Wild Rabbit & Cabbage Burgers Recipe - Oliver Gladwin, creative chef at Gladwin Brothers' Enterprises

Rabbit at Easter?! Fear not - we haven’t chosen this recipe to reflect any morbid thoughts concerning Easter bunnies..

Instead, Oliver says, “Rabbit is such a great meat – lean, flavoursome and low in cholesterol. We have to keep the rabbit population down at the vineyard or they chew the bark off the young vines, so there is often an ample supply. I don’t know why it is so underused and underrated!”

His top tip? “You will need caul fat to wrap the burgers in, which protects, seals and moistens the meat. Caul fat, also known as crépine - can be bought from any traditional butcher”.

 

Try it for yourself…

 

Serves 6

1kg rabbit, skinned and jointed

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, sliced

1 lemon, halved

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon black peppercorns and salt

100ml water

6 good leaves of Savoy cabbage

200g caul fat, cut into 6

 

To serve:

6 ciabatta rolls

Wild Garlic Yogurt

 

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3.
2. Put the rabbit pieces, onion, carrot, lemon and bay leaves in an ovenproof casserole dish.
3. Sprinkle in the peppercorns and salt, then add the water.
4. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, and place over a moderate heat to bring the liquid to the boil.
5. Transfer to the oven and braise for 1 hour.
6. Meanwhile, blanch the Savoy cabbage leaves in boiling water for 2 minutes; drain under cold running water and set aside to cool.
7. Remove the braised rabbit from the oven. Allow to cool slightly before picking off the meat, discarding any sinew or bones.
8. Put the meat in a mixing bowl with the onion and carrot and moisten with some of the cooking juices.
9. Divide the meat mixture into six portions and squeeze into even-sized patties. Wrap each one in a cabbage leaf followed by a piece of caul fat.
10. Light the barbecue or preheat a griddle pan until smoking hot.
11. Grill the rabbit burgers on the barbecue or griddle for 3 minutes on each side

Serve inside lightly toasted rolls with a good dollop of wild garlic yoghurt.

 

This recipe is also available in The Shed: The Cookbook, compiled by Oliver and his brothers Richard and Oliver and winner of the Michael Smith Award for Work On British Food. Available to buy here.

Follow Oliver and his culinary outlets here:

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