Rabbit in Cider with Suet Dumplings
A recipe from ANDREW SWAN, The Crown Hastings
This casserole combines rabbit, cider, smoked bacon and garlic, finished with cream and tarragon. The suet dumplings cook in the same pot. The dumplings are a family recipe passed down on my dad’s Geordie side of the family and are the star of the show.
The perfect dumpling features a golden crusty top and a sticky bottom soaked in the braising juices.
My nan would have served her suet dumplings with minced beef and onions braised for the whole day. Substituting the beef for rabbit is a much more sustainable way to eat meat and the addition of fresh tarragon and cream lightens the dish – a perfect bridge between summer and winter.
At The Crown, we use rabbit supplied by Sustainable Meat Eater in East Sussex and cider from Ascension. For this home version, choose a dry or medium apple cider and ask your butcher to joint the rabbit.
If you find rabbit hard to come by, or dislike game, chicken thighs on the bone would be a great substitute.
Ingredients
Serves four. Allow around 3–4 hours; cooking time will vary depending on the rabbit and how efficient your oven is.
For the casserole
- About 1.5kg jointed rabbit, on the bone
- 150g smoked streaky bacon cut into lardons
- 2 tbsp first press Sussex rapeseed or olive oil
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 onions, sliced finely
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 500ml dry or medium apple cider
- 250ml chicken stock or vegetable stock (we make our own at the pub but a stock cube works fine)
- 150ml double cream
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
- Salt and black pepper
For 8 dumplings
- 200g self-raising flour
- 100g shredded beef suet
- ½ tsp fine salt
- Cracked black pepper to suit
- About 100ml cold water
- A dash of milk
Method
- Heat the oven to 160°C / 140°C fan. In a wide, ovenproof casserole with a lid, fry the bacon in a little oil until coloured, then lift out. Dust the rabbit with seasoned plain flour and brown in batches, adding oil as needed. Set aside.
- Soften the onions in the same pot for 10 minutes, then add the garlic for another minute. Pour in the cider, scraping up the browned bits. Add the stock, rabbit and bacon, and bring to a simmer.
- Cover and cook in the oven for roughly 2–3 hours, until the meat pulls easily from the bones. Check occasionally, adding hot stock if the pot is drying out. Continue cooking if the meat is not tender.
- Lift out the rabbit. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat, checking carefully for small bones. Return the meat to the pot and stir in the cream. Taste for seasoning. Keep the sauce fairly loose, adding a splash of stock if needed: the dumplings will absorb some.
- Mix the self-raising flour, suet, salt and pepper. Add cold water and milk gradually to make a soft, manageable dough. Divide into eight balls.
- Bring the casserole to a gentle simmer on the hob. Stir the tarragon into the sauce. Place the dumplings on top, with their bottoms in the sauce and space between them to expand. Return to the oven uncovered for 30 minutes until the dumplings are golden brown.
- Serve with buttered cabbage and carrots.
If you would prefer us to do the cooking, this dish will be available at The Crown’s autumn Cider Festival in Hastings Old Town.7-15 November.
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