Ingredients
- 2 large rabbits (2 kg)
- ⅓ cup plain flour
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- 50 g butter
- 1 large brown onion, finely chopped
- 2 sticks celery, thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2½ cups dry apple cider
- ½ teaspoon ground mace
- ground black pepper
- salt to taste
- 1 bay leaf
Dumplings
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- 20 g dripping
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup cider or water
- chopped parsley for garnish
Method
1. Preheat oven to moderate 180°C. Brush a 6-cup capacity heatproof dish with melted butter or oil. Cut each rabbit into eight pieces. Combine flour and mustard on a sheet of greaseproof paper. Toss rabbit in flour; shake off excess. Reserve the remaining flour and mustard mixture.
2. Melt butter in frying pan. Add rabbit, cook over medium heat on all sides until brown. Place in prepared dish. Add onion, celery and carrot to pan; cook until onion softens. Remove from heat and scatter over rabbit. Sprinkle reserved flour over pan and cook until brown. Pour over cider and stir until the mixture comes to the boil and thickens. Season with mace, pepper and salt. Add bay leaf. Pour sauce over rabbit and vegetables. Bake, covered, for 1 hour.
3. To make Dumplings: Sift flour into a medium bowl. Add dripping and parsley. Mix with sufficient water or cider to a firm dough.
4. Shape into six or eight tiny dumplings and place on top of . rabbit stew. Cook, covered, for a further 15 minutes. Serve sprinkled with additional chopped parsley.
