A rabbit can seem almost like an exotic food to many people today. But in the past a rabbit, caught on your doorstep, combined with cheap cuts of bacon, made a substantial and nutritious meal for many people living in the region, particularly in the more rural areas of Yorkshire.
Ingredients
- 1 young rabbit, jointed
- 225g (8oz) knuckle ends of bacon, chopped
- 2 large onions, 1 stuck with cloves
- 6 medium carrots, sliced
- bunch of fresh herbs (thyme, sage, parsley, rosemary etc)
- salt & pepper
- Milk
- 1 tablespoon each of flour and butter or margarine
Method
- Prepare the vegetables, slicing one onion and cutting the other with the cloves in half
- Wash and wipe the rabbit, roll it in seasoned flour and put all the ingredients, except the flour and butter into a casserole dish, barely covering the meat and vegetables with milk
- Cover with a piece of buttered greaseproof paper, then the lid of the casserole dish.
- Cook in a moderate oven (180C/350F/gas mark 4) for about 90 minutes or until the rabbit is tender
- Meanwhile, mix the flour and butter together until all the flour is absorbed, then break into small pieces and add it to the casserole, stirring it well in
- Bring to the boil and stir while it thickens -it is easier to do this if the rabbit joints are removed
- Replace the rabbit and reheat it
- Serve garnished with chopped parsley.
Source: Theodora Fitzgibbon, A Taste of Yorkshire in Food and Pictures (1979) Pan Books. ISBN 0330257137
