Rabit fillet are sautéed and served on a top of lentils and garnished with carrots and leeks in this scrumptious gourmet dish. Videos on cookingcan be watched while cooking. Rabbit gravy made with rabbit pieces and carcasses, vegetables, herbs, tomato concentrate, and white wine, thickened with cream and butter is poured over the dish for a flavorful and unforgettable meal.See more of cooking videos to learn more techniques iin cooking rabbit. This fine dish is even more perfect paired with a bottle of Dole 'La Perle Noire' Domaine du Mont d'Or 1986. 

The mild and tender meat of rabbit has very little fat, chewier and has a finer grain than chicken. To keep it moist, tender, and flavorful, rabbit fillets in this recipe are cooked in butter quickly and on high heat. This sears the exterior of the flesh and seals in what little moisture the meat has. The creamy gravy poured over the meat compensates for the leanness of the rabbit meat.

Lentils have an earthy flavor that complements the flavor of the meat. It also absorbs the rabbit gravy and tastes absolutely delightful when you bite into it. The lentils have to be soaked in water overnight before it can be cooked. The lentils are flavored with thyme, laurel, and parsley to give it a wonderful aroma and robust flavor.

You can either use wild rabbit or farm-raised rabbit in this recipe. Wild rabbit has a leaner meat and slightly more gamey. If you want to lessen the gamey taste of wild rabbit, you can soak the rabbit meat in salty water overnight and let it sit in the refrigerator. In general, the younger the rabbit, the more tender the meat. In markets or groceries, rabbit meat is sold as either fryer or roaster. Fryer is the term for young rabbit meat less than 12 weeks old while roaster is the term for mature rabbit, which is over 8 months old.
6
35 min
35 min
Recommended Wine
Dole 'La Perle Noire' Domaine du Mont d'Or 1986
Ingredients

2/3 lb. green lentils

mixed greens (thyme, parsley, laurel)

3 rabbit fillets (about 2 2/3 lbs.)

5 large carrots

1 leek

1 tip of baking soda

2 shallots, butter

2 tablespoons cream

½ cup rabbit gravy

For the Rabbit gravy:

oil

1 lb. rabbit carcass - rabbit pieces (front, head) cut into small pieces

1 diced onion

sliced carrot

1 crushed garlic clove

1 tablespoon tomato concentrate

1 1/4 cups white wine

1 1/4 cups water

salt, pepper

Preparation Instructions
1

Start preparing the rabbit gravy by heating oil in a large cocotte pan (Dutch oven). Brown the rabbit pieces. Add the vegetables, allowing them to brown, stirring constantly. Moisten with water, tomato concentrate, and white wine. Cook for 30 minutes. Allow to cool. Strain in a fine sieve. You should obtain about 1 1/4 cups gravy, which you can refrigerate for about 1 week or place in the freezer.

2

The night before the meal is served, soak the lentils in lukewarm water. Cook the lentils in salted water with the mixed greens for about 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3

Prepare the rabbit fillets and cut each into 5 or 6 large cubes. Wrap in foil and refrigerate. Peel the carrots and dice one of them. Cut the other carrots into small balls, using a special knife. Cook in boiling, salted water. Keep only the white part from the leek. Cut it a la julienne (into long, thin strips) and cook in boiling, salted water with a tip of baking soda. Refresh in ice cold water and drain. Mince the shallots and placed them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

4

Place a hazelnut-small size piece of butter and the minced shallots in a saucepan. Allow to sweat for a moment. Add the diced carrot, lentils, 2 spoons cream, 2 spoons rabbit gravy, and 1 oz. butter. Allow to gently simmer until the whole is smoothly bound. Season.

5

Season the rabbit pieces. Place them in a pan with 1 ½ tablespoons butter. Next, cook on low heat for 6 to 8 minutes (without browning), stirring regularly. Simultaneously, sauté the carrot balls in butter. Season. Sauté the leek a la julienne in some butter. Season. Boil the rabbit gravy for 1 minute. Bind on high heat by incorporating 3 tablespoons butter. Season.

6

Place the lentils in the middle of preheated serving dishes. Lay the rabbit pieces on top of them and sprinkle with the leek and carrot balls. Pour a spoon of gravy over each side.