Simple Rabbit Stew Recipe
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
2 hours, 5 minutes
Servings:
6 Servings
Ingredients
  • 3 medium carrots
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 pound mushrooms
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • ½ cup flour
  • 3 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
  • 1 rabbit, about 3 pounds, cut into 6 pieces
  • 6 slices thick-cut bacon
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 4 cups chicken stock
Directions
  1. Wash and chop the carrots, celery, and onion, and mince the garlic.
  2. Rinse the mushrooms and slice them.
  3. Tie the thyme sprigs together with twine or with one of the sprigs.
  4. Rinse the capers and pat them dry with a paper towel.
  5. Combine the flour with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper.
  6. Season the rabbit with 1 teaspoon of salt.
  7. Dredge the rabbit pieces in the seasoned flour, shake off the excess, and set it aside.
  8. Chop the bacon into small pieces.
  9. Fry the bacon in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat until almost crispy, stirring frequently.
  10. Remove the bacon, leaving the grease in the pan.
  11. Add the capers to the bacon grease and fry them, stirring, until they're crisp and starting to burst.
  12. Remove the capers from the pan to a paper towel-lined plate and set them aside.
  13. Pour the bacon grease into a bowl.
  14. Add 1 tablespoon of bacon grease back into the pot, and add the mushrooms and 1 teaspoon of salt.
  15. Cook the mushrooms, stirring every couple of minutes until they've given off their moisture and it has evaporated completely.
  16. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set them aside.
  17. Add 2 tablespoons of bacon grease back into the pan and let it get hot, but not smoking.
  18. Add the rabbit pieces to the bacon grease and brown them on each side for 3 to 4 minutes.
  19. Remove the rabbit from the pan and set it aside.
  20. Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pan with ½ teaspoon of salt.
  21. Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they're tender and the onions are translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
  22. Stir the garlic into the vegetables and cook for 1 minute.
  23. Stir the mustard into the vegetables.
  24. Add the red wine to the vegetables and cook, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, until it has reduced by half.
  25. Add the rabbit, mushrooms, bacon, thyme bundle, chicken stock, and ½ teaspoon black pepper to the pot and stir.
  26. Cover the rabbit stew with a lid, and increase the heat to bring the stew to a boil.
  27. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 90 minutes.
  28. Serve the stew topped with the capers.