Rabbit Carrot Leek And Green Bean Ragout Recipes

SPRING VEGETABLE RAGOûT

Steps:

• Chop white and pale-green parts of leeks and wash well in a bowl of cold water. Lift leeks from water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander to drain. Trim fennel stalks flush with bulb and remove any discolored areas of bulb. Halve bulb lengthwise and cut each half crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices, discarding cores. Halve or quarter larger morels lengthwise, leaving smaller ones whole.
• Cook turnips in a 6-quart heavy pot of salted boiling water until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer turnips with slotted spoon to a large bowl of ice water to stop cooking. (Keep water boiling.) Boil carrots until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes, and transfer with slotted spoon to ice water. Boil fava beans until crisp-tender, about 2‚ minutes, and transfer with slotted spoon to ice water. Gently boil potatoes until almost tender, about 15 minutes, and drain in colander. Rinse under cold running water. Drain blanched vegetables and gently peel outer skins from fava beans. Halve potatoes.
• Cook shallots, leeks, and salt and pepper to taste in 3 tablespoons butter in pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add broth, zest, and 1/4 cup herbs and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids. Discard solids and reserve broth.
• Cook morels in remaining 3 tablespoons butter in cleaned pot over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add wine and simmer until reduced to about 1 tablespoon, about 3 minutes. Add fennel, asparagus, bell peppers, and reserved broth, then simmer, covered, until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Gently stir in blanched vegetables and simmer until all vegetables are just tender, about 4 minutes.
• Serve ragout sprinkled with remaining 1/4 cup herbs.

RABBIT, CARROT, LEEK, AND GREEN BEAN RAGOûT

Steps:

• Remove fat, kidneys, and liver from rabbit if necessary. Pat rabbit dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil and 1/2 tablespoon butter in a wide 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then brown rabbit in 2 batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer as browned to a plate. Add wine to pot and boil 30 seconds. Add broth and deglaze pot by boiling, scraping up brown bits. Mince and mash garlic with thyme and salt and stir into broth with bay leaf and rabbit. Simmer, covered, 40 minutes.
• While rabbit is simmering, quarter onions lengthwise, leaving enough of core intact to keep layers together. Soak leeks in a large bowl of water 10 minutes, agitating occasionally to dislodge any sand and letting sand sink to bottom of bowl. Lift leeks out of water.
• Scatter onions, leeks, carrots, and potatoes over and around rabbit and continue to simmer, covered, until rabbit and vegetables are tender, 40 to 50 minutes.
• When rabbit is almost done, cook beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes, and drain in a colander.
• Stir beans into ragout, then transfer rabbit and vegetables with a slotted spoon to a deep platter and keep warm. Boil cooking liquid until reduced to about 3/4 cup and whisk in remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter. Pour some of sauce over rabbit and vegetables and serve the rest on the side.