INGREDIENTS
(serves four)
1 large onion
100g butter
200g cracked wheat
1 litre chicken stock
2 red peppers
1tbs (level) mustard
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper
1 whole rabbit
100g fat from duck confit
1tsp honey
1tsp ketchup
1 shallot
For the filo pastry stuffing
1 shallot
Parsley
Thyme
100ml rabbit jus
4 sheets of filo pastry
Chopped rabbit meat
For the garnish
100g chickpeas
100g sultanas
100ml Grand Marnier
350ml orange juice
METHOD
Chop half the onion into small dice and sweat in 25g butter. Add the cracked wheat and chicken stock. Simmer gently on low heat until all the liquid is absorbed and put aside to cool.
Meanwhile roast the peppers to remove skin deseed and dice. Combine mustard and juice of half a lemon and season with salt and pepper in a clean bowl. Mix all ingredients together.
For the rabbit cut the back legs and reserve. Bone out the chine of rabbit leaving two fillets attached and stuff with cracked wheat mixture. Secure with needle and string. Cook with the rest of rabbit in a duck confit for 20 minutes (gas mark 6). Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
For the stuffing caramelise honey ketchup and back legs in a clean sauté pan and put aside. Mince remaining rabbit meat. Sweat chopped shallot in 25g butter; add chopped parsley and thyme rabbit jus and mince. For each portion brush a sheet of filo pastry lightly with butter add a scoop of mince mix and form into envelope.
To garnish slice other half of onion and sweat in remaining butter. Add the cooked chickpeas sultanas Grand Marnier and orange juice and reduce the liquor.
To serve put the sauté pan with the back legs on to a moderate heat and reheat. Fill a ramekin half-way with the garnish add the remaining mixture of cracked wheat and reheat in the microwave or oven bake. Cook the shaped filo pastry in the oven for seven minutes (gas mark 6). Assemble on a plate and sauce.
Redouane Mokhtari