A wonderfully versatile meat, blending equally well with red or white wine in sauces, with herbs and spices, and with mushrooms and prunes.
Once denigrated in Australia as ‘underground mutton’, rabbit has nonetheless remained popular. It represents good value, and, since it is very lean, rabbit is valuable in diets where cholesterol content should be minimised. A whole rabbit usually weighs around 1 kg and will serve 4–5 persons. Very small, young rabbits are sometimes available in spring; these have a milder flavour and are very tender. Some shops sell rabbit pieces, so that you can buy the choicest part of the rabbit, the loin section, and avoid the bony rib section.
Rabbit flesh does tend to be dry, so it is best cooked with liquid, such as wine or stock. The cooking time will depend on the age of the rabbit; older rabbits may need up to 1½ hours of cooking, while young rabbits will be cooked in less than 30 minutes.
Many recipes call for a rabbit to be jointed. Cutting up a rabbit is similar to cutting up a chicken; separate the rabbit at leg joints, to give 2 thighs; cut the loin into 1 or 2 sections through the backbone and cut the rib cage section in 2, along the backbone.