Rabbit Mole

Name: Rabbit Mole
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Four to five servings
Cuisine: mexican
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon bacon fat; 1 2 1/2-pound rabbit, cut into 7 pieces; 1 medium onion, minced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste; 2 cups chicken broth; 8 dried ancho chilies, soaked in 2 cups boiling water for 30 minutes; 1 cup drained, stewed whole tomatoes; 1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted; 1 tablespoon oregano; 2 whole cloves; 2 whole allspice; 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 9 cloves garlic, peeled; 1/4 cup ripe banana; 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs; 1/2 ounce bitter chocolate, melted; 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

By Molly O'Neill

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 4(26)
Comments: Read comments

It is during the coldest months that soft and fuzzy animals suddenly seem fair game. Deer becomes venison, and then becomes dinner. Rabbit is served as lapin à la moutarde, or pappardelle et coniglio, or conejo en mole -- more elegant phrasing perhaps, but rabbit stew all the same.

Traditional rabbit stews are usually rather painstaking. A perfect Mexican mole sauce, I was told by an octogenarian cook in Oaxaca, the world capital of mole sauce, is a full day's work -- pounding, crushing, roasting, mixing and simmering. In any culture, the work is worth the delicious final product.

Featured in: FOOD; Rabbit Is Rich

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Ingredients

Yield:Four to five servings

For the Rabbit

1tablespoon bacon fat
12½-pound rabbit, cut into 7 pieces
1medium onion, minced
4cloves garlic, minced
1teaspoon dried thyme
1teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
½teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
2cups chicken broth

For the Sauce

8dried ancho chilies, soaked in 2 cups boiling water for 30 minutes
1cup drained, stewed whole tomatoes
¼cup sesame seeds, toasted
1tablespoon oregano
2whole cloves
2whole allspice
¼teaspoon ground cinnamon
9cloves garlic, peeled
¼cup ripe banana
2tablespoons dry bread crumbs
½ounce bitter chocolate, melted
1teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a large heavy casserole, warm the bacon fat. Add the rabbit pieces and brown well. Add the onion, garlic and seasonings. Cook until the onion is soft, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Turn heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, to make the mole sauce, drain the chilies, reserving 1 tablespoon of the soaking liquid. Stem and seed the chilies. Place the chilies, tomatoes, sesame seeds, oregano, cloves, allspice, cinnamon and garlic in a blender and puree until very smooth. Add the reserved liquid, banana, bread crumbs, chocolate and salt. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape sides of bowl.
Step 3
Remove the rabbit pieces from the broth. Whisk in the mole sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Return rabbit to pan. Simmer until thick, about 15 minutes. Serve with white rice or warm flour tortilla.

Ratings

4 out of 5

26 user ratings

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Comments

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Ben3 years ago

I followed this recipe almost exactly to a T. The only substitutions I made were sunflower seeds instead of sesame, and chicken thighs instead of rabbit. The banana is a make-or-break ingredient here. One person I served this to loved it, the other said it tasted like banana chicken and was not a fan. Not sure if I’ll follow that part of the recipe again, but otherwise a decent method for mole.

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