I have a whole rabbit in my freezer that I plan on cooking this weekend. What I don't have is any good ideas on how to prepare it so I am asking for your $0.02.

Braised? I find rabbit can be dry.

Confit the legs like you would duck. Nice with thyme and orange peel.

Do not bother with rack of bunny. I had it as a garnish on a rabbit dish once in NY and it was amusing, but who has time to french those tiny bones?

I hear you! I had a rack atop a rabbit crepinette at CityZen and was thinking the same thing.

Braise whole or cut up?

They're usually small enough to braise whole - white wine, mirepoix, something aromatic. Malawry's confit suggestion sounds intriguing too.

and make rillettes! Recette ici.

At 2 Amys, I believe they bone it out, surround it with pancetta and roll it before roasting. Serve with a slightly savory fruit or fig compete. And given your Italianate bent and your restless quest for new experiences, I see you as someone who finds boning a rabbit a worthy challenge.

I had a great dish in Belgium: Rabbit with prunes (the rabbit is braised in liquid - usually part Belgian beer). Google searching should turn up a recipe.

Another idea is to use the rabbit pieces in a paella.

Might be worth a shot to take Batali's cacciatore recipe and use the bunny instead of the chicken.

This recipe from epicurious looks good, too: Click

Mike never struck me as that masochistic. But, if you have endless patience for tiny little bones go right ahead and try it.

I know it's not as exciting as featuring the rabbit as the main meat, but here in the height of tomato season why not make ragu di coniglio and a really good pasta?

Caveat: personally, I've just never been thrilled with rabbit as a main dish. Whether prepared in Italian, German or French styles, it's always come across to me as something that would be better if one substituted fowl or pork. YMMV.

Easier than boning a quail.

It doesn't seem that hard, since your more or less scraping the meat off the outside of the ribs, neck and back, not scraping off every little one.

Eh, it's just fiddly. It's just as tasty braised whole. That recipe Barbara linked to looks good.

I'm taking bets on how long before Rocks posts something about this phrase.

Shhhhhhh. I was trying to ignore it.

I have done this recipe many times and have gotten rave reviews. FWIW, I get my rabbits from Capitol Poultry at Eastern Market.

i've been tempted to pick up a rabbit from the dupont farmers market, and i have some good recipes, but i know it just won't go over in our home, because of things like this:

http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/bunnies/index.html

Speaking of eating bunnies, Fall is fast approaching and I have resolved to make civet as soon as the weather cools. Any body out there have a lead on fresh rabbits -- or better yet, hare -- available with a side of blood, a civets traditional thickening agent?

Why?

Good luck with the fresh rabbit. Maybe try Wagshals?

The Lancaster Market in Germantown used to have them, and so did the Wagshal's in Spring Valley.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I was going to confit the legs, but could not find my stash of duck fat in the freezer. I ended up doing a braise with red peppers, onion, garlic, tomato, and thyme. Served it up with some swiss chard and had a decent meal.

Wow, the crime emergency is really out of hand. Is nothing sacred anymore?

I have one of those in the freezer. Mind sharing how you did the braise?

1) Basset-hound sized
I thought most farmed rabbits were much smaller. Any explanation regarding size and/or choice of analogous critter?

2) Morality......or sentimental reasons?

3) Companion ingredients
Fresh plums from Central/South America? Home-canned and stored from the summer's harvest? Prunes? Prunes are great in braises.

I had pet frogs when I was a kid. I can't bring myself to eat frog.
My daughter had an evil pet rabbit.
I can't bring myself to eat rabbit. I have a pet cat. The rabbit looks too much like a skinned cat.
It's not so much sentimentality as much as a quese factor. I nibbled a bite or two while cooking, not compelling enough to dequese.
Sauce was damn good.
Roast rabbit bones till golden, chop bones, add 4 cups of chicken stock, water to cover (use 2 quart pot), thyme, garlic, onion peppercorn, couple cloves, simmer 2 hours till tasty. Braise rabbit in this stock, add plums and maderia at some point. Refer to Zuni cookbook she called for additional chicken wings, for reasons too complicated to go into I had rendered rabbit fat and used that.

I cooked my first rabbit a couple months ago. I like rabbit but I have to admit the whole, skinned rabbit freaked me out. I don't think they look like cats. To me it looked bipedal, almost like a little person. I had to stare at it for a good 10 minutes before I made my first cut. In the end it was delicious and I am looking forward to cooking the next one.

This was about the biggest rabbit I ever saw. If Jimmy Carter's killer rabbit was this size, he was right to be alarmed.

A single little bunny doesn't go too far, so I was pleased with the size.
Prunes. I agree, great in braises.

Chickenlover: feel free to PM me and I'll send you the recipe if you need more detail than the copyright-conscious Mrs. B is able to provide. (If you don't PM, I'll forget). It's pretty simple though, and I believe Jake and/or Joe Riley can turn you on to some fine Madeira, if you're picky about that stuff. We used Leacock's because that's what the corner liquor store had. I'm not sure what to do with the rest but I'm tempted to rent Horatio Hornblower and sip it while watching the video and eating turtle soup.

The old edition of the Larousse Gastronomique (the new edition is much less French and/or charming) they had a little drawing that told you how to tell a skinned rabbit from a skinned cat. I think I'll take it to the market Sunday to see if Bev is on the up-and-up, or just skinning us city slickers.