Rabbit is gaining in popularity at the local markets as a sustainable source of lean and tender meat. The acidity of the tomatoes and the sweetness of the red pepper sauce will bring this light and delectable dish together.

Roasted rack and saddle of rabbit with wine to match

Ingredients:

  • 1 long saddle and rack of rabbit preferably with kidneys and liver (optional)
  • 4 baby artichokes
  • 1 tbsp pitted Kalamata olives
  • 10 Cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • A handful of Rocket cress

To prepare the roast pepper sauce:

  • 1 Large Red pepper
  • 1 Salted anchovy
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp water
  • A pinch of piment d’espelette (chilli powder)
  • Salt and pepper

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  2. Place the pepper on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 45 mins until the skin is blackened. Remove from the oven and place into a plastic bag (this helps to remove the skin). When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin with your fingers. Then place all of the ingredients in a food processor including the roast pepper. Blitz until the red sauce is nice and smooth. Don’t forget to season.
  3. Fill a large bowl with cold water and the squeeze of a lemon (this will insure the artichoke hearts won’t oxidize whilst your prepping). To turn the artichokes, begin by pulling off the dark green leaves to expose the more tender, lighter ones within. Then, with a paring knife, slice through each leaf to cut off the top, turning the artichoke in your hand as you go. The final step is to remove the choke in the center of the heart with the help of a small spoon.
  4. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the artichokes for 5 minutes until tender. Strain off and sauté the vegetables in a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil over a high heat. As soon as the artichokes are a beautiful caramelized colour, remove from the pan.
  5. Slice down both sides of the back bone and debone the saddle. You should obtain 2 rectangular pieces of rabbit comprising of the loin and belly. You can also ask your butcher to French trim the rack for extra finesse.
  6. Place the saddle on a piece of cling film and season with salt and pepper. For those who appreciate offal; place the halved kidneys and chopped liver in the centre. Then roll the loins up tightly and tie a knot at each end to insure your ballotines are water tight.
  7. To ensure the rabbit is cooked properly and doesn’t have the cotton texture we all dislike, it’s best to poach the ballotines. Bring a saucepan of water to a rolling boil and immediately switch off; then poach the ballotines for 10 minutes. Remove from the water once the time has elapsed and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
  8. Then remove the cling film and lightly roast both cylinders in a medium sized frying pan together with the rack. Baste with butter for approximately for 3 minutes until golden.
  9. Remove the meat from the pan and leave to rest for a couple of minutes before slicing. In the same pan, gently sauté the the cherry tomatoes and halved olives.
  10. Delicately dress your plate with all the elements and scatter the peppery rocket all over.

About this recipe

Rabbit is gaining in popularity at the local markets as a sustainable source of lean and tender meat. My mother in law always used to accompany rabbit with Mediterranean ingredients full of beautiful bright colours. The acidity of the tomatoes and the sweetness of the red pepper sauce will bring this light and delectable dish together.

Wines to match with roasted rabbit with cherry tomatoes, baby artichokes and roast pepper puree

With a fairly mild flavoured meat, I suggest a pleasant clean and crisp rosé. The Côtes de Provence, Ste Victoire 2014 has the perfect blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah. This cheap and cheerful rosé is the perfect accompaniment for this flavourful Mediterranean recipe.

For the same easy drinking, why not try a fruity Beaujolais. Served lightly chilled, the Beaujolais-Villages, Lantignié 2014 from Alexandre Burgaud will supplement the provincial flavours of the dish, without overpowering the delicate white meat.

For a more mature wine, I recommend a Villa Calcinaia, Chianti Classico Riserva 2011. This Tuscan red wine is bursting with notes of red fruit and brisk acidity. A Mediterranean match made in heaven, worth every penny.

The wines

Famille Negrel, Côtes de Provence Ste Victoire, rosé 2014

This is a lovely rosé, crisp and refreshing with wonderful herbaceous notes that works so nicely with the earthy flavors of this dish. The delicate dryness of the wine really complements the mildly bitter olives and sweet tomatoes. Fantastic value for money, you can’t really go wrong! RRP: £6.99 from Majestic Wines

Alexandre Burgaud, Lantignié, Beaujolais-Villages 2014

Pleasingly fruity and medium-bodied so as not to overpower the delicate rabbit, this is a wonderful wine that is easy to drink and matches the dish beautifully. RRP: £10.95 from Berry Bros & Rudd

Villa Calcinaia, Chianti Classico Riserva 2011

Unctuous with deep berry flavours, this red is pure and oaky. Dry and supple, there are hints of toast and tobacco, which makes this ruby wine a wonderful partner to this rustic rabbit dish. RRP: £25.95 Berry Bros & Rudd

Michel Roux Jr
Michel Roux Jr
Columnist
Michel Roux Jr was born in 1960 in Pembury, Kent, where his father Albert Roux worked as a private chef for the Cazalet family. His earliest food memories are the smells of the Fairlawne kitchen – pastry, sugar caramelizing and stews – where he played under the table while his father and mother Monique prepared the meals. After deciding to follow in his father’s footsteps, he left school at 16 for the first of several challenging apprenticeships at Maître Patissier, Hellegouarche in Paris from 1976 to 1979. He was then Commis de Cuisine at Alain Chapel’s signature restaurant at Mionay near Lyon, Michel’s biggest influence. His military service was spent in the kitchens at the Elysée Palace at the time of Presidents Giscard d’Estaing and François Mitterrand. He also spent time at Boucherie Lamartine and Charcuterie Mothu in Paris, and the Gavers Restaurant in London. After a stint at the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong he returned to London and worked at La Tante Claire before joining the family business. He took over running Le Gavroche in 1991, gradually changing the style of cooking to his own – classic French with a lighter, modern twist. Michel opened Roux at Parliament Square in May 2010 with Restaurant Associates, part of the Compass Group UK and Ireland. And in November 2010, he opened Roux at The Landau at London’s prestigious luxury hotel, The Langham. Michel was a judge and presenter on the BBC’s popular prime time show, MasterChef: The Professionals, and presented all series of ‘Great British Food Revival.’  Michel fronted BBC2’s ‘Food and Drink,’ in 2014 and presented a documentary on Escoffier, whose revolutionary approach to fine cuisine has inspired Michel and many others. In the same year, Michel went on a journey to create the perfect chocolate for the Le Gavroche Kitchen.  Filmed by the BBC, in Paris he discovered chocolatiers, Cacao Barry and their Or Noir Lab. In 2013, Michel launched his most recent cookbook, ‘The French Kitchen’.  Focusing on traditional French home cooking, this is the fifth solo cookery book from Michel. He is involved with the Roux Experience courses at the ‘Cactus Kitchens’ cookery school, with the Executive producer of Saturday Kitchen, Amanda Ross. Cactus Kitchens offers people the opportunity to learn to cook within small intimate groups from some of the UK’s finest chefs, on site above the Saturday Kitchen studios. Michel has fronted a brand new four-part Channel 4 series, ‘The Diner’, exploring the hurdles faced by people with disabilities and mental health issues when finding employment. Michel also recently presented a new program on his first ever project with the Disney Channel.  ‘First Class Chefs’ which launched in June 2015, is a show where kids aged 9-11 compete to showcase their restaurant skills.