Prunes. What’s with their bad press in the US? Not to mention **rabbit**.
[ok, how many readers have I already lost? is it really that bad? bunnies are only cute when they bop around, you know]
Somehow there seems to be a great wall of silence surrounding this benine recipe. Either it’s an alliance of PETA and the Dried Apricot Producers’ Union, or it was Mussolini’s favourite dish. But for some odd reason, in my albeit short American gastronomical experience, I’ve never come across this classic French combo.
Actually, no, I did meet a hillbilly once who said he shot rabbits on his lands, but then again I got the impression he might just shoot whatever moved within his gun range, especially the neighbours. And he didn’t strike me as being the kind who’d enjoy prunes. Budweiser, more like.
Now, rabbit meat, my darlings, is not only a fantastic tasting meat - white, tight-grained, velvety - it’s also extremely healthy. There’s even a special department at the INRA in France which studies rabbit farming. I secretely hope they have to wear rabbit suits at the workplace.
Here, I only used thighs, because there was only three of us. Buy a whole rabbit if there’s four or five of you, and ask your butcher to separate the pieces for you (saddle, front and hind legs, liver, and probably part of the rib cage to flavour the broth).
In a Dutch oven or cast iron pot, brown the thighs on all sides in a dash of olive oil and a knob of butter. Deglaze with a long-ish glug (yes, a glug, madame Hilda) of Madeira, season with salt and pepper, add the prunes (the number depends on your prune addiction, I put about 15+ of them) , a few thyme twigs, reduce the heat a low setting, and put a lid on it. Depending on how crowded your pot is, the thighs should take about 45 minutes to be ready. The prunes will soak up the rabbit and Madeira juice and become meltingly tender, like in a tagine. Serve alongside fresh tagliatelle, for instance. Give it a go and see for yourself why Mussolini made such a fuss about that dish! Or didn’t. Hm. History is never very clear on dictators’ diets.
J’peux pas dire pour Mussolini mais moi j’adore le lapin au pruneaux. C’est une de mes specialites..voui
When I used to work in a bookstore, my boss and another emploee were looking at a photo book of rabbits once and saying how cute they were. To which I replied “they would be even cuter on my plate!”
That said, I have 2 cats, and it always gets to me a TINY bit when I cook rabbit- I swear they give me dirty looks, like “what, are we next?”
LOVE Rabbit. I just don’t understand why it is so bloody expensive here in the US. Growing up in England, farmers gave the things away. Now, I have to spend 20bucks for one.
I love to use rabbit as the lean meat in a pate, or a slow braise. With prunes? A classic. Great stuff
Henry and I like rabbit, but please leave the little bunnies in our backyard alone.
and prunes, also a good thing.
Healthy and lots of fiber.
Lovely dish!
I never cooked rabbit at home and I think that is not going to happen in the near future…but what you feature sounds yummie…with prunes
I love rabbit! My favourite is my grandma’s fried rabbit! Best thing ever! But your might be a close second
Wowwww *fried* rabbit???? That sounds incredible
I guess the use of madeira already makes this dish a little Portuguese. No?
I love rabbit and this dish looks soooooooooooooooooooooooooo good!
i have eaten rabbit dishes at restaurants, and generally liked them.
then i had a rabbit as pet. my significant other refused to sit with me if i order rabbit dish at restaurant. my rabbit’s gone now (no, i didn’t cook it!) but i haven’t had another one since… funny how people categorize what’s ok/ not ok to eat.
I love rabbit, I make rabbit with yellow peppers and husband makes rabbit with prunes. Delish! We did make this once for a culinary cousin of mine and he seemed to think it was weird we were offering him rabbit in Connecticut. Luscious!
Someone (a food blogger) got really mad at me once because i joked (online) about how tasty her pet rabbit looked. No i won’t cite any names.
The fact is, the cuter it is, the more i want to eat it! Why?.. Not everybody feels this way?
En tout cas il a l’air yum ton p’tit lapin aux pruneaux.
i specifically remember eating rabbits with prunes in Prague. stop trying to french-ify everything you gaulic snob.
ahk ahk ahk.
well. your deuxieme photo looks very nice. yep. bon travail.
that looks so good. i had rabbit every week when i was little i have to admit my mom dried it out a bit yours looks perfect though!
I’ve finally found a place that has reasonably priced rabbit in NY, so I hope to get to use it more. Although as Stephane mentioned I’ve been yelled at for a past rabbit post as well.
I don’t mind rabbit, but it’s not my favorite thing, something about the gaminess of it, mais le tien a l’air rudement bon madame! Bon et maintenant je cherche ta recette de confiture de mirabelle parce que moi y’en a avoir trouvé ici.
I have never tried rabbit but I would love to try it! Your dish sounds delicious! Merci!
Hey there ! Just happened to drop by… Still love your blog ! Remind me to tell you my joke about Lapin au pruneaux when we meet again. I learned it in 4th grade, but it’s still incredibly funny.
By the way I love rabbit… Lapin au pruneau, lapin à l’alsacienne, lapin aux lardons et aux carottes… So many ways to accomodate it, so little time…
See you very soon and enjoy living with the ghost of the Pucelle (listening to some Pucell, it’s best).
Maybe the problem with prunes is their …um…reputation for certain effects they have on the digestive system? Particularly when old people often use prune juice to help…unclog.
I come by my dislike of them honestly. I tend to not like many fruits dried. I love plums, but not prunes, grapes but not raisins, fresh figs but not dried ones. Oddly enough, I do prefer dried apricots to fresh ones. Go figure.
I saw your blog on Stacy’s Snacks. We love lapin. We’ve usually had it with moutarde when we were in France and also when we’ve fixed it at home, but now I want to try it with prunes. Great idea.
I ate this once at a restaurant called “A La Bastille, ” sadly they are now no longer…I enjoyed it very much. Thanks for the recipe now I can enjoy these again. The same restaurant also served frog legs. I prefered the bunny. Yum.
I’m in the prune-skeptic camp, but totally OK with eating fluffy pets. I just might give this a try…
I am also a rabbit fan and have a couple dishes on my blog. An Italian woman gave me a fabulous recipe for Rabbit with Yellow Peppers and my husband makes a wonderful Rabbit with Prunes. I really want to make Rabbit in Mustard Sauce.
Always love prunes with meat dishes. Adore rabbit so this is a keeper. Thanks for the recipe!!
Mmmm, I do love rabbit, although for years I was of the “oh noooo, not the cute little bunny!” school of thought. I’m so over that now
I do a rabbit casserole with prunes and cider - heaven. This looks delicious!
you are so right about the prunes and rabbit thing in the US. i feel like if i served this at a dinner party i’d get strange looks (i may have to kick my guests out at that moment). this dish looks rustic, simple and lovely.