Behold, The Rabbit Stew

I shared with you guys yesterday the frozen rabbit meat that I bought at the Farmer’s Market, along with produce and goat meat. Now let me tell you how I cooked my first rabbit. To tell you the truth, I had no idea what I would do with it. The people I talked to at the Farmer’s Market said anything you could do with chicken, you can do with rabbit.

I was thinking of roasting it in the oven but I really didn’t feel like turning my oven on in this summer heat. Fried Rabbit ala fried chicken? Well, the rabbit had no skin. Fried chicken with no skin on is just not the same. So stew it was. Rabbit Stew with potatoes, peppers, and peas. Easy, and I figured the sauce will give the rabbit meat a lot of flavors.

Rabbit Stew (Image © Dexie J Wharton)

INGREDIENTS :
1 whole rabbit, thawed and chopped in sections
1 can of tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
2 medium red potatoes, quartered
1 light green pepper, quartered
1 can of peas, drained
3 cups of water
1 tbsp of sugar
salt and pepper
oil for browning

Heat oil in a pot. Brown the rabbit pieces on both sides. About 2-3 minutes on each sides.

Add to the tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir everything together. Cover the pot and let the whole thing simmer in medium heat for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid burning the bottom.

Add the potatoes. Stir to coat the potatoes with the sauce. Let them cook until fork tender. Add the green peppers and peas. Stir then cover. Cook for another 3-5 minutes or so.

Rabbit Stew (Image © Dexie J Wharton)

I served it with French bread slithered with butter which I also bought from the Farmer’s Market. By the way, the rabbit cost about $20 (3 pounds). The verdict? The texture and taste are almost like chicken but lighter. I don’t think I’ll be buying it again though. Not anytime soon anyway. It’s ok but it’s not mind-blowing at all. Having said that, I’m glad I’ve finally tried rabbit meat. If someone serves it to me for dinner for free I’d sure eat it of course. I’m just not that impressed to pay another $20 to eat Bugs Bunny .