Eating the Easter Bunny and Our First Podcast

Mar 27th, 2008 by Jonny

Which of these creatures is reputed to have the higher IQ?

It’s the Thursday after Easter and most people out there are still picking the candy and chocolate out of their teeth having just gorged themselves on all manner of Easter Bunny-shaped confectionery. Ever the destroyers of convention, we have been doing something altogether more real and, some may say, sinister. Yes, friends, cover your children’s ears, for over the weekend, we — like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction — put the Easter Bunny in the pot.

Easter traditions have a lot to answer for in the removal of rabbit from the American table. It is no coincidence that around the turn of the 19th century, fifty years or so after German immigrants had brought the habit of fashioning rabbits out of chocolate and sugar to the New World at Easter-tide, the amount of rabbit being eaten in the US fell into an almost terminal decline. It is only really in the last fifteen years that it has returned, and even now is commonly regarded with suspicion and, in many cases, horror. For what could be crueler than eating a lovely, cute and furry bunny?

Now, lest you think us heartless carnivores, I should point out that I am a big fan of rabbits – and I mean live ones. Not only did I have rabbits as pets for many years as a child and have very fond memories of how much fun they were, but I also believe that contrary to public perception, rabbits are in fact quite intelligent creatures with individual personalities and do make excellent pets.

So, you ask, how could I possibly, as my vegetarian sister puts it, “eat my friends”? Well, readers, first of all, sadly, my rabbits both died nearly twenty years ago, so I am not (and would not) eat the rabbits that were my friends, and secondly, we did not put a pet rabbit in the pot as Ms. Close did, but rather we bought two skinned, headless and footless rabbits (at quite a hefty price) from a local butcher, rather like you would a couple of chickens. And, few, save perhaps fellow poultry, mourn the passing of a couple of chickens.

Then, to immortalize this fortunate (it was making an important contribution to our dinner - what an honor!) and extravagantly-priced creature, we prepared a delicious Provencal-style stew with olives, capers and tomatoes, the making of which we recorded to fashion our first We Are Never Full podcast! What better way to give thanks for the life of a noble beast than to prepare it for the hereafter with a savory, herby sauce and record this event for posterity in mp3?

But, regardless of your feelings about eating rabbits, it really was a truly memorable meal and an excellent recipe (see below). We hope you’ll listen to the podcast and let us know what you think about our first, amateurish foray into the world of multimedia production. We’re planning more podcasts for the future and expect to get much better at it with every attempt.

****Sorry to interrupt. It’s Amy. Before you download this podcast please keep a few things in mind: 1) I have a naturally deep, raspy voice, but in this recording I really do sound like I have a penis. 2) I am naturally loud (hey, I’m Italian-American) and Jonny definitely has a more refined speaking voice, but in this podcast I am SO loud… for this, I am sorry. 3) This is our first try at this. We have no special programs and no money to buy one, so we downloaded a free audio-editing program and attempted to use it with no directions. Ok, if you’re still up for it… ENJOY.

Listen to the podcast “We Are Never Full podcast 1 - Provencal Rabbit Stew” now (Requires Quicktime).

Provencal Rabbit Stew with olives & capers

Provencal Rabbit Stew with Olives and Capers (serves 4)

Rabbit can dry out quickly when cooked because it lacks fat, so this stew works perfectly to keep the meat moist and to tenderize it through long, slow cooking. We ate it with some boiled potatoes for the first meal, then over some tagliatelle as a ragu the second time. Either way it’s delicious and would also work well over rice or just served with some crusty country bread.

Ingredients

1 large rabbit (2-3 lbs)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
½ cup plain flour
½ cup smooth Dijon mustard + 2 tablespoons extra
2 cups coarsely chopped onion
½ cup coarsely chopped carrot
1 cup white wine (whatever you plan to drink with the meal)
1 large sprig thyme
1 medium sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf
1½ tsp tomato paste
5 finely chopped garlic cloves
3-4 cups chicken stock
1 16-0z can of whole, peeled tomatoes (tomatoes only, no juice)
¾lb brine-cured green olives (without pimentos)
1 can black olives, drained
¾ cup capers (large, not nonpareils)
¼ cup finely chopped/chiffonaded parsley

Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Cut rabbits into 6 pieces: hind legs (2), forelegs (2) and center-loin/spine (cut in half) or have your butcher do this for you.
3. Brush the rabbit pieces with mustard and then dredge them lightly in flour, shaking off excess.
4. Put a large, high-sided ovenproof pot (we used our big enameled cast-iron Le Creuset) over medium heat and add olive oil.
5. Add rabbit and brown on both sides – 2-3 mins per side or until golden brown. Remove and set aside
6. Add the onions and carrots to the pot and cook over a slightly higher heat until onions have some color. Sprinkle in the leftover flour, if any remains, and stir well into onion. (Additional oil may be necessary here if pan is dry.)
7. Deglaze pot with white wine over high heat and mix well to get all the crusty bits off.
8. Add the thyme, rosemary and bay, extra two tablespoons of mustard and tomato paste and garlic. Mix well.
9. Return rabbit to pot. Add plum tomatoes, olives and capers and add enough chicken stock to cover meat and vegetables by about an inch. Bring to a boil. Cover and braise in oven for 1½ hours or until meat has begun to pull away from bones.
10. Return pan to stove top and reduce sauce by about half. You may also thicken sauce with flour, if desired.
11. Check seasoning and sprinkle with the parsley.
12. Serve. Bowls are best, we found. Enjoy!

Thanks to Dean & DeLuca for the base of this recipe.

Listen to the podcast “We Are Never Full podcast 1 - Provencal Rabbit Stew” now. (Requires Quicktime)

Please note that we have not yet managed to set ourselves up on iTunes. We hope to figure this overly-tricky procedure out in the coming days.

CHECK OUT SOME OTHER POSTS YOU MAY ENJOY:

Provencal Rabbit Stew with Olives and Capers from We Are Neverfull: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: bunny, capers, Easter, easy, France, French, game, olives, podcast, Provencal, rabbit, Recipe, Recipes, stew

Posted in America, Easter, Meat, Provencal, bay, braised, bunny, capers, chicken stock, delicacy, dining, diversity, eating, flour, food, game, healthy, hearty, lower fat, mustard, olives, onions, parsley, podcast, rabbit, rosemary, savory, slow cooking, thyme

10 Responses to “Eating the Easter Bunny and Our First Podcast”

on 27 Mar 2008 at 12:49 pm1courtney

My CS told me thats what they eat on Easter in Germany. I found it odd. But when you think about it we eat chocolate bunnies and cute little lambs. I had his Moms rabbit and it was so yummy.But this provencal style looks more to my liking.
on 27 Mar 2008 at 1:15 pm2chris

How much did you pay for rabbit???

Here in Spain rabbit is cheap so I’m going to be trying out your recipe (great, mouthwatering photos btw).

About the podcast: Amy - you don’t sound like you’ve got a penis, but you do sound as if you’re talking on the phone. The format is fine. Did you record with Audacity or some other software? Are you Mac or PC? Feeder http://reinventedsoftware.com/feeder/ is really easy software for doing podcast feeds to iTunes on a Mac -I don’t know about PC’s. I’ve been doing podcasts for some time, so If you need anyhelp send me an email?
on 27 Mar 2008 at 1:15 pm3White On Rice Couple

This whole post is wickedly funny and your podcast is awesome! I was just fixated on listening to your beautiful voices and the whole interesting process!
Todd loves rabbit and has made it. Then I first read your post, I was thinking….”Gosh, rabbit $$$ is expensive!”. After the read, I listen to your podcast and you guys re-affirmed the pricy price tag of rabbit! $60 dollars for two? Wow, but your stew came out marvelous and it was worth it. Also, you extra addition of garlic is even better!
on 27 Mar 2008 at 6:09 pm4Peter

Okay, who’s voice is who? LOL

Rabbit is sadly delicious but hey…the multiply like..rabbits! Us Greeks make a rabbit stew called Stifado and it’s marinaded in wine and the lots of onions (as you have) helps with the gameyness.

Got guests coming over? Tell them it’s chicken!
on 27 Mar 2008 at 9:13 pm5arif

great first podcast, keep it up.
on 28 Mar 2008 at 5:57 am6Pixie

Listening to you two now and your telling the bugs bunny story We grew up eating rabbit (yes in nyc) and rabbit is a popular Maltese dish, if you try it out again, hope you’ll give a Maltese version of rabbit stew a go. I can’t believe it cost you $60 (did i hear that correctly???) to buy two rabbits! And it’s great to hear you two.
on 28 Mar 2008 at 5:59 am7Pixie

oh and I’ll have to star this one too as I have a rabbit in the freezer to use up and always looking for different versions…and it only cost about $7 btw
on 21 Apr 2008 at 7:55 am8Marc @ NoRecipes

I don’t think I’ve ever had rabbit before. I’m gonna have to give this a try:-)
on 22 Apr 2008 at 11:05 am9Joel

60 bucks for a pair of bunnies? Almost every time I visit my mother (on our family farm in Central Texas) I manage to pot a few cotton tails. I can’t imagine spending that much on them! I guess it’s like having access to fresh corn and homegrown tomatoes, so I’m just spoiled. I’ll definitely be trying your recipe, it sounds fantastic!
on 06 May 2008 at 7:39 am10Arroz Marinero - Spanish "Marine" Rice | We Are Never Full

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