Roast Rabbit with London Roots and Braised Cabbage

A Mother’s Instructions to Her Son’s Wife — London, 1838

My dear daughter,

Since my son has chosen you to keep his house, I shall tell you how to make a proper supper of rabbit, for the creature is inexpensive when bought fresh at market, and with good roots and cabbage it will feed a household very well. Do not bury the meat beneath too much spice. If the rabbit is fresh, good onion, herbs, and patience are worth more than anything costly from a merchant’s shelf.

For a supper of four to six persons, you will require one large, dressed rabbit, or two smaller ones; four carrots, two parsnips, two turnips, four or five small potatoes, two onions, half a green cabbage, and three cloves of garlic. Have also goose fat or beef dripping, a little flour, salt, black pepper, parsley, thyme, sage, and a bay leaf. Keep nearby about one pint of good beef or chicken broth, and a small cup of red wine if there is some already opened for the table.

Preparing the Rabbit

First wash the dressed rabbit carefully and examine it well. Pat it dry with a clean cloth. If it has come directly from the poulterer or market and has not been properly prepared, see that all unwanted portions are removed before you begin.

Rub the rabbit inside and out with salt and a modest amount of black pepper. Chop together a little parsley, thyme, and sage with one clove of garlic. Mix these herbs with a spoonful of goose fat and rub the mixture inside the rabbit.

Now slice one onion and put half of it inside the body with the bay leaf. Tie the legs close to the body with kitchen string so that the rabbit roasts evenly.

Do not use bacon to cover it, as many English cooks will tell you to do. Goose fat does the work perfectly well, and gives a good richness to lean meat.

Preparing the Vegetables

Peel the carrots, parsnips, turnips, and potatoes. Cut them into large pieces, but not so small that they disappear during roasting.

Slice the second onion thickly.

Place the onions, carrots, parsnips, turnips, and potatoes in the bottom of a deep roasting pan or heavy covered pot. Season them lightly with salt, pepper, and thyme. Add two or three spoonfuls of goose fat or dripping and toss them together.

Pour about half a pint of broth into the pan.

Set the rabbit upon the vegetables, brush it generously with more goose fat, and place it into a moderately hot oven.

Sam Note: A modern cook would use about 375°F / 190°C.

Roasting

Roast the rabbit for approximately one hour to one hour and twenty minutes, depending upon its size.

Every quarter-hour, spoon the juices from the bottom of the pan over the rabbit. Rabbit is lean, and a careless cook can make it as dry as old boot leather.

After the first half-hour, turn the vegetables so they brown on more than one side. Add a little more broth whenever the bottom of the pan begins to dry.

If you wish for a richer gravy, pour half a cup of red wine into the roasting pan during the final twenty minutes.

When the rabbit is properly cooked, the meat should be tender at the hind legs and should pull easily from the bone.

Remove the rabbit to a warm serving dish and cover it while you finish the meal.

The Cabbage

While the rabbit roasts, slice half a cabbage into broad ribbons.

Put a spoonful of goose fat into a heavy pot with a little chopped onion. Cook until the onion softens, but do not let it burn.

Add the cabbage with a little salt and pepper and perhaps half a cup of broth. Cover the pot and cook gently for twenty to thirty minutes, stirring from time to time.

A spoonful of wine or wine vinegar may be added near the end if the cabbage is too sweet.

The cabbage should be soft but not boiled into nothing. Remember that a vegetable is still entitled to some dignity.

Making the Gravy

Once the rabbit and roasted vegetables have been removed, place the roasting pan over gentle heat.

Stir one spoonful of flour into the remaining fat and juices. Cook it briefly, then slowly add another cup of broth while stirring.

Scrape all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, for that is where half your supper's flavor is hiding.

Add a small splash of wine and simmer until the gravy thickens. Taste before adding more salt.

Serving the Supper

Put the rabbit in the middle of your largest warmed platter. Arrange the roasted carrots, potatoes, parsnips, and turnips around it. Spoon a little gravy over the meat, but bring the remainder to table in a small jug.

Serve the cabbage separately with good bread.

Carve the hind legs first, then the forelegs, and finally slice the meat from the back. Give the larger portions to those who have worked the longest that day—but do not allow my son to convince you that this always means him.

For the table, serve a simple red wine, not an expensive bottle wasted upon an ordinary weekday supper. A light claret would suit the rabbit very well. Pour modestly and have water upon the table as well. If wine is kept according to the customs of your household, naturally use one acceptable to your family.

And remember this above all: bring the food to the table hot. A fine supper allowed to grow cold while everyone is called from three different rooms is no longer a fine supper.

There. Feed him properly, make him help with the wood and the dishes, and perhaps you shall both remain tolerable company.

— From your mother, London, 1838