Ingredients

Rabbit Terrine

• 1 rabbit, boned and chopped into 4cm pieces(1kg rabbit-400g meat)
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 30ml whisky
• 400g boneless belly pork, chopped into 4 cm
• 200g fatty bacon, finely chopped
• 75g apricots, diced
• 50g pistachio nuts, skin removed (blanch the nuts in some boiling water and rub them between your hands to remove the skin) and roughly chopped
• freshly ground black pepper

To Cook

• 2 tbsp whisky
• 12 rashes of rindless streaky bacon
• 4 bay leafs
• 2 sprigs of thyme

To Serve

• watercress
• figs, quartered
• & or slices of fresh bread
• chutney

Method

1. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a saucepan over a moderate heat. Add the onions to the pan and sweat them until they are transparent. Add the garlic, thyme and rosemary to the onions and cook the mixture for a further minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
2. Place all the terrine ingredients except the pistachios in a bowl including the cooled onion mixture. Mix the ingredients together until well combined and cover it with cling film and refrigerate it over night or for at least 6 hours to allow the flavours to mingle.
3. After marinating the ingredients, chop the meat finely to a rough mince or use a mincer using the coarsest mincer. I prefer to chop the meat by hand as you have more texture. Return the mixture to a bowl and mix in the pistachios so that they are well distributed.
4. To Cook: Preheat an oven to 160°C. Place 2 bay leaves and a sprig of thyme on the base of an 800ml-1litre terrine container or loaf tin and line it with 8 slices of streaky bacon. Fill the container with the terrine mixture, pressing it down firmly. Place the remaining slices of bacon over the top of the terrine and place the remaining bay leaves and thyme on top. Place the lid on the terrine or cover it in foil and place the terrine container in a roasting dish filled with enough water to come up to 2/3s of the terrine container (bain-maire). Place the terrine in the roasting tin on the centre shelf in the preheated oven. Cook the terrine for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours, until the terrine is set. The terrine is cooked when it begins to come away from the sides and the fat runs clear.
5. Remove the terrine from the oven and bain-marie, remove the lid or foil from the terrine and allow it to cool. Cover the terrine with cling film and place a weight on it eg. tin of food. Place the weighted down terrine in the refrigerate and leave it for one day before serving. The terrine will keep for 2-3 days covered in a refrigerator.
6. To Serve: Serve the slices of the terrine with quartered figs and handful of watercress or and slices of buttered rye or wholemeal bread and chutney of your choice