Rabbit civet

Rabbit civet is a classic dish of French cuisine. The word "civet" comes from "cive", an old word for onion.

These days, the name refers to chunks of meat, marinated then cooked slowly in red wine with bacon, mushrooms and onions.

This tasty stew or casserole, with its very tender meat, is like my grandmother Jeanne used to make for me when I was little.

33,7354.2/5 for 5 ratings

Last modified on: April 26^th 2015

Preparation	Resting	Cooking	Start to finish
20 min.	12 hours	3 hours	15 hours 20 min.

Preparation

Resting

Cooking

Start to finish

20 min.

12 hours

3 hours

15 hours 20 min.

Step by step recipe

Stage 1 - 5 min.

Prepare the marinade

Cut the rabbit into pieces (or have your butcher do this for you).

Stage 2 - 2 min.

Put into a bowl: 2 cloves garlic crushed, 1 bayleaf cut into pieces, 1 sprig rosemary, 1 sprig thyme, salt and pepper.

Stage 3 - 1 min.

Place the rabbit pieces on top.

Stage 4 - 12 hours

Cover with the red wine.

Cover with a plate and leave to marinate for 12 hours.

Stage 5 - 10 min.

Preliminary cooking

Heat 5 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan.

When hot, brown the rabbit pieces all over, in batches if necessary.

Please note: this is not to cook the rabbit, just to brown the outside, so cook for about 2 or 3 minutes on each side.

Set aside the browned meat on a plate.

Stage 6 - 5 min.

Use the same pan to fry 150 g small pieces of bacon briefly.

Set aside.

Stage 7 - 7 min.

Still using the same pan, use the fat released by the bacon to cook 350 g mushrooms, after chopping them.

Set aside.

Stage 8 - 5 min.

Prepare 250 g onion and chop finely.

Stage 9 - 2 min.

Still using the same pan, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil and when hot, add the chopped onion, salt and pepper.

Fry the onion for 2 or 3 minutes.

Stage 10 - 1 min.

Return the bacon and mushrooms to the pan and mix well.

Stage 11 - 1 min.

Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons flour...

Stage 12 - 1 min.

...then mix well.

Stage 13 - 2 min.

Begin the main cooking

Add the rabbit pieces to the pan...

Stage 14 - 2 min.

...then pour in the marinade, discarding the rosemary.

There should be enough wine to just about cover the meat. If not, add a little more.

Stage 15 - 6 min.

Bring to the boil on high heat...

Stage 16 - 2 hours 30 min.

...then leave to simmer on low heat: 1 hour with the lid on and about an hour and a half uncovered to allow the sauce to thicken slowly.

Stage 17

Discard the garlic, thyme and bayleaf, then check the seasoning.

Serve by standing the pan in the centre of the table so that people can help themselves, or by plating up, like in the photo.

To accompany your civet, I suggest pasta or pan-fried potatoes.

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	Red wine: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Roscoff loaf, Eggs meurette, Mulled wine Belle-Plagne style, Winemaker's toast, Boeuf (beef) bourguignon, ... All
	Rabbit meat: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Rabbit with mustard, Rabbit civet "à la normande", Rabbit terrine, ... All
	Mushrooms: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Quick flaky pizza, Summer Salmon Blanquette, Bolognaise lasagne, Stuffed Mushrooms, Crunchy courgette and mushroom salad, ... All
	Onion: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Enchiladas, Carbonnade, Gisèle's Pasties, Beef braised in reduced red wine, Creamy risotto with diced vegetables and flax seeds, ... All

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Rabbit civet

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