Preheat oven to 150°C. Place dried wild mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving 125ml (½ cup) soaking liquid. Rinse mushrooms to remove any grit and set aside.
Meanwhile, tightly wrap rabbit backstraps in pancetta (there will be some left over) and refrigerate until needed.
Melt 40g butter and 1 tbsp oil in a large casserole over medium–high heat. Season remaining rabbit with salt and pepper, and cook with remaining pancetta, turning, for 5 minutes or until rabbit is evenly browned. Add wine and cook for 1 minute to cook off alcohol. Tie half the thyme with kitchen string and add to pan with chicken stock, whole eschalots, three-quarters of the garlic, juniper berries, bay leaves, prunes, wild mushrooms and reserved mushroom liquid. Season, bring to the boil, then turn off heat. Cover surface with a cartouche with a small hole cut in the centre, then cover with a lid. Transfer to oven and bake for 1 hour or until meat is tender.
Carefully strain braised rabbit mixture in a colander set over a large saucepan. Transfer rabbit mixture to a deep platter and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Place sauce over high heat, bring to a rapid boil and cook for 12 minutes or until reduced by two-thirds. Reduce heat to medium, then whisk in the remaining 30g butter, one piece at a time, until butter is incorporated and sauce is shiny. Season. Remove from heat and pour over rabbit mixture.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Cook backstraps, turning, for 4 minutes for medium or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 5 minutes. Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to pan and cook Swiss brown mushrooms for 3 minutes. Pick leaves from remaining thyme and add to pan with remaining garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until mushrooms are golden. Season.
Slice backstraps into 3cm pieces and add to rabbit mixture with mushrooms. Serve with green beans and crusty bread.
* Dried wild mushrooms, from delis, are a mixture of chanterelles, trompettes, cepes and morelles. Substitute just dried cepes (porcini).
* Ask your butcher to joint the rabbit for you, cutting the back legs into two pieces and removing the two backstraps, leaving you with 8 pieces in total, including the front legs.
Drink 2009 First Drop’s ‘The Big Blind’ Adelaide Hills Nebbiolo Barbera ($27), 2008 Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo ($45), 2010 Josef Chromy Pepik Pinot Noir ($20) or 2008 Joseph Drouhin Laforet Pinot Noir Bourgogne ($25).
Meanwhile, tightly wrap rabbit backstraps in pancetta (there will be some left over) and refrigerate until needed.
Melt 40g butter and 1 tbsp oil in a large casserole over medium–high heat. Season remaining rabbit with salt and pepper, and cook with remaining pancetta, turning, for 5 minutes or until rabbit is evenly browned. Add wine and cook for 1 minute to cook off alcohol. Tie half the thyme with kitchen string and add to pan with chicken stock, whole eschalots, three-quarters of the garlic, juniper berries, bay leaves, prunes, wild mushrooms and reserved mushroom liquid. Season, bring to the boil, then turn off heat. Cover surface with a cartouche with a small hole cut in the centre, then cover with a lid. Transfer to oven and bake for 1 hour or until meat is tender.
Carefully strain braised rabbit mixture in a colander set over a large saucepan. Transfer rabbit mixture to a deep platter and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Place sauce over high heat, bring to a rapid boil and cook for 12 minutes or until reduced by two-thirds. Reduce heat to medium, then whisk in the remaining 30g butter, one piece at a time, until butter is incorporated and sauce is shiny. Season. Remove from heat and pour over rabbit mixture.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Cook backstraps, turning, for 4 minutes for medium or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 5 minutes. Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to pan and cook Swiss brown mushrooms for 3 minutes. Pick leaves from remaining thyme and add to pan with remaining garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until mushrooms are golden. Season.
Slice backstraps into 3cm pieces and add to rabbit mixture with mushrooms. Serve with green beans and crusty bread.
* Dried wild mushrooms, from delis, are a mixture of chanterelles, trompettes, cepes and morelles. Substitute just dried cepes (porcini).
* Ask your butcher to joint the rabbit for you, cutting the back legs into two pieces and removing the two backstraps, leaving you with 8 pieces in total, including the front legs.
Drink 2009 First Drop’s ‘The Big Blind’ Adelaide Hills Nebbiolo Barbera ($27), 2008 Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo ($45), 2010 Josef Chromy Pepik Pinot Noir ($20) or 2008 Joseph Drouhin Laforet Pinot Noir Bourgogne ($25).