Rabbit with White Asparagus

Ingredients

• 1400 g rabbit back (2 rabbit backs; pre‑cooked)
• 1 bundle soup vegetables
• 2 Garlic cloves
• 1 onion
• 2 tbsp Rapeseed oil
• 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 200 ml dry red wine
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 stalk sage
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 peppercorns
• Salt
• Pepper
• 600 g waxy potatoes
• 1 kg white asparagus
• 1 large carrot
• 1 stalk Celery
• 1 Shallot
• 4 thyme sprigs
• a pinch sugar
• organic lemon
• 60 g butter (4 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp flour
• parsley

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash and pat dry the rabbit back, then separate fillets from the bones with a sharp knife. Wash, peel or trim the soup vegetables, garlic, and onion, cutting them into large pieces. Roughly chop the bones.

2. 2.

   Heat 1 tbsp oil in a roasting pan for the rabbit stock. Sear the bones until browned, turning frequently. Add the soup vegetables, garlic, and onion, sautéing together. Stir in tomato paste, letting it color, pour in 100 ml wine and break up any browned bits. Add the remaining wine and 1.5 l water. Toss in rosemary, sage, bay leaf, peppercorns, salt, and pepper. Simmer on medium heat for 1½ hours.

3. 3.

   Meanwhile, peel and wash potatoes. Peel asparagus, trim woody ends. Peel carrot, wash celery, trim, and dice both into very small cubes. Peel shallot, finely chop. Wash thyme, shake dry, strip leaves.

4. 4.

   Season rabbit fillets with salt and pepper. Heat remaining oil in a skillet. Sear the meat on all sides for about 5 minutes until browned. Remove and set aside.

5. 5.

   Add potatoes to boiling salted water and cook for 25–30 minutes. Add asparagus to boiling salted water with a pinch of sugar and half a lemon, cooking for 20–25 minutes.

6. 6.

   Strain the rabbit stock through a sieve into a bowl.

7. 7.

   Melt 1 tsp butter in a pot, sauté shallot, carrot, and celery cubes until translucent. Pour in 500 ml of collected stock, bring to a boil. Mix flour with 1½ tbsp butter to make a roux. Whisk this into the sauce to thicken, seasoning with salt and pepper. Fold in thyme leaves.

8. 8.

   Wash parsley, shake dry, and chop. Melt remaining butter in a skillet. Drain potatoes, let them steam dry, then add them to the skillet with parsley and mix.

9. 9.

   Drain asparagus. Briefly place meat in the sauce to warm, slice into strips, and arrange on preheated plates alongside asparagus, potatoes, and sauce.