Recipe for Burns Night – rabbit haggis

Rabbit roulade, rabbit haggis, barley, carrot and winter mushroom

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 whole rabbit*

200g barley soaked overnight in cold water

3 garlic cloves

2 sprigs rosemary

2 sprigs thyme

4 medium carrots

100g winter chanterelles

24 slices smoked pancetta

250ml clarified butter

Caul fat (crepinette)

Butter

Salt and pepper

200ml prepared jus

¼ large onion very fine dice

50g oatmeal

¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper

¼ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp dried mixed herbs

1 sheep’s stomach salted and cleansed thoroughly.

String to tie

*1. Joint the rabbit and then carefully remove each of the 2 loins from both rabbits removing all sinew and connective tissue. Reach inside the cavity and remove the hearts, liver, lungs and kidneys. Keep the loins and back legs for the roulade, and the offal and front legs for the haggis.

For the Haggis

Heart, liver, lungs, kidneys of 2 rabbit

100g minced rabbit- front legs

¼ large onion very fine dice

50g oatmeal

¼ tablespoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon dried mixed herbs

1 sheep’s stomach salted and cleansed thoroughly.

String to tie

Method

1. Wash the offal well in cold water.
2. In a pan of salted boiling water add heart, liver, kidneys and lungs. Cook for ½ hour. Remove from pan but do not discard the stock
3. In a separate bowl add the cooked offal to the minced rabbit legs and put the new mixture through the mincer again.
4. Mix the mince with all dry ingredients.
5. Use the reserved stock to moisten the mixture to desired consistency and pack into sheep’s stomach, tied at each end and bake in oven 180c for 45 minutes.  Put small amount of stock in tray with bag.
6. When cooked open bag very carefully- check seasoning and allow to cool. Once cool form into 4 even balls and wrap well in crepinette and refrigerate until required.

To make the roulade

Ingredients

Loins and back legs of two rabbits

24 slices smoked pancetta

Salt and pepper

Method

1. Take the meat off the hind legs and remove as much connective tissue/ sinew as possible and blitz in a food processor with salt and pepper until smooth.
2. Lay out six pieces of sliced pancetta vertically with each piece slightly overlapping the previous piece. Do this four times.
3.  Divide the pureed leg mix into four then spread over the sliced pancetta
4. Place the rabbit loin horizontally across the vertical pancetta and leg meat and fold back the thin end of the loin on itself to make it thicker and even to the rest of the loin.
5. From the bottom roll the pancetta round the rabbit loin to create a roulade, repeat for each loin and reserve in fridge

For the barley and carrots

200g barley soaked overnight in cold water

3 garlic cloves

2 sprigs rosemary

2 sprigs thyme

4 medium carrots

Method

1. Peel the carrots and cut into eight small even batons, reserve the carrot trim and place in a pan of salted water and boil until soft, drain and the blitz the carrots with butter to form a smooth puree, keep warm
2. Place the carrot batons in a small deep tray and pour on the clarified butter, cover with foil and cook in oven 90c for around 30 minutes or until soft and tender.
3. Before serving place the barley in a pan and cover with twice the amount of salted water, add garlic, rosemary and thyme and boil until tender.

To Serve

200ml prepared jus

100g winter chanterelles

1. Place the rabbit haggis balls in a small pan and coat with some jus, place in the oven at 180c for around 12 minutes but baste with the jus every three minutes
2. Fry the rabbit wrapped in pancetta in a pan until lightly coloured then oven bake at 180c for nine minutes, turning halfway through and adding the winter mushrooms and return to oven. Once cooked rest for three minutes somewhere warm whilst you are plating the rest of the dish
3. On the plate add a spoonful of the barley, top it with mushrooms, to the side add some carrot puree and then the confit carrot, spoon on the rabbit haggis with a little of the cooking jus then carve the rabbit loin into three even pieces and arrange on plate.

Thanks to Paul Wedgwood of  Wedgwood The Restaurant in Edinburgh for this Burns Night special.