LOIN OF RABBIT WITH FETTUCCINE, PROSCIUTTO AND ROASTED HAZELNUTS

Serves 4

Hazelnut vinaigrette

2tbsp white wine vinegar

2tsp salt

1tsp Dijon mustard

3tbsp peanut oil (also known as ground nut oil)

2tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3tbsp hazelnut oil

Place the white wine vinegar in a bowl, add the salt then whisk in the Dijon mustard followed by the oils. Set aside.

Loin of rabbit with fettuccine, prosciutto and roasted hazelnuts

4 loins of rabbit, wild or farmed

4 cloves of garlic, sliced

3tbsp olive oil

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

4 slices of prosciutto

200g black trompette mushrooms (optional)

12g flat-leaf parsley, chopped

60g hazelnuts, roasted and lightly crushed

400g fettuccine

20g parmesan, finely grated

Marinate the rabbit, garlic, olive oil and thyme for 3 hours.

Set the oven to 200˚C/gas mark 6. Place the prosciutto slices on a sheet of greaseproof paper, placing another sheet of paper on top, and sandwich between two oven trays. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until crisp.

Heat a large saute pan and add one tablespoon of vegetable oil. Season the rabbit loins with salt and fry them for 4 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Saute the mushrooms in a separate pan then add them to the vinaigrette along with the parsley and hazelnuts.

Cook the fettucine in boiling salted water, drain in a colander then transfer to a large bowl and toss with the vinaigrette and parmesan.

Place the pasta in four hot bowls. Slice the rabbit and arrange it around the pasta, garnishing with the prosciutto and serving immediately.

taken from this place: http://www.heraldscotland.com/life-style/food-drink/martin-wishart-cooks-loin-of-rabbit-with-fettuccine-prosciutto-and-roasted-hazelnuts-1.1078969

How did this turn out? It sounds interesting! I love the idea of adding prosciutto for flavor, did it help with moisture? I've read that adding bacon or something fatty helps keep it from being dry...I have a litter of 5 my first living here that I would love to eat but my husband is hoping this first litter will go to pet or breeding homes...that and we live with my family and they say no butchering here... I want to eat some bunny!

Could you take the litter to a friend's house, butcher there, and bring home packaged meat?

I wish! Most of the people I know think I'm crazy for wanting to eat them. There is a place a town over or so that will butcher them for 4.50 a rabbit if I schedule to bring in my own rabbits or I can buy rabbits they butchered for 5.60 a pound...I'm going on maternity leave so I won't have any income really (it's unpaid) and my family really doesn't want me to breed again but I keep thinking if I got another breedable doe and had 2 litters at once I could sell some live at pet prices and eat the rest...my husband will eat rabbit but no one else will even try it so I don't know how much help that really is

Yikes, what a conundrum!

Did you try this recipe, Ladysown? It sounds intriguing.

not yet. the last rabbit I did I put in some chicken stock, tons of herbs, and put in low oven for 1.5 hours. It was so yummy that my non-meating liking five year old gobbled it up.

just saw my typo... should have read "my non-meat liking"

We had baked rabbit just a couple of nights ago.