Rabbit Fricassée with Tagliatelle

Serves: 4 - 6

Ingredients:
1 whole rabbit (about 1.5kg), jointed into 8 pieces
2 litres brown chicken stock
1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, few sprigs of thyme and parsley stalks tied together)
1 tsp black peppercorns
100g smoked streaky bacon, chopped
2 banana shallots (or 4 small shallots), peeled and finely chopped
200g button or chestnut mushrooms, trimmed and large ones halved
few sprigs of rosemary, leaves finely chopped
300ml dry white wine
300ml double cream
1 ½ tbsp Dijon mustard
500g fresh tagliatelle
Handful of flat leaf parsley, leaves chopped
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
With a sharp knife, remove the loins from the backbone and cut into bite-sized pieces. Trim off the excess fat from the kidneys, cut them into half and carefully snip out the white cores. Trim the edges of the livers to neaten the sides, place into a bowl along with the livers and chill until ready to use.

Put the chicken stock, bouquet garni and peppercorns in pan with a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and add the rabbit legs. Gently poach for 1-11/2 hours until the meat is tender. Remove the legs from the pan with a pair of tongs and let cool slightly. Cut the meat off the bone into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Strain the poaching stock and measure out 300ml for later use.

Heat a large frying pan with a little olive oil. Season the livers and kidneys with salt and pepper and fry for 2 minutes until golden brown on all sides. Remove to a warm plate and set aside. Season the loin pieces and add to the pan. When the meat is three quarters cooked, add the poached leg meat and cook for a few more minutes until golden brown. (You may need to do this in two batches if your pan is not wide enough). Transfer to the plate.

Add the bacon and shallots to the pan with a little more olive oil, if necessary. Sauté for 3-4 minutes over medium heat until the shallots are translucent and the bacon is lightly browned. Stir in the mushrooms and rosemary and sauté for a few more minutes. Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Let the liquid boil until reduced by half. Add the 330ml of set aside stock and reduce again by half. Finally, pour in the cream and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened to a desired consistency. Stir in the mustard and season to taste. Add the browned rabbit meat into the sauce to warm through.

Meanwhile, blanch the tagliatelle in a pot of boiling, salted water for 1 ½ - 2 minutes until al dente. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce to coat. Divide amongst warmed plates and arrange the rabbit meat over the pasta. Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.