The day didn’t quite pan out with the hard-working completion of another milestone, since the main development server at $contract took a nosedive and I found myself with nothing to do. Now one of the things which galls me is that I wander through Leeds Market and want to buy stuff for dinner but by the time I get home the kids are getting ready for bed and everyone’s eaten. Today was that exception.

I spent a good hour wandering up and down the fish and meat market, thinking about tea and what we could have – there were some good exotic fishes including catfish and strawberry grouper but I settled on some fresh tuna steaks which I could do up in a Thai marinade. At that point I turned my mind to a starter and bought two fresh rabbits.

Pondering what to do with the rabbit I did a bit of digging on the ‘Net and aside from variants of rabbit stew there was little to do – the closest thing I used as a guide was this recipe, but that’s all it was: a guide.

The eventual recipe I invented went something like this: Cut off the rabbit’s legs and take off the meat from the carcass in large chunks as much as you can (rabbit is very bony so it can be quite a labour of love). Fry in hot olive oil in a casserole dish – just enough to seal the meat and for it to start to brown on the outside. While it’s frying, add some slivered almonds and some fresh ripped basil leaves, then put the top on the dish and slam it into an oven at around gas mark 5. Leave it there for 20 minutes while you warm a barbeque up (or a cast-iron skillet would do). When you’re ready to serve, give each piece of meat about 2-3 minutes either side on the bbq and serve with a couple of fresh basil leaves to garnish and a small amount of rocket if you want.

I also tried a bit of a reduction to go with it but it didn’t quite work: I used the olive oil and almonds when I’d put the meat on the bbq, added about 10cl of red wine and a dash of apple schnapps. It reduced really nicely and I liked it as a very light touch onto the rabbit but Nicky wasn’t too keen.

Finished off with an espresso and an amandine biscotti as the sun set over the trees. Feeling charged up for a weekend of Sorting Stuff Out now 🙂

On the way to the bus stop tonight I passed by Salt’s Deli in Leeds, where being a football widow tonight I consoled myself with some Pecos Blue, a bag of their own Espresso blend, and some Green+Blacks 80% chocolate.

Add a glass of port to that, and I’m feeling a bit better now!