Rabbit Pork Terrine With Peppercorns Food

RABBIT TERRINE WITH PICKLED WALNUTS

Steps:

• Put the rabbit on a board and remove as much of the meat as possible from the bone with a small, sharp knife. Put the rabbit meat - you should have around 450g - in a food processor with the chopped pork belly. Blend to medium smooth (too smooth and the texture becomes inappropriate to the recipe). You may need to remove the lid and push the mixture down a couple of times with a spatula. Flop the mixture into a large bowl.
• Heat the oven to 180c/fan 160c/gas 4. Melt the butter in a frying pan and cook the onion and garlic with the shredded sage until soft and deep golden. Add the brandy and cook until it has evaporated. Tip the onion mixture into the rabbit mixture and stir it all together with a generous amount of salt, lots of freshly ground black pepper and a grate of nutmeg. Slice the pickled walnuts and toss them with the chopped parsley. Fry a little of the meat and check the seasoning.
• Line a 1.2 litre terrine or ovenproof dish with 3-4 sheets of clingfilm, leaving some overhanging the edge. Stretch each rasher of bacon on a board with the back of a knife and use to line the terrine or dish, allowing the rashers to overlap slightly and leaving some overhanging the sides. Cut the bacon in half to line the shorter ends of the terrine if necessary.
• Put a third of the rabbit mixture into the dish, top with half the walnuts and continue the layers ending with rabbit. Use the overhanging bacon to cover the terrine, working from one side to the other alternately, down the length of the dish.
• Cover with the overhanging clingfilm and a lid or tight-fitting foil. put in a small roasting tin. Add around 2cm depth of just-boiled water and carefully put in the centre of the oven. Bake for about 35-40 minutes. The terrine is ready when a clean metal skewer inserted into the centre and left for the count of 10 feels very warm - but not hot - when pressed against your lip.
• Lift the terrine carefully from the water, remove the lid (or foil) and cover the surface with a new folded piece of foil. place a heavy weight down the centre of the terrine to press it - if using a round dish, put a snug-fitting saucer on top before weighting. Cool for an hour then transfer to the fridge and leave for several hours, or overnight. Turn out and remove the clingfilm. Serve at room temperature in thick slices, with the whole sage leaves and plenty of hot buttered toast.

RABBIT & PORK TERRINE WITH PEPPERCORNS

Steps:

• Ask your butcher to remove the meat from the rabbit, or do it yourself. The leg meat can be as roughly prepped as you like, but keep the loins as neat as you can.
• Put the leg meat, trimmings and pork belly in a processor, finely chop, then tip into a large bowl. Melt the butter and cook the garlic, shallots and thyme together gently for 8 mins or until the shallots are soft but not coloured. Tip onto the minced meat, add the allspice, peppercorns and 3 tbsp brandy, then mix well. Leave to mingle for 1 hr, or longer if you like, in the fridge.
• Add the oil to the pan and quickly brown the loins; you don't need to cook them through. If you fancy, add 1 tbsp brandy to the pan and flambé them to finish. Set aside on a plate and tip any pan juices into the minced mixture.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Remove the garlic from the mince and season generously. It's a good idea to fry a small ball of the mixture, let it cool, then taste to check the seasoning. Line a 900g loaf tin with a strip of foil. Stretch each piece of bacon a little with your knife. Arrange the rashers so that the base of the tin is covered with overlapping bacon and the rashers come neatly up the sides in a single layer and overhang generously. Boil a kettleful of water.
• Press a third of the mince into the tin. Make a lengthways channel along one side, then poke in a line of loin pieces, so that they meet end-to-end. Scatter half the cornichons over the other side. Add the next third of mince and repeat, this time with the loins and cornichons on the opposite sides. Cover with the remaining mince, then bring the bacon over to seal. Wrap tightly in foil and put in a deep roasting tin. Pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the terrine and bake for 2 hrs or until a skewer comes out hot from the middle of the terrine, and the juices run clear. Top up the water if needed.
• To press the terrine, sit the loaf tin on a rack in a roasting tin. Tear some cardboard to fit the top of the loaf tin as neatly as you can (we used egg box lids). Add a few layers and sit something extremely heavy on top to press the cardboard and terrine down (we used a cast-iron dish). Cool to room temperature, then chill completely, ideally overnight. Remove the weight and re-wrap the terrine in clean foil or cling film. Ideally, let it mature for 2 days in the fridge before eating. Serve with the pickle salad, below, and remaining cornichons.