Rabbit fillet with pancetta & roasted shallot
Chef: Michael Voumard
Try this with the: Lenswood Croft Chardonnay
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2 rabbit saddle fillets
¼ tsp chopped thyme
1 pinch ground white pepper
6 slices of pancetta
8 chestnuts
25g butter
20ml olive oil
16 shallots
1 cup butternut pumpkin in 2cm dice
salt and pepper
25ml olive oil
150g bitter salad greens - endive, rocket, watercress or radicchio
Sauce
Ingredients
200ml brown chicken stock
50ml dry sherry
½ small tomato
1 piece of dried porcini
1 sprig of thyme
Method
Toss the rabbit in the thyme and white pepper; wrap them in pancetta, using 3 slices for each fillet.
Make a cross through the chestnut husks. Put them into a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain, and while still hot remove the husk and the skin. Break the chestnuts into 4 pieces.
Heat the butter and 20ml of olive oil in a frypan; add the shallots and pumpkin, season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 200C until golden brown. Add the chestnut pieces to the pan for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
While they are roasting, place all the sauce ingredients into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, drop to a simmer and reduce to one-third of the volume.
Heat the 25ml of olive oil in a frying pan and brown the rabbit on all sides. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
To serve, place the salad leaves in the centre of a platter, spoon the roasted vegetables around them. Lay the rabbit slices on top of the leaves. Strain the sauce and spoon it over everything.