Rabbit in Parma Ham with Scallops on Taglioni

Rabbit in Parma Ham with Scallops on Taglioni

Rabbit, sadly, is an under rated meat in Britain but it is often found and eaten in many of the countries top restaurants. All that is needed is a little know how and rabbit can make one of the most delicious meals. The fillet from the saddle of the rabbit is tender, with a texture in between chicken breast meat and pork fillet and only needs to be cooked for a short period of time. While the leg is tougher and is delicious cooked slowly, my favourite way to cook is in as a confit (slowly cooked in goose or duck fat).

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4 Portions
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Prep: 15-20 minutes
Cook: Cooking Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Rabbit

  • 4*100g rabbit fillets (from the saddle)
  • 4 large slices of Parma ham
  • 1 tsp wattleseeds*, soaked in 1 tsp of boiling water (optional)
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 tbsp. walnut oil
  • 1-2 tbsp. olive oil
  • Maldon salt and freshly ground pepper

Pasta

  • 200g dried Taglioni

Sauce

  • 3 Belgian Endives
  • 400ml Rabbit, Chicken or Duck Stock
  • 100ml dry white wine
  • 100ml double cream
  • 3 tbsp. tarragon leaves
  • 1 tsp. wattleseeds (optional)

Scallops

  • 4 large scallops with their roes
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

Method
  1. To Prepare the Rabbit:Trim the loose belly flaps from the rabbit (most precut fillets will still have this attached) and shred like bacon lardons and set aside (optional). Rub the wattleseeds, garlic, seasoning and walnut oil into the rabbit fillets, then wrap in the parma ham so that they are totally covered. Place the rabbits in a covered container in the refigerator and leave to marinate for 1-2 hours or overnight.
  2. Sauce: Trim the ends off the endive and cut into 1-1.5 cm strips lengthwise. Bring some salted water to the boil and add the endive to it and simmer for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Remove the endive from the saucepan refresh them in some cold water and set them aside. Place the stock, and white wine in a saucepan and bring to the boil and then reduce to a strong simmer. Cook the stock for 20-30 minutes until reduced by 2/3. Stir in the cream and wattleseeds (optional) and return to a simmer until the sauce thickens slightly (reduced by about 1/3) so that it is a pouring consistency and coats the back of a spoon. Set aside until ready to serve.
  3. Scallops: Toss the scallops with the orange zest, olive oil and seasoning. Leave them to marinate for 15 minutes or up to 1 hour covered in the refigerator.
  4. Pasta: Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add the pasta allow the pasta to boil for 5 to 10 minutes until it is aldente (this depends on the type of pasta you are using). Strain the pasta and set aside until ready to serve.
  5. To Cook the Rabbit and Scallops:Place a 1tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan and fry the shredded rabbit belly over a high heat until crispy. Remove the pieces from the pan and keep warm until ready to serve. Wipe the pan clean if necessary and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil with a little of the marinade to the pan and place over a moderately high heat. When the oil is hot place the rabbit in the pan add lower to a moderate heat. Cook the rabbit for 5 minutes on both sides so that the Parma ham is slightly crisp. Set aside and keep warm until ready to serve.
  6. To Serve: Bring the sauce to a simmer, stir in the endive, pasta and tarragon. Cook for a couple of minutes so that the pasta and endive is hot. Distribute the pasta and chicory into the centre of each plate and pour the remaining source around it. Slice the rabbit at a slant and place it on the pasta overlapping with half the fillet on either side (leaving a space in the very centre for the scallops). Place the scallop in the centre and sprinkle with the shredded saddle pieces (optional).