Guest Author - Fay Olinsky

I cannot believe it! It was simple, They just dry gently in the oven and they are absolutely delicious. I have never had the right type of plums before but now I have barrels of them.


I will be drying a whole batch on Sunday because for me they are the most important ingredient in this, my most favourite dish of all :-

Lapin au Pruneaux

INGREDIENTS
12 prunes, stoned
1/3 cup brandy
1/2 cup red wine
1 fresh rabbit cleaned by salting for 3 hours and washing thoroughly
125g smoked streaky bacon, diced
30g butter
12 shallotts, peeled
1 tbsp plain flour
2 cups hot chicken stock
1 sprig thyme
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup water
Scant tablespoon rice
1 tbsp red-wine vinegar

METHOD

· Soak prunes for 1 hour in brandy and red wine. Joint rabbit, dividing each hind leg into two pieces. Set kidneys aside. Cut saddle into 3-4 pieces.


· Preheat oven to 160C. In an enamelled, cast-iron casserole big enough to hold rabbit, saute bacon gently until golden. Lift out bacon and reserve. Add butter to bacon fat and cook rabbit in batches until golden brown. Transfer browned pieces to a plate until all are done. Seal kidneys briefly in the same pan, then transfer to the plate with rabbit pieces. Add onions to fat in pan and cook, turning, until coloured all over, then remove to a plate. Add flour to pan and stir and scrape until browned, about 3 minutes. Tip in hot stock and stir vigorously to loosen all crusty bits to make the beginnings of a sauce.


· Put the back legs and saddle pieces into casserole with thyme, bacon, salt and pepper and rice. Cover with buttered baking paper and then the lid and cook in oven for 45 minutes. Add onions and forelegs and their juice, then add prunes and their soaking liquor. Re-cover casserole with paper and lid and return to oven.


· Heat sugar and water in a small saucepan until it turns a golden caramel colour.

Add vinegar, mix and warm until dissolved. Add to casserole and stir through. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add kidneys to casserole, then cover with buttered paper again and continue to cook until tender - at least 30 minutes, maybe longer.

Serve with colcannon (mashed potato and cabbage)


Fay Olinsky

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