really good in a dumpling, fried into a patty, or turn it into a white gravy with some milk and flour and put it over rice with creamed corn for a nontraditional but still delicious rice and gravy.
german rabbit stew
this one is just a link because someone else made it up but it's real good: https://honest-food.net/german-rabbit-stew/
alfredo mushroom rabbit pasta
roughly one cup per person's worth of cooked, shredded rabbit
as many portobello mushrooms as your heart desires
minced garlic
a jar of alfredo (or make your own i ain't your mom)
your pasta of choice
pretty straightforward. put your pasta on to boil (we like penne.) chop up your mushrooms and sweat them out in a saucepan. when they're cooked enough, toss in the alfredo, the minced garlic, and your rabbit. season with salt/pepper/whatever else you like to taste. when the pasta is done, combine pasta and rabbit mixture and enjoy
just the filling part of pei wei's lettice wraps but on rice instead
1lb ground rabbit
half an onion
garlic
hoisin sauce
teriyaki sauce
hot chili oil
green onion (grunion)
sesame seeds
short-grain rice
set your rice to cook. when it's almost done, roughly dice onion and set it to cook in a little oil (i like seasme for this.) when it turns translucent, add ground rabbit and garlic. once the rabbit is cooked, throw all the other sauces in to taste. it should be hoisin-forward, a little sweet and savoury. add some cayenne and more chili oil, maybe some gochujang, whatever, if you want more spice. eat it with rice and top with sesame seeds and grunions, i like some shichimi togarashi too sometimes. maybe a lil fried egg if you're feeling sassy.
i made this up from a dupe recipe for a lettuce wrap i liked at a restaurant so you could put it in lettuce too if you wanted. i just don't ever buy a whole head of lettuce.
weird midwestern chili
1-2lbs of ground rabbit
half an onion
garlic
one large can or two small cans of petite diced tomatoes
1-2 habañero peppers (or none if you're yankee)
some sort of stock or broth, or water and a bouillon cube
chili powder
sometimes corn is nice in this if you have it
pasta of your choice
i use my instant pot for this, but you can do it without one in a normal stockpot, it'll just take longer.
brown the rabbit in a little bit of oil with the pot on sauté. while you wait, chop up the onion, garlic, and pepper. when the rabbit is browned, throw everything else in the pot besides the pasta. pressure cook for about 15-20 minutes.
in the meantime, set a pot of pasta to boil. we like farfalle.
when the chili is done cooking, season further to taste with more chili powder, cayenne, tony's, whatever you like. serve on the pasta. i know, i know, it ain't chili to me either, but that's what my friend's minnesotan family calls it and whatever it is, it's damn good so i forgive them.
rice that is dirty AND ugly
1-2lbs ground rabbit
half an onion
garlic i guess
about four or five rabbit or chicken livers
long-grain rice
tony's
set the rice to cook. brown the livers in some oil until they are just barely not-raw. then blitz 'em up in a food processer until they are mush. while you do this, brown some ground rabbit and onion and garlic if you want it in a saucepan. when it's browned, add the livers and just. stir it all together. if it's too dry you can add stock or some water. does it look horrible? you're doing it right. season to taste once it's cooked through. add in rice and mix. i promise to god it tastes better than it looks.
for bonus points, mush dirty rice into balls and dredge in egg and seasoned cornmeal and deep fry or air fry until golden brown. ta da, your very own boudin balls.
i guess you can also run the mixture into a sausage casing for 'normal' boudin too.
('but what about the gizzards cécil' i have tried for years and i can't make gizzards palatable. they just end up weird and tough and i don't like the texture in the dirty rice. you know how to make 'em work, you go for it.)
mexican meatloaf that is neither mexican nor meatloaf
1lb ground rabbit
half an onion
garlic
one can of petite diced tomatoes
one can of whole corn
one can of pork n beans
(optional can of kidney beans or other bean you like)
taco seasoning
shredded yellow cheese
sour creme
tabasco
fritos
chop onion into a rough dice and put in a saucepan with a little oil. when onion is translucent, throw in rabbit to brown. when meat is cooked, thrown in everything that comes in a can, and the taco seasoning. i use about half a packet, but you can do to taste. once it's cooked, spoon over fritos and top with shredded cheese and sour creme. i like a dash of tabasco too.
absoutely a 'hear me out recipe' but if you like frito pie you will probably like this. most importantly, though, it makes a TON of food and for very cheap. excellent end of the month meal. also idk why it's called mexican meatloaf that's just what my mom called it and i'm pretty sure she made it up herself lol
rabbit jambalaya that makes my ancestors cry
approximately one half a rabbit's worth of shredded rabbit
one can of petite diced tomatoes
andouille or other spicy pork sausage
half an onion
bell pepper if ya like it
celery if ya like it
rabbit or chicken stock/broth
tony's
long-grain rice
if you are starting with a whole rabbit, either debone, chop into chunks, and cook, or pressure cook the rabbit until it falls off of the bone. set your rice to cook.
chop veggies and toss em in a saucepan with a little bit of oil or butter. sauté until soft, then add your tomatoes, broth, andouille, and rabbit. when it's all warmed through, add the rice in and mix. season with tony's, crab boil, cayenne, whatever, to taste. put some tabasco on that bitch before you eat, and enjoy.
(my ancestors cry because i'm cajun and traditionally we don't put tomatoes in our jambalaya. mais c'est bon, escuse-moi les anciens.)
creme cheese rabbit joes or whatever
one whole rabbit
one block of creme cheese
one packet of ranch seasoning
jar of pickled jalapeños
shredded cheddar cheese
your favourite burger bun
we use an instant pot, i guess you could probably do it on a stove if you had to but keep an eye on the liquid levels. pressure cook rabbit with half of the ranch seasoning packet and as much jalapeño juice as you want (it should have a kick.) when meat is tender, remove bones and drain liquid into another container (it makes a great stock if you want something with a little pizzaz.)
turn the instant pot on saute, and then put meat, creme cheese, cheddar cheese, jalapeños to taste, the rest of the ranch powder if you want, and as much jalapeño juice or the stock you just made until it's the consistency you want. it should be pretty creamy and a little gloopy. toast your buns, slop the goop on, and enjoy.
well these are the ones i can remember off top my head/that i actually eat regularly. we also make burgers and stir fry and curry rice and shit too, but those are like...y'know. don't really need a recipe for burgers and stir fry.
