RECIPES

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Wine & Food

Provencal Braised Rabbit

by Yannick Cam

With its lusty aromas of wine, olives and herbs, this rustic stew will transport you to the Mediterranean. Enjoy it with some crusty bread and a glass of Pinot Noir. To round out the menu serve a mesclun salad with goat cheese. For dessert, an almond tart and some fresh figs.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup olive oil (1/4 cup to sauté rabbit, 1/4 cup to sauté vegetables and 1/4 cup to sauté garlic and herbs)
• 1-1/2 pound boneless rabbit meat
• 3/4 cup salt pork, diced
• 1-1/2 cup onions, diced
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups whole olives, rinsed with water and drained (Provençal olives are ideal, but other good Mediterranean or California olives would also be delicious)
• 6 cups dry red wine
• 1 calf's foot or 2-inch piece of beef shank (if these are difficult to find they can be omitted)
• 1-1/2 cup veal demi-glace or rich veal or chicken stock
• 3 to 4 large cloves garlic
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon rosemary, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, leaves only, roughly chopped
• 1 3-inch strip of orange peel, 1/2-inch wide
• 1 3-inch strip of lemon peel, 1/2-inch wide

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a sauté pan. Add rabbit pieces and cook until browned on the outside but still medium rare, about 10 minutes. Reserve the browned rabbit pieces on a platter while you prepare the braising liquid.

In a large, flameproof casserole, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Add the salt pork and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring, until slightly caramelized. Add the olives and red wine and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. At this point add the rabbit, the calf's foot or beef shank, and the demi-glace or stock. Braise over low heat for 45 minutes.

About 10 minutes before the braised rabbit is finished cooking, warm the last 1/4 cup olive oil in a small sauté pan. Add the garlic, herbs and citrus peel and sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir the herb mixture into the casserole and cook for another 5 minutes to blend the flavors.

This hearty dish can be made the day before and refrigerated. Reheat slowly over low heat until it is heated all the way through.
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Yannick Cam

During the next nine years, Yannick worked in several fine restaurants around France, culminating in a position at Laserre in Paris, a Michelin three-star restaurant. In 1972, he moved to New York, where he worked at The Four Seasons until he opened his first restaurant, Le Coup de Fusil, in 1977. It was often called the first contemporary French restaurant in America, and Yannick's use of fresh ingredients coupled with his unique style made it an instant success with both critics and diners.

He moved to Washington, D.C. in 1978, and opened Le Pavillon, which he operated for 14 years. His personal interpretation of classic French recipes and the elegant service in the dining room brought much attention and praise from the national press, including publications such as Elle and Town and Country. After closing Le Pavillon in 1992, he took his formidable skills to Restaurant Yannick in the Radisson Hotel.

In partnership with Savino Recine, he opened Coco Loco in Washington, D. C., in April 1994, followed five months later by the opening of Provence. Coco Loco is a churrasquer'a and tapas bar based on the Spanish concept of small tastes of food, but with decidedly Latin American flavors. Provence, with its elegant southern French atmosphere, is a world away from Coco Loco. Here the sunny flavors of the South of France are presented in the ambience of a seaside Mediterranean inn. Yannick describes the menu as a reassessment of traditional Provençal dishes. As a Frenchman he had some familiarity with the cuisine of the region, but he studied its history and traditions in depth in order to build a solid foundation of authenticity. In 1995, he was nominated for the James Beard Award for Best American Chef: Mid-Atlantic, for his excellence at both restaurants.
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