Braised rabbit with red wine, porcini and chestnuts

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 120C/gas ½. In a saucepan, combine the red wine and port. Bring to a boil over a high heat and simmer until the volume of liquid has reduced by two-thirds.

2. Place the rabbit pieces in a heatproof bowl. Pour the reduced wine over it and leave to marinate for 10 minutes. Drain the rabbit, reserving the wine marinade, and pat dry with kitchen paper.

3. Season the rabbit. Heat the oil in a casserole and fry the rabbit pieces for 4 minutes each side, until golden brown.

4. Add the tomato purée, turn up the heat and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over and stir in well. Add the peeled shallots and garlic. Pour in the wine marinade, add the dried mushrooms and unpicked thyme sprigs.

5. Add just enough water to barely cover the rabbit and bring to the boil. Skim and cover with a piece of greaseproof paper. Then cover with the lid. Transfer the casserole to the oven and cook for 4-5 hours, turning the rabbit halfway through. The meat should be almost falling off the bones.

6. Carefully lift the rabbit out of the sauce, set aside on a plate and discard the thyme sprigs. Add the chestnuts to the sauce, bring to a boil and simmer to reduce it by about a quarter over a medium heat. Season well then return the rabbit to the sauce and warm through. Sprinkle over the thyme leaves and serve straight from the pan with soft polenta or mashed potatoes.

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Ingredients

750ml full-bodied Red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz
200ml port
4 rabbit legs, and 4 shoulders
salt and black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
25g unsalted Butter
8 large Shallots, peeled
8 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp tomato purée
25g Flour
25g dried porcini mushrooms
small bunch Thyme, half of it picked from the stalks
200g packet vacuum-packed Chestnuts, carefully separated
soft Polenta, or mashed potato, to serve

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