Braised rabbit with prunes

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 rabbit, approx. 2 kg
• 24 plum(s), dried
• e.g. strong black tea (e.g. Earl Grey)
• 150 g bacon (belly bacon), smoked, diced
• 2 tbsp lard
• 2 carrots
• 1 handful of shallots
• ½ bottle of dry white wine (Pinot Blanc or Chardonnay)
• 300 g cream
• 1 lemon(s)
• Thyme
• Salt
• n. B. Peppercorns, black, crushed

Instructions

Working time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 35 minutes

First, soak the prunes in very strong black tea for at least two hours, then pit them—but not all of them, because the inevitably halved plums will cook quite a bit later (which is beneficial for the sauce), but you’ll want to keep some whole. Have the rabbit carved by the dealer beforehand—each leg separately and the back into three pieces. The flaps of meat on the left and right sides of the ribs are also removed. Now, pour the lard into an oval roasting pan and fry the diced bacon in it. Then add the nine rabbit pieces and fry them slowly and carefully. Season well with salt and pepper; 1/2 tablespoon of crushed black peppercorns is not too much. Sautéing on the stovetop takes about 20 minutes. During this time, the pieces should only turn a light brown, so the heat shouldn’t be too high. Turn them over frequently, adding more lard if necessary. Peel the shallots, but don’t chop them. Wash the carrots and roughly dice them. Now add a small pinch of dried thyme and lightly roast the shallots and carrots. Since the three-piece loin cooks much faster, similar to chicken breast, the loin pieces are removed after searing before the rabbit is placed in the oven. Pour in the white wine beforehand – but only until the meat is half covered. Cover. Place in the oven preheated to 200°C and then reduce the temperature to 180°C. A large rabbit will need another 1.5 hours to cook. While the roasting pan is in the oven, check on it every 20 minutes. Turn the pieces of meat over and add a little more white wine if necessary. The second time, after about 40 minutes of cooking, add the drained plums and pour in the cream. Season to taste and possibly add more salt. Cover and return to the oven. After an hour, add the back pieces back in. Whether the liquid in the roasting pan will reduce on its own, or whether you need to let the whole thing simmer uncovered for the last 15 minutes, or whether you need to put the roasting pan on the stovetop and let the sauce simmer over high heat because the meat is tender enough but the sauce is too runny, is difficult to predict. To refine the sauce, heat two burners, place the roasting pan on top, and drizzle in the lemon juice. Perhaps add more cream or a little wine, and season with salt and pepper if desired. It may also be that the sauce is still a little too runny and needs to be simmered further. In any case, this is the phase that decides whether the sauce will be good, super-good, or insanely good. Narrow ribbon pasta goes well with it.