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Rabbit with Mustard (Lapin à la Moutarde)

Ready in 1 hr 45 mins + waiting

Recipe by Graham 

Rabbit with Mustard (Lapin à la Moutarde) is one of the great traditional dishes of French cooking that came from the countryside peasant recipes of long ago.

Rabbit Meat is good for you! 100 g (about 3.5 oz) raw rabbit contains 135 KCal and 20 g of Protein. The legs and loins are very low fat - typically 2% - 3%. Rabbit Meat has a distinctive but mild flavour - unless you get hold of an old Roaster or mature rabbit (usually over 4 pounds and over 8 months of age) - and is usually inexpensive to buy.

Preparation Time

15 Minutes + waiting

Cooking Time

1 Hour 30 Minutes

Ingredients for Rabbit with Mustard (Lapin à la Moutarde)

If you are not familiar with any ingredients, please check our International Cooking Terms page.

Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

To serve 4 - 6:

3½ lb prepared rabbit (skinned and gutted)
2 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch or wheat starch)
½ pint dry white wine
2 onions
3 carrots
  parsley sprigs
1 bouquet garni
1 clove garlic
2 cloves
  salt and pepper
6 rashers (slices) streaky bacon
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 sprigs thyme

How to Cook Rabbit with Mustard (Lapin à la Moutarde)

  1. Peel and chop the onions. Peel and roughly chop the carrots. Peel and crush (mince) the garlic. Place the rabbit in a large dish, add the wine, onions, carrots, herbs, garlic and cloves then season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Leave to marinate for at least 12 hours, stirring occasionally, Drain well through a sieve (strainer) and reserve the liquid (discarding the solids).
  2. Wrap the bacon around the rabbit and secure with string. Spread the mustard over the whole rabbit and place in a roasting tin. Cook in a preheated moderate oven (Mk 4 - 350ºF - 180ºC) for about 1½ hours until tender, basting occasionally.
  3. Place the rabbit on a warmed serving dish, remove the string and keep warm. Add the reserved marinade to the roasting pan, place over a high heat and boil for 5 minutes. Spoon over the rabbit, garnish with thyme and serve with Peppered Cabbage.
GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
Rabbit can be tough if it's undercooked, so always be inclined to cook for longer than less.
 
GRAHAM'S WINE RECOMMENDATION:
A Grenache like Chateauneuf du Pape. Deep, full-bodied and a perfect partner to game and cassoulet