Yooper Food

Rabbit

A very close relationship exists between the hare and the rabbit, the chief difference being in small size and shorter legs and ears of the latter. The manner of dressing and preparing each for the table is, therefore, pretty nearly the same. To prepare them for roasting, first skin, wash well in cold water and rinse thoroughly in lukewarm water. If a little musty from being emptied before they were hung up, afterwards neglected, rub the insides with vinegar and afterward remove all taint of the acid by a thorough washing in lukewarm water. After being well wiped with a soft cloth put in a dressing as usual, sew the animal up, truss it, and roast for half or three-quarters of an hour, until well-browned, basting it constantly with butter and dredging with flour, just before basting up.

To make a gravy, after the rabbits are roasted, pour nearly all the fat out of the pan, but do not pour the bottom or brown part of the drippings; put the pan over the fire, into it a heaping tablespoon of flour and stir until the flour browns. Then stir in a pint of boiling water. Season the gravy with salt and pepper; let it boil for a moment. Send hot to the table in a tureen with the hot rabbits. Serve with currant jelly. --1906

Braised

• 2 rabbits (about 6 lbs. meat)
• 2 tbsp. corn starch
• 4 medium onions
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 cups chicken broth
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. water
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf, crumbled
• 1 tbsp. rosemary, freshly chopped
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy skillet. Add the rabbit pieces to the skillet a few at a time, and brown on all sides. Remove the browned pieces and place on a clean cloth or paper towel. Add onions to the skillet and sauté for five minute, or until soft. Return the rabbit to the skillet, then add the garlic, chicken broth, lemon juice, bay leaf, and rosemary; salt and pepper to taste. Cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the juices run clear when a small slit is made in the thickest part of a thigh. Remove the rabbit to a serving platter and keep warm. Mix the corn starch with the water in a small bowl, then slowly add the corn starch mixture to the hot liquid in the pan, stirring, and let simmer gently until well blended and thickened. Pour the hot sauce of the rabbit, and serve.

Fried

• 1 rabbit
• ¼ cup flour
• 3 tbsp. shortening
• salt & pepper, to taste

Cut the rabbit into serving pieces. Wipe the rabbit pieces with a damp towel, and pat dry. Lightly dust each piece with flour, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Heat the shortening in a large skillet, add the rabbit, and brown. Lower the heat, then fry, turning the rabbit often, for about 30 minutes, or until the juices run clear when a small slit is made in the thick part of the thigh.

Pie

• 1 rabbit
• biscuit dough
• 2 cups carrots, cooked
• ½ cups celery, cooked
• 3 onions, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup peas
• cream
• 2 tbsp. bacon fat
• salt and pepper, to taste

Heat bacon fat. Add the onion and cook until light brown. Remove the onions and set them aside. Brown pieces of rabbit which have been dipped in flour. Cover with water and simmer until the rabbit is soft. Season with salt and pepper, and the bay leaf. Remove the rabbit and set aside. Thicken the broth to suit your taste. Cut the meat from bones of the rabbit. Line a deep baking dish with rich biscuit dough rolled rather thin, then fill with alternate layers of meat, carrots, peas, celery, and onions. Add the broth, then cover the top with biscuit dough, and brush it with cream. Bake in a hot oven 450 F for ten minutes. Lower the temperature of the oven to a moderate oven (400 F), and bake for twenty minutes.

Roast

Country Style

• 1 rabbit, cut into serving pieces
• 1½ cups flour
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 bay leaf, crushed
• 6 tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 cup rich chicken broth
• 1 cup dry wine
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• ½ tsp. rosemary
• ½ tsp. thyme

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a sheet of waxed paper, and dredge rabbit pieces. Brown the rabbit in a large skillet in 4 tbsp. butter (may use bacon drippings instead) over medium heat. Transfer to a 9x9-inch baking dish and set aside. Add onion, carrot, mushrooms, rosemary, thyme, and the bay leaf to the drippings. Sauté over low heat until the vegetables are tender. Blend the chicken broth and wine into the mixture. Cook over low heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring often. Pour over meat, cover with aluminum foil, and bake in a slow oven (325 F) for one hour, or until the meat is tender. Transfer the meat to a heated serving platter. Combine 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. flour to form a paste. Add a small amount of sauce and blend thoroughly. Gradually add to sauce. Cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Serve with the rabbit.

• 1 medium sized rabbit
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ cup vinegar
• ½ cup water
• ½ pint sour cream
• ¼ tsp. cloves
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• ¼ tsp. mace
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt

Mix the water, vinegar, sugar, and spices, and simmer for five minutes. Set aside to cool. Wash the rabbit and cut it into pieces for serving. Put the rabbit pieces in a deep bowl along with the sliced onion, and pour it over the cooled liquid, being sure that the rabbit is well covered with liquid. Cover the bowl and set it aside in a cool place for at least three days. Freezing will not hurt it. When you are ready to cook, place it all in a heavy kettle or Dutch oven and simmer gently until the rabbit is very tender. Add the sour cream, and serve piping hot with dumplings or mashed potatoes. Serves five to six people.

Snowshoe Rabbit Roast

• 2 snowshoe rabbits, dressed
• flour
• 15 whole cloves
• 15 black peppercorns
• 1 cup onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1½ cups dry wine
• 1½ cups water
• ¾ cup vinegar
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1½ cups reserved marinade
• 4 tbsp. butter
• ¾ cup sour cream
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dry mustard

Combine the dry wine, water, vinegar, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, sugar, salt, and dry mustard into a saucepan, and boil for two minutes. Set aside to cool. Cut the rabbits into serving sized pieces. Place the rabbit pieces in a glass or earthenware bowl, then cover with cooled marinade. Cover and refrigerate for two days, turning the pieces over in the marinade every now and then. When you are ready to cook, remove the rabbit pieces from the marinade, pat them dry with a paper towel, then dust them with flour. Strain the marinade, and set it aside. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a Dutch oven or heavy, deep skillet. Brown the rabbit and onions. Pour off the fat, then add 1½ cups strained marinade. Cover and simmer over a low heat, turning the pieces from time to time, for 1½ to 2 hours, or until the rabbit is very tender. Add more marinade while cooking, if necessary. When done, arrange the rabbit pieces on a warm platter. Sample the broth to make sure that the seasoning is to taste. For a thicker gravy, mix flour with some of the reserved marinade, and stir it into the sauce with a whisk. Simmer, while stirring, for two minutes. Stir in the sour cream and heat the sauce, but do not bring it to a boil. Pour it over the rabbit pieces, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Stew

• 2 whole rabbits, skinned and cleaned
• 2 cans french onion soup, from beef stock
• 1 small can kernel corn
• 1 medium can peas & carrots
• 1 medium can sliced tomatoes
• 3-4 russet potatoes
• 1 oz. rum or vodka (optional)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Get salted water heating on stove. While water is heating, peel the potatoes and slice to preferred size. Place potato chunks in water after bringing it to a boil. While potatoes are boiling, mix the soup, corn, peas & carrots, tomatoes, and liquor in a medium to large crock pot. Do not strain the vegetables, but dump the entire can into the pot. Set the crock pot to medium heat. Boil the potatoes until semi-soft, but do not dump the water. Place about a three-fourths of the potato pieces into the crock pot. Mash the remaining potatoes into a gritty pulp, and then add them to crock pot to help thicken the stew. If you prefer a soupy stew, then put all of your potatoes into crock pot unmashed. Boil the rabbits in the same water that you used for the potatoes, adding fresh water to the pot, if necessary. When the rabbits have cooked thoroughly, remove them from water, de-bone, slice into preferred size pieces, and add the pieces to the crock pot. Add ½ to 1 cup of potato/rabbit water to the crock pot. Salt and pepper to taste. Consider adding a touch of onion and garlic powder for a little extra flavor. Cover the crock pot and let the stew cook on medium to high heat, stirring every 20-30 minutes. Add water, as necessary. The stew should be ready to eat after 2-3 hours of cooking, but it might be better after 4-5 hours. For the thickest stew, don't add any water during the last hour of cooking.

• 1 rabbit, cut up
• ¾ cup flour
• 2 cups diced carrots
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 ounces sliced mushrooms, sauteed
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 4¼ cups water
• 4 cups dry red wine
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. seasoned salt
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 bay leaf

Dredge the rabbit pieces with ½ cup flour. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; brown rabbit pieces on all sides. Add celery, onion, salt, pepper, bay leaf, 4 cups water, and wine; bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer rabbit stew for 2 hours. Add carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms; cook for about 25-30 minutes longer, or until vegetables are tender. Combine ¼ cup flour and ¼ cup water; stir until well blended and smooth. Stir flour mixture into the broth; cook and stir until thickened. Serves four.

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