 |
| SPICY BAKED WALLEYE |
This recipe is adapted from the Traditional Recipes of Atlantic Canada cookbook. While the recipe calls for a brace of rabbits, I used one large rabbit that I purchased at the Italian Centre in Edmonton.
INGREDIENTS (rabbit pie):
● 2 rabbits
● 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
● salt and pepper
● Hy’s Seasoning Salt
● 1/2 cup diced bacon
● 2 stalks of celery (diced)
● 1 white Spanish onion (diced)
● 3 large carrots (diced)
● 1 cup turnip (diced)
● 1 parsnip (diced)
● 3 cups water
NOTE: Keep the diced celery/onion and carrots/turnip/parsnip separate.
INGREDIENTS (pastry to top pie):
● 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
● 2 teaspoons baking flour
● 1/2 teaspoon salt
● 3/4 cups butter
● 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk
NOTE: To make the pastry: sift flour, baking powder and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Work the butter into the flour with a pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly. Add some milk until a soft dough forms; roll the dough on a sheet of floured wax paper to fit a large Pyrex casserole.
1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Skin and dress a brace of fresh-killed rabbits. Cut the rabbits into serving-size pieces much like you would section a chicken. Strip the loins from the backbone. Wash under cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Dredge the rabbit with salt and pepper, seasoning salt (to taste) and flour in a plastic bag.
3. Fry cubed bacon in an oven roaster on your stovetop. Remove the bacon when crisp and set aside on a paper towel to dry. Save the bacon for a salad topping. Braise the pieces of rabbit in the bacon fat until browned.
4. Add celery and onion to the roaster and just enough water to cover them and the rabbit. Seal the lid with aluminum foil and bake in oven for 1 hour until the meat is tender.
5. Take the rabbit from the roaster and strip the meat off the bones. Next, cut the rabbit meat into bite-sized pieces, and return to the oven roaster.
6. Stir in the diced carrot, turnip and parsnip. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake in the oven for another 30 minutes.
7. Slowly stir in several tablespoons of flour—mixed to a smooth paste in cold water—until the sauce thickens.
8. Transfer all the ingredients from the oven roaster to a large Pyrex casserole. Top with the pastry. Bake in the oven at 425 F for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
A salad featuring Romaine lettuce and a homemade Caesar salad dressing goes well with the rabbit pie, topped with some leftover bacon bits and small garlic croutons.
Serve the rabbit pie with a beverage of your choice. I enjoyed a bottle of Pinot Grigio with the dish. For a paired beer try biere de garde, tripel, Belgian pale ale, or a strong British bitter.
This is a delicious recipe, right down to gnawing the bones! ■ |
