Rabbit Sauce Piquant

This is one of my favorite recipes that can be made with rabbit, chicken or fresh redfish. My good friend Geno (the “rabbit man”) has the freshest rabbits in Santa Fe and was nice enough to dress some out for this recipe. We all gathered at the Santa Fe Lounge that Sunday afternoon to eat what you see in the last picture along with some “Jalapeño Dusted”™ fried rabbit. Erna served up the cold Lone Star beer to go along with these spicy entrees.

 
Redfish will not require as much cooking time as rabbit and chicken. The can tomato with green chilies vs. tomato sauce and water is an option based on taste as well as salt and pepper in the gravy. A large roasting pan (electric or cast iron) will be required for the final step if the recipe is cooked as written. The gravy can be cooked down and smaller portions used with fish or a reduced amount of rabbit or chicken. Remaining gravy can be frozen. Serve over white rice.
(Rabbit before seasoning.)

 
Cut two to three rabbits into pieces (depending on size) and sprinkle “Jalapeño Dusted”™ seasoning on the outside. Brown the rabbit pieces in a cast iron skillet with olive oil turning often to avoid sticking. The idea is to brown the meat and lock in juices. Do not over-brown or char the meat because this will affect the final flavor.
(Rabbit after baking.)

 
Line a deep baking pan with foil and add browned rabbit. Re-season the pieces with a generous amount of “Jalapeño Dusted”™. Cover with foil and bake at 350° for one hour. The meat should be close to falling off the bone. Set covered pan aside until the sauce piquant is cooked down.
(Sautéed vegetables.)

 
While the rabbit is baking, chop the following ingredients and sauté with olive oil in a large cast iron skillet. Add additional Jalapeño and Serrano if you desire a higher heat level.

• 4 large white onions peeled and chopped
• 5 green bell peppers chopped
• 5 whole garlic pods peeled and chopped
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• 2 whole bunches of green onions chopped
• 6 fresh jalapeños chopped
• 6 fresh Serrano peppers chopped

(Cooked down gravy ready for baked rabbit.)
When the vegetables start browning and are halfway soft, add the following ingredients.

• 5 lbs. chopped fresh roma tomatoes
• 1 cup of water
• 2 cans of chopped tomatoes with green chilies OR
• 1 can of tomato sauce

Salt and pepper to taste
Continue to cook on high heat for 20 minutes stirring often to avoid sticking. Add water in small increments. Add salt/pepper to taste if. The idea is to cook the gravy down to a thick consistency over time.
After 20 minutes reduce heat to low and add the following ingredients.

• 6 Tbs. “Herbal Red “™
• 4 Bay leaves
• 1 Tbs. Granulated garlic

Juice of three limes
Cover the skillet with a sheet of foil and stir every 10 minutes making sure this does not stick. Add water in small increments and re-season to taste after cooking down. This process of cooking down thick gravy will take at least two hours. If you prefer thinner gravy add additional water to achieve desired consistency. After gravy cooks down, re-season with “Herbal Red “™, garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
(Final rabbit sauce piquant.)

 
After cooking down the gravy add the rabbit pieces and stock from the baking pan. A large roasting pan (electric or cast iron) will be required at this point to allow for the large volume. Gently fold in and simmer on low heat another 30 minutes until the meat begins to fall off the bone. Serve over a bed of white rice.