Recipe: Rabbit Leg Pasta

Serves: 1

Preparation time: 25 minutes (including pasta)

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 Rabbit legs – not shoulders, legs
• A lump of locally made good strong Cheddar
• A little local cider
• Garlic
• Sage
• Chilli (Optional)
• Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper

Method:

1. Carefully debone the thigh meat from the rabbit legs and reserve the tougher shank meat and bones for a broth.
    
2. Chop your rabbit legs across the mussel group into pound coin thick slices and season.
    
3. Shape your pasta and leave to dry, you can of course use a little good quality slow dried organic pasta here if you prefer, but making your own is simple and adds a certain something to this rustic dish.
    
4. Put a pan of boiling water on the stove and season with salt for cooking the pasta.
    
5. In a frying pan heat a little oil and addd the rabbit leg, your looking for a quick sizzle here, de glaze quickly with a little cider then turn down the heat and add a little garlic, sage and butter, cook slowly for a minute or two then leave to rest.
    
6. Cook the pasta, add a little of the pasta water to the rabbit pan and put back on a low heat, drain the pasta and add to the rabbit pan, cook for a minute or two to get the consistency right, then season and serve with a little grated mature strong cheddar.

The most important thing is to not over cook the rabbit meat or it will go tough as old boots. Cook it very rare remembering that it will cook more when you add the pasta and finish the dish, I often top this dish off with chopped parsley and chilli flakes.
 

Pasta Dough:

• 100g of white spelt flour per person.
• 1 egg

1. Form into a smooth, pliable dough. Rest for 5 mins min.
    
2. Roll, shape and use. Can be stored in the freezer or dried if needed.

Find more Game Recipes in The Sportsman here.

Tim Maddams in conjunction with Vale House Kitchen

Recipes are written by Celebrity Chef Tim Maddams in conjunction with Vale House Kitchen, who run fantastic courses incorporating shoot days and game cookery courses for novices and experienced guns.

For more information on Vale House Kitchen see here.

Tim has worked under such culinary luminaries as Fergus Henderson, Alistair Little, Marco Pierre White and Mark Hix, as well as leading the VIP catering team for the Ferrari F1 team in Europe. The lure of his country roots was never far away and so Tim returned to the South West and started work at River Cottage.