I’m been MIA for 30 days. Long story short, I moved from Los Angeles to Vancouver. And that involved selling my condo and my car, not to mention packing some and storing the rest of all of my stuff. I realized while packing that cooking has been a big deal around here for a few years. Not counting furniture (which I didn’t pack and instead included it with the sale of the apartment) 50% of all my crap was kitchen gear. I own a few guitars which would probably account for 35% of the total volume of my stuff. The rest was photography gear which happens to be a lot smaller and fit snuggly in my camera bag, solid and very valuable 15% of the total of my things. Ah , yes, I do own some clothes too, and they were scattered throughout my bags being used as padding for my kitchen equipment.
Notice the bubble wrap printing on my scale…. so, I tried returning to my blog earlier, but it has been crazy lately. In a previous attempt at blogging, I prepared steak and eggs with a chorizo potato hash. Though delicious if I may say so myself, the presentation was a disaster. My sunny side up eggs broke when I transferred them to the plate (I only have stainless steel pots and pans here and I couldn’t find a nonstick pan for my eggs that night), then the plate I served it on was too small and everything together just looked overcrowded, like a gross pile of food on a plate. Ridiculous. You know what I mean, an unappealing pile of food which I devoured immediately with no issue. I should mention that I’m temporarily living in a hotel room which has a kitchen, some gear and I’m still getting familiar with this malicious electric stove too.
Vancouver is beautiful (with its rough patches of modernity like any big city). Vancouver markets and kitchen supplies stores are pretty awesome. I will be posting photos of some of these places in the future. The produce and ingredients are great, really good quality stuff. The fish, all of the seafood looks incredibly fresh and beautiful. I will be cooking more seafood in the upcoming weeks. Anyways, so last night was “blog” night and I decided to try something new/different after having been gone all this time. Here in Vancouver, you can buy rabbit at the butcher shop. I’ve looked for rabbit in LA. Good luck (at farmers markets sometimes they can be found… again, good luck). I snatched the little guy an ran “home”. I was also looking forward to making fresh pasta, especially in a hotel/condo room with foreign equipment and also some of mine. This rustic pasta recipe contains a few Spanish ingredients that complimented Mr. rabbit really well. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Here we go:
Ingredients (dinner for 2 with leftovers for next day):
1 whole rabbit, including liver and kidneys (about 2 kg)
1 can fire roasted tomatoes (or any good canned tomatoes)
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 cup of fresh chanterelle mushrooms
5 pitted green olives, chopped
5 pitted black olives, chopped
40g sliced Spanish chorizo
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 medium shallots, finely diced
Pedro Ximenez sherry vinegar
2 bay leaves
Olive oil as needed
Salt and Pepper to taste
Tagliatelle Pasta:
200g “00” flour
2 eggs
pinch of salt
1 tsp olive oil
I want to break down the preparation of this dish, which takes a couple of hours to make, give or take. Taking the photos added some overhead. I didn’t have a pasta machine, but I had a wonderful fondant rolling pin I just got at a store here called The Gourmet Warehouse. My tagliatelle was a little thicker than I would have hoped, about ~1.2mm which isn’t bad for a rolling pin and a total lack of experience rolling out pasta this way!
1. Make pasta.
Combine the flour, eggs, salt and olive oil in a bowl. 1 egg per each 100g of flour is a very respectable ratio.
But eggs and flours brands are different, so some adjusting might be necessary. Again, experience here makes the difference (I’m not the most experienced, but I still enjoy the task and want to get better at it), like making bread, pasta dough has a particular consistency, that is hard to put into words. There are many variations as well, some like richer pasta, and add extra egg yolks. We want a smooth and silky finish, so we’ll stick to double zero flour which is very very finely ground and add a little olive oil to achieve a more delicate texture.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, or you can do the well in the center of the flour mound… I don’t think it really matters as long as everything gets incorporated well.
Knead a little bit, some gluten is still necessary to give pasta its flexibility and texture. About 3-4 minutes, until the dough comes together.
Shape into a ball, cover it tightly in plastic wrap and allow to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes at least.
Now, it is time to roll out that dough. Find a good work surface, I used the dining table here in the hotel room, which has this pretty smooth top. Flour the surface slightly, make sure that you adjust this amount depending on how sticky the dough is. Hopefully it isn’t too sticky and little extra flour is needed. Roll out the dough, away from you, trying to make this long and flat ribbon. If you have a pasta machine, make sure this ribbon isn’t wider than the pasta machine. If you don’t, still try to keep the ribbon less than 20 cm wide. This will yield long noodles which I like. Here’s a link that explains better what I’m trying to say: Mario Batali’s Fresh Tagliatelle.
Dust the sheet of dough with more flour making sure to remove any excess with a brush or hands. Now, roll up this sheet and using a very sharp knife cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips, then unroll.
And there it is, hotel-made fresh pasta.
2. Quarter the rabbit.
Cutting a rabbit is very straightforward but you do need a sharp knife.
Removing the front and hind legs is very similar to removing chicken legs, find the joints and cut around it, trying to retain as much meat as possible. At this point you should probably open youtube and check how it’s done, because a written explanation is only going to be confusing, specially if it’s coming from me. I found this video which I think is really good actually:
3. Make rabbit stock.
Crush the ribcage bones with your knife. You could roast the bones in the oven but I opted for pan searing the bones, just quicker. Olive oil and a hot pan. Develop good browning on both sides. Cover with water, add a thyme sprig, salt pepper, some white wine if you have any good bottles around, and simmer for about 30-40 minutes, covered. Strain the stock and pour into a saucepan. Discard everything else.
4. Poach legs in rabbit stock.
Poach the rabbit legs in the stock until 60C roughly (or 140F) at the core. Use a thermometer. Rabbit meat is very lean, and it will overcook easily. Take the hind legs, for example, they are as lean as a chicken breast, so gentle cooking is required. The stock doesn’t have to be boiling or simmering, actually its better if it isn’t. The closer to the goal temperature the stock is, the better, and the longer it will take to cook through. But it’s ok. Rabbit legs aren’t big. They should cook relatively quickly. About 10-15 mins poaching time. Once poached. Remove from the stock. And reduce the stock to about a third. Reserve this as well as we will need it for the ragout.
5. Pan fry kidneys and liver.
These are extremely delicate and will cook very fast. We don’t want to overcook them either. Cooked to medium, medium rare is ideal. Toss in a hot pan with some olive oil, salt and pepper. A couple of minutes. Done. Eat the liver before anyone gets to it….. Reserve the rest.
6. Sear rabbit legs and the loins.
After poaching them, pat them dry with paper towels, and throw the legs in a hot searing pan, for a minute or 2 on each side, just to get a nice browning. Remove from the pan and reserve. The loins can be cooked this way as well.
Add some salt. A really quick sear on loins is all we need, about 1 or 2 minutes on the pan, these can be cooked to medium rare no problem. They will be juicy and very tender. Deglaze the searing pan with a good splash of sherry vinegar and reserve.
7. Brown mushrooms.
I like to cook the chanterelle mushrooms by themselves and later add them to the sauce, just so I can brown them a little bit. Add them to a pan, with some olive oil or butter. Don’t crowd the pan too much, although chanterelle mushrooms don’t have as much water as white mushrooms for example, and won’t easily stew. Anyways, add some salt, pepper, toss a couple of times to get more even browning and remove from the heat. Takes about 3-4 minutes.
8. Make Ragout.
Olive oil, pan over medium heat. Add the chorizo, cooking for a couple of minutes. Add the shallots, sweat for about 3 minutes. Add garlic, cook but don’t let it brown, about 1 minute. Add tomato. Reduce and cook until color deepens. Add the reduced rabbit stock. Add the deglazed juices.. Add 1 or 2 bay leaves. Salt and Pepper. Reduce until saucy. Takes about 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning as needed. Remove bay leaves.
9. Combine.
Mix in the mushrooms with the olives into the ragout. Cut the tenderloins into small rounds. Mix everything together. Adjust salt and pepper.
10. Plate.
Cut the kidneys in half. Place a good serving of pasta and sauce into a plate. Sit rabbit leg over the side of the pasta mound for good luck and add the kidney halves. Add some fresh thyme leaves and a good amount of grated parmigiano reggiano cheese. Buen apetito!
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So glad you’re back and love your photos as always, especially the pasta ribbons! 🙂
thank you Patty! I’m to hear from you too!
Live reaction to the latest thatothercookingblog post, “Rabbit Ragout with Fresh Tagliatelle Pasta, Chanterelles, Olives and Pan Seared Rabbit Legs”
“‘Guitars, check. Cooking equipment, check. Hello, ladies!'”
“‘Used my leather motorcycle jacket to pack the carbon steel knives. Or maybe it was the chaps'”
“Flour is probably not the last thing to dust the hotel tabletop.”
“Have you been mushroom foraging? Damn!”
“Nice lighting. That rabbit looks like a supermodel.”
“Seriously, that is one sexy dead rabbit. I need some therapy now.”
“The best opera yet written. Truly.”
Clam Out.
this is probably the funniest comment I’ve ever gotten! thank you Clam… I shall keep your identity a secret!
You’ve done all this in a hotel room?
I’m speechless….
well… I have a small kitchen, an electric stove, and some pots and pans 🙂 plus I brought some of my own gear in my suitcases, but thank you Ronit! So glad you enjoyed the post!
I’ve had my share of such kitchens, and with all my catering experience, I would mostly end up with fried eggs for breakfast and take outs, definitely not with rabbit ragout and fresh pasta! 🙂
🙂 that’s usually what I end up making here too!
I really wanted to cook with rabbit this year but just sort of never gor round to it… Fear it’s now out of season here in the uk. If I find some I’m going to be making your recipe because it sounds perfect! I recently ate a beautiful rabbit stew in a Spanish restaurant and it was divine so I know these flavours compliment beautifully. Nice job! And very jealous about all that fresh seafood you describe in vancouver!
thank you Becky! I have so much catching up to do with your blog, I just took a peak and I was overwhelmed, you’ve been busy and everything looks so delicious and beautiful. I’ve been away from the blogging world for the last month, but I’ll catch up eventually. Thank you so much for visiting!!!! And if you do make this, please, let me know how it goes!
It’s good to take a break sometimes – I did for a week over Christmas and spent so long catching up on all the incredible festive posts online!
I will certainly let you know. Here’s hoping I catch a rabbit!
I was pondering over whole rabbits in the butchers a couple of weekends ago, but already had food plans. Thanks for sharing this recipe – I want to try it!
welcome! good to hear from you 🙂
You’ve gone global!!! Glad you finding so much good food in bc!!!!
hahahah 🙂
Welcome back, Paul. Wow, you’re certainly back with a bang! Great job, especially done in a hotel room. Rolling out the pasta is probably easier on a wooden surface (oiled wood, not painted) and after it has been kneaded quite a bit longer (10 minutes). Love how you’ve used the whole rabbit and made stock and everything. I cook rabbit legs sous-vide for 3-4 hours at 60C/140F, so poaching them in rabbit stock of that temperature is indeed a great idea. Also great that you cooked the loins separately from the legs as indeed they need a very different treatment. Next time, also poach the ‘flap meat’ (rabbit flank steak) and brown it. It is the best part of the rabbit!
thank you Stefan! Glad to be back! I still need to catch with all the posts I missed from you and other friends here on wordpress! I will get a pasta machine eventually, but I want to learn how to make pasta without one, and get better at it. I will be picking your brain about gluten and kneading times 🙂 I will definitely feature the flank steak more next time! I’ve only eaten rabbit at restaurants before this post, so still getting the hang of it. Great to hear from you! …… it is raining today btw…. hahaha
– Good to see you here. You returned with a bang! Very interesting and unique post, by posting a rabbit dish. I have eaten rabbit, but never have cooked it. First time I had rabbit was… when I was a 3rd grader, attending a Japanese elementary school, one of our field trips was rabbit hunting (we would run after them to catch with our hands). We did that for a couple of hours, and then, assembled again for a rabbit stew.
– From sunny Los Angeles to it-does-get-cold Vancouver, ey!.Vancouver is such a beautiful city, you will have a wonderful time.
Fae! Thanks I’m glad to be back! was it “traumatic” to go after a rabbit and then eat it at such young age? As a kid I had a number of bunny pets, and I probably had rabbit for the first time when I was like 9. They are so cute but so are lambs and we eat them… always, yes, vancouver is really pretty, but it gets cold and it does rain, today it rained pretty much all day long, I guess I will have to get used to it 🙂
It sound cruel, but we were excited to have rabbit stew, to eat our catch. 😉
hahahah, it kinda does, but at the same time, it doesn’t. Our neighbor from down the street raised her own chicken, and she would make lunch for us with them, I was there to see the whole process, and though a bit graphic, it was very educational and it showed us the reality of cooking. And how we should always respect the ingredients and eat everything on the plate 🙂
So, as I have… you have seen… as they say… a chicken running with its head cut off. 🙁
yep, pretty much! And I will never forget it
OMG you don’t mess around. This post is amazing. These photos are amazing and the amount of effort that went into this meal is just incredible. I cannot believe you’re doing this in a hotel.
thank you Amanda! I have a pretty decent kitchen, and i think the trickiest part was getting used to the stove and cooking with pans and pots I’m not familiar with. The ingredients though, do help, such beautiful ingredients here. I had a lot of fun through out the entire process 🙂
Too bad I didn’t have this video when I went rabbit hunting in Chile. Luckily most of the locals knew how to cut it and skin it so it worked out okay. Watching the vid reminded me of that.
that’s so cool you got to go to Chile and on top of that go hunting! I’ve never been there but I here it is really beautiful. Did you go to Torres del Paine? I want to go there some day!
I want to too! This trip was santiago, viña del mar and concepcion with some camping in the andes. I need to go back! !
Vina del mar, i think they hold this really famous music contest, famous in south america. My mom and my aunt would watch it religiously 🙂
Hi Paul, What a delicious recipe with truly great photos to make a comeback. I saw you just popped over my blog and thought you’re back. I was actually worried in case you were ill so I’m happy to find out you were ultra busy moving. I hope you enjoy your new city, big way to start the new year. I started a new job, so thats also a new start 🙂 Cheers!
Congratulations on your new job! and thank you 🙂 Yeah, it has been really crazy the last few weeks, but it’s finally all slowing down and I get more time to work in the kitchen and catch up with the blogging world ahahah
Hi, Paul. I am so impressed – a rabbit with homemade tagliatelle?! Chanterelles are one of my very favorite foods; couldn’t you just go to town on a buttery, pan-roasted bowl of them? 🙂 I am predicting a mass-immigration of Americans to Vancouver, Canada, just to taste your amazing cuisine. Lock your doors! Lovely photos, as always. Glad that you are moved in and enjoying the city! Best wishes to you! – Shanna
hahahah thanks Shanna, you comments are always too nice 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the post. One thing I noticed is that the featured image on the reader was the youtube video and not the first photo on the post like it usually is the case… I was bummed. oh well… I guess no more embedded youtube clips until i figure out how to not make them show up.
Paul, If you go to the very bottom of the page in your dashboard, on the lower right, you can select any image and make it your “Feature Image.” I hope this fixes your dilemma! Warm wishes, Shanna
yeah, you think? What do I fear that thing so much? i think it double up the pic if I have it in the post already, I don’t know what it is… but it does something that when I first tried it I decided not to use it again… and I also don’t like how the image is displayed on the reader, its all tiny and small. If I crop it to 8/11 format, then it displays big, but then again, its cropped, and I like the long vertical photos. Thanks Shanna! I will figure it out somehow!
Hi Paul, this looks super delicious! Really impressed with the homemade pasta, I love making pasta from scratch as it always tastes so much better. Amazing recipe 🙂
thank you so much! yeah, fresh pasta is the way to go, but it does take effort and timing. I actually don’t dislike dry pasta at the store, it’s different. Depending on the application I could go for one or the other. But again, I’m not the most experience pasta maker either hahahah 🙂
Love rabbit …. you should me in Master Chef – this is so professional – I wouldn’t even manage to do this. You’re one serious chef.
thank you! and I’m sure you’d be more than able to do this, a couple of pans, some heat, and good ingredients 🙂 I hope you’re doing well well, Viveka!
You have cooking in your veins – you should to it to a lot more than a blog. Such a waste of talent. If not being a chef … what about food stylist ?????
thank you!! 🙂 but I don’t know viveka, I’m still learning. I would like to take some cooking courses, like at a culinary school if I find the time. And it would be nice to maybe attend some workshops on food styling because I really like it
I think you should go for it … you have the touch and the eye. Food stylists make huge money too.
To cook like this is in itself a feat and to capture the process without dropping the camera in the pan or burning food is another. I have missed you posts for some time and now that I see you have returned with these succulent recipes, it makes me thankful for having gone through my reader.
I’m glad to be back, and thankful for your thoughtful comments! I do drop the camera sometimes 🙂 and if not, the poor camera ends with marks of my greasy fingers but I try to take good care of it. Food burns too, I will admit that more than once while looking through the view piece, the smell of smoke has been distracting to put it nicely hahaha