Ever since I watched the Bugs Bunny cartoon, "Shishkabugs," I wanted to write my own recipe for "hasenpfeffer."
Normally, one uses wine and vinegar. Instead of vinegar, I've opted to use rhubarb, hence the name translating as "Hare-Rhubarb." I recommend serving the dish with buttered egg noodles and braised red cabbage.
3 lbs hare or rabbit, cut into quarters
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 duck breast with skin & fat, deboned & minced
15 button mushroom, quartered
1 large white onion, chopped
3 tablespoon butter
1 large carrot, sliced
1 cup sour cream
Marinade
3 cup Dornfelder red wine
1 cup water
3/4 cup peas
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram
3 ribs rhubarb, minced
10 dried juniper berries
5 black peppercorns
1) Heat oven to 200°F. Combine all marinade ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the rabbit quarters, and cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 3 days, turning rabbit quarters twice daily.
2) Spread flour over a sheet of waxed paper. Remove rabbit quarters from marinade, and dredge through flour to coat all pieces evenly. Reserve marinade.
3) In a large stewpot, cook the minced duck breast with butter over medium heat until fragrant. Add mushrooms and onion, cooking and stirring until onion is tender
4) Add rabbit quarters to stewpot and cook and turn until all sides are evenly browned. Pour remaining flour into marinade, stirring until evenly mixed. Stir marinade into the stewpot. Turn heat to high and bring the stewpot to a boil.
5) Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until rabbit is tender. Transfer rabbit quarters to an oven-safe serving platter, and place in oven to keep warm.
6) Turn heat back to medium. Stir carrot slices and sour cream into the stewpot. Continue stirring until evenly blended: do not allow to boil. Retrieve rabbit from oven, and pour the completed sauce over.