EATING SMART : The Other, Other White Meat

You have to have the right kind of friends when you serve rabbit for dinner--open-minded and adventuresome. Unless rabbit dishes are part of their family tradition, Americans are about as likely to think of eating rabbit as they are to think of shooting Thumper.

But now professional chefs, tired of designing dishes based on fish and chicken to please health-conscious customers, are rediscovering domestic rabbit. It has less fat and cholesterol than chicken and much less than beef. As people come to know its versatility, rabbit is bound to become more popular.

First off, though, we’d better face the issue of eating “bunnies.” Eating rabbit is no more sacrilegious than eating calves, lambs, piglets or tiny game birds. As long as you’re not opposed to eating meat, you shouldn’t have trouble with rabbit.

Rabbit and hare turns up in some of the most common early American recipes: Cookbooks of the 19th and early 20th centuries abound with recipes for hare and rabbit stews, soups, pies, fricassees and hash.

There is a big distinction between hare and rabbit. Hares are the wild, dark-fleshed members of the family Leporidae ; white rabbits are the smaller, white-fleshed members of that clan. Old-style recipes for hasenpfeffer, the classic German stew, were designed to make the gamy flavor and resilient texture of wild rabbit more palatable by immersing it in a pungent marinade for several days. This is still an approach favored for wild rabbit (but not in the Western states, where the native jack rabbit should never be eaten because it is likely to carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever).

The modern domestic rabbit, however, is overwhelmed when you treat it that way. The farm-raised rabbits sold in most markets are lean and meaty, with no fat to spare. The flesh has a mild flavor and is very similar in texture to chicken breast. These rabbits need only be marinated in a mild solution for two hours before braising.

Because rabbit is so lean, it can often be dry. If a cookbook suggests that a rabbit may be simply roasted, broiled or grilled, don’t believe it. Subjected to direct heat, the meat will be hopelessly dry. The best advice is to brown and braise, because rabbit requires a sauce to make it juicy.

Rabbit is available, either cut up or whole, in the meat or frozen food sections of supermarkets and specialty markets. Because rabbits need minimal space, feed on small amounts of grass and grain and breed like, well, rabbits, many local farmers have begun raising them. Keep an eye out at farmers markets for fresh rabbit.

A rabbit never divides into fair portions. The hind legs have the most meat and the front legs are sinewy. The best cut is the saddle, with its two cigar-shaped loins running down the backbone. In wholesale processing, these pieces are reserved and sold to restaurant suppliers.

When you buy a whole fryer rabbit, have the butcher saw it into five or six serving pieces. Have the front legs cut at the shoulder and the meaty back legs at the thigh joint. The back, or saddle, can either be left whole or divided into two pieces. It’s too splintery to do this at home.

Therein lies a problem. Rabbits are bony. A chicken has 162 bones, you and I have 206 bones each, and a rabbit has 225 bones. But anyone who likes to suck on barbecued ribs or Buffalo wings won’t object to taking a little time to learn the anatomy of the rabbit.

Get a really good mustard; this recipe, from “Food for Friends,” by Barbara Kafka, needs the sharpness. And plan ahead: In this recipe, the rabbit needs to marinate for a day. Serve the rabbit with potatoes, rice or noodles.

GRILLED MUSTARD RABBIT 3 cups milk 1 cup Dijon mustard 1/4 cup oil 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 (2 1/2- to 3-pound) rabbit

Whisk together milk, mustard, oil and lemon juice in bowl. Stir in salt and pepper. Place rabbit in deep, wide skillet and cover with mustard mixture. Turn pieces so they are coated. Transfer into covered container and store in refrigerator overnight, or at least 1 day, turning pieces occasionally.

To cook, heat grill or broiler until hot. Place rabbit pieces, along with whatever marinade adheres, fleshy-side down on grill or fleshy-side up under broiler. Cook until browned, basting often with marinade. Turn over and cook, basting other side until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Serve with some of marinade as sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about: 465 calories; 1,203 mg sodium; 99 mg cholesterol; 28 grams fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 38 grams protein; 0 fiber.

Call this recipe “hasenpfeffer for today.” Domestic rabbit marinates for two hours instead of two days. The tang and spice associated with the old-fashioned recipe complement the dish.

BRAISED RABBIT IN SOUR CREAM 1 (2 1/4- to 2 1/2-pound) rabbit, cut up 2 cups white vinegar 2 cups water 1 large onion, chopped 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 1/4 teaspoon whole cloves 2 bay leaves 3 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 1/2 cups chicken broth 1 pound small, thin-skinned potatoes, cooked and sliced 1 cup sour cream 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch Finely chopped parsley

Combine rabbit, vinegar, water, onion, peppercorns, cloves and bay leaves in glass bowl. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or up to 12 hours.

Melt butter in 12- to 14-inch skillet. Remove rabbit from marinade and pat dry. Place in skillet. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until juices evaporate and rabbit is brown on all sides, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Strain marinade and reserve. Add onion and whole spices from marinade and 1/2 cup strained marinade to skillet drippings. Cook over high heat, stirring, until liquid evaporates and onion is lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add chicken broth and browned rabbit. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until rabbit is tender and pulls easily from bones, 35 to 40 minutes.

Arrange rabbit and potatoes on platter. Keep warm. Blend sour cream with cornstarch. Stir into broth and cook over high heat until boiling, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Coat rabbit with sauce, serving any remaining sauce in bowl. Sprinkle potatoes with parsley to taste. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about: 487 calories; 473 mg sodium; 132 mg cholesterol; 25 grams fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 36 grams protein; 0.6 gram fiber.

Coniglio con polenta is an Italian classic. It’s easy to make, and the flavors are so familiar that this is a good dish to make when you want to introduce rabbit to your family. Dry marinades such as this one add more flavor and aroma to food than those made with liquid. They also produce crisper and juicier results when high-heat methods like sauteing and grilling are used.

RABBIT WITH POLENTA (From “Primi Piatti,” by Christopher Styler) 1 (2 3/4-pound) rabbit Kosher salt Freshly ground pepper 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped 4 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoon dry red wine, optional 1/4 cup chicken broth, optional Polenta

Cut rabbit into 6 pieces (2 forelegs, 2 hind legs and 2 saddle pieces). Trim any excess fat from pieces and pat dry with paper towels.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on baking sheet large enough to hold rabbit in single layer. Scatter 1/2 rosemary, thyme and garlic over pan. Arrange rabbit pieces on top of seasonings. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and remaining rosemary, thyme and garlic. Cover rabbit loosely with foil and marinate in refrigerator 12 hours or up to 2 days.

Heat olive oil in large heavy skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, add rabbit pieces. Cook, turning as necessary, until well browned with slight trace of pink remaining in center, about 20 minutes. Remove rabbit from skillet. Pour wine and stock into skillet. Boil over high heat, scraping skillet with wooden spoon, until reduced by half. Spoon reduced sauce over rabbit. Serve with Polenta. Makes 4 servings.

Polenta 4 1/2 cups water or chicken stock 1 1/2 cups polenta or yellow corn meal Salt

Bring 3 cups water to boil in 4- to 5-quart pan over high heat. Mix polenta with remaining 1 1/2 cups cold water in bowl.

Gradually stir polenta mixture into boiling water, using long-handled spoon. Mixture should be thick and spatter-y. Reduce heat and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt. Spoon polenta into mound on board or platter and let stand 10 minutes to firm. Cut or slice to serve.

Each serving contains about: 455 calories; 727 mg sodium; 86 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 41 grams carbohydrates; 35 grams protein; 0.35 gram fiber.