You might notice that Menus, at times, can be light on the details. That’s deliberate. When I’m pulling together a dinner party and putting the finishing touches on half a dozen recipes or more–as guests are coming through the door, no less–I prefer to keep anything superfluous out of the kitchen. (Frankly, I don’t care if this is the cookie recipe you made for your kid when they scraped their knee. The “Jump to Recipe” feature on most food blogs these days means nobody else does either.)

Beginning the series by highlighting rabbit was intentional. Very intentional. What I wanted was to signal from the start that this was going to be something a little different. It’s not for everybody, and I don’t want it to be. It’s meant to be a place to come for something new, something interesting, and something challenging–but not impossible.

Peach Butter

Peach butter–slow-roasted peaches, blitzed in a food processor–is something I’ll often use in place of tomato paste. It has the same umami taste as tomato paste but is a little more fruit forward. I’ll sometimes refer to it as my “secret ingredient” in some recipes because it has an air of familiarity but is difficult to place, and if deployed well it really enhances a dish.

This is one recipe that’s severely deficient in detail: “process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes”. There are countless free resources on canning and preserving that get into how to do this. Rather than recreate the wheel I opted to focus on where I can add interest. The Internet, for once, is your friend.

Savory Granola

Double or triple this recipe. It keeps, and you’ll find ways to use it, I promise. Yogurt with jam, salads, a topping for banana bread, eaten by the fistful…

Feel free to mix up the blend of spices: white pepper, ground coriander, and dried thyme is a nice combination, for example.

Smothered Rabbit

When I first encountered “smothered” recipes–my favorite is a Puerto Rican smothered kid, as in goat–the common element was a f* ton of onions, so it made sense to me that the formula was a protein that’s “smothered” in onions. When I looked into it, though, it turns out “smothering” is a Southern technique that’s essentially a stove-top braise using a small amount of liquid. Étouffé is a more well-known version of this.

Rabbit might be a tad tricky for most people to procure, as it’s not available at most people’s neighborhood Associated Supermarket–unless you live in Greenpoint. If you can, seek it out: it “tastes like chicken” but is leaner, gamier, and a little sweeter, if that makes sense. If you can’t, use a bone-in, skin-on chicken breast. Please, don’t use boneless, skinless chicken breast… ever. My philosophy is if you’re eating something as flavorless as a boneless, skinless chicken breast then do the chickens a favor and eat tofu instead. That might sound like shade, but I’m not kidding.

Sautéed Cauliflower with Anchovies and Parsley

Don’t let the potency of this dish deter you. It has personality, for sure, but the olive + anchovy + caper situation is diffused across the subtle earthiness of the cauliflower.

Mezcal Sour

In the cookbooklet I write: “The preceding menu leaves one egg white and some lemon juice unaccounted for. Account for them.” This is what I call the “cook’s special” insofar as it’s a drink that’s enough for one, and a drink for me while I’m making dinner. I once made a gin drink whilst making tzatziki: sweated cucumber water + Hendrick’s + tonic. Sweated tomato water with a splash of tequila and a dash of Tabasco is good, too, if ever the opportunity arises.

Wine Pairings by Irving Bottle
155 Irving Ave, Brooklyn 11237

First
white Burgundy Chardonnay, e.g. Little Trouble Rorick

Second
fruity, earthy Beaujolais, e.g. Botton Cotton
Sancerre, e.g. Domaine du Mozay

Last
creamy bubbly, e.g. Le Rocher Pétillant
medium-sweet vermouth, e.g. MOOT