rhubarb! rhubarb! rhubarb!

a rabbit!
aka Braised Rabbit with Caramelized Fennel & Lemon Butter Gnocchi

i had a bunny obsession when i was little. my notebooks were plastered with bunny stickers, my shelves stuffed with stuffed (plush) rabbits, and my favourite book in the world was a step-by-step how-to-draw-bunnies in 100 different cute poses. when an aunty gave me a chocolate rabbit for easter, i kept it in the fridge and gloated at it every day, unwilling to massacre the poor thing by bashing its chocolate head and devouring its shattered shell. (it went stale, old, and unedible, as is the way of fridge chocolate.) but now that i’ve grown up, i’ve developed a huge interest, almost a macabre glee, in eating bunny.

maybe it started with the hunger games. katniss and gale silently stalking rabbits and squirrels in the woods outside district 12, imbue wild game with this off-grid glamour. i can’t look out the window without sighting a rabbit or two snacking in our home-grown garden, so they’re ubiquitous, but intriguingly non-mainstream as food. better yet, rabbits are a promising healthy and “sustainable” food source: they can subsist on a grain-free diet, are typically hormone-free thanks to having evaded the factory farm fate of the chicken, and can be kept in urban homesteads (thanks to also having evaded typical city rules for keeping livestock.) i secretly daydream of keeping a hutch or two; i’ve heard they’re a good source of income. can you tell i’m super excited?

i made this rabbit in the spring. it’s full of delicate spring flavours: lemon, mushroom, fennel, cinammon.

milk-braised whole rabbit

rub the rabbit in lemon zest, sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and the tiniest drop of wasabi or horseradish mustard. let sit in a white wine/sherry vinegar bath with diced onions, carrots, bay leaves and a cinammon stick.

the following day:
reserve marinade lightly fry the rabbit on each side until browned sautee sliced onions, fennel and rosemary in butter until translucent and fragrant add marinade and reduce by half add rabbit and milk bring milk to a boil, then to a simmer bake at 350F for 1 hour, rotating every 30 minutes in the last 15 minutes, add a medley sauteed medly of mushrooms (i used oyster, shitake and button)

lemon butter ricotta gnocchi

ricotta gnocchi
(barely adapted from Zuni Cafe)

1 pound fresh ricotta, thoroughly drained and pressed with spatula
7 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour + more for rolling
2 large eggs
salt

in a large bowl, beat the eggs until fluffy
add all ingredients and stir until well-mixed and fluffy
take a small ball, and gently roll out onto floured surface. i like to roll out a long tube, then slice into small 1" pieces.
repeat
heat a vat of boiling water. add gnocchi, boil until floating.

lemon butter
(barely adapted from lovethycarrot)

10 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
zest of 1 lemons
juice of 2 lemons
½ cup chopped pistachio (I used hazelnut)
salt
pepper
rosemary
sage

Heat butter, and sautee shallow, garlic, rosemary and sage until the shallot is translucent and spices are fragrant.
Add lemon juice and zest, cook briefly, then turn off heat.
Add salt, pepper, and toss in ricotta gnocchi.
Garnish with crushed nuts.

caramelized fennel

adapted from ottolenghi’s plenty

slice fennel bulb lengthwise
roast fennel slices in olive oil and butter
toss in garlic and brown sugar, salt and peppper
return to oven and gently caramelize at low heat

$20 groceries in NYC: What We Ate
part ii

$20 groceries in NYC: What We Ate - part i
Grocery Shopping in NYC tips

When it comes to quick weeknight meals and budget cooking, I find it easiest to go asian. Maybe it’s mere muscle memory, that I can whip up any noodle-y or rice dish with whatever’s on hand. Or maybe it’s that an array of lightly cooked vegetables and a rice or noodle base makes for a filling meal that’s light on ingredients. Fancy, pricey ingredients are unnecessary when basic grocery store staples and days-old-fridge vegetables get lightly sautéed into deliciousness. This is my #lazymeal

several nights in a row with slight variations

Pan-Fried Noodles with whatever vegetables you have on hand. I like to add a fried egg. A simple sauce can be made with soy sauce, sugar and vinegar, no fancy oils necessary.

Fresh Green Noodle Salad finely dice peas, garlic, and spring onions, and lightly pan fry. toss with cooked noodles and add oil, salt, and pepper to taste

A Typical Cantonese Dinner: Steamed Egg Custard, Snow-Pea Stir Fry with a “dry-stir-fry” technique, Root Veggies (Carrot, Kohlrabi & Turnip) Stir Fry with a “moist-stir-fry” technique, sauce of diluted soy sauce, paprika, salt and sugar and steamed rice with (leftover) black beans.