Cooking Louisiana  -  Rabbit Stew n' Cornmeal Dumplin's
Rabbit Stew n' Cornmeal Dumplin's

Ingredients:

At least 3lbs. of cut up Rabbit (marinade for a couple of hours in Buttermilk and a few drops of Tabasco)
8 oz. pkg. of fresh Mushrooms (slice)
4 fresh Carrots (shave and slice)
1 can or frozen pkg. of small Sweet Peas (petite pois) *if canned, strain out liquid
4 ribs of Celery (dice)
1 medium Yellow Onion (dice)
1 medium Bell Pepper (dice)
3 toes of fresh Garlic (dice)
1/4 cup fresh chopped Parsley
4 cups Chicken Stock or canned Broth is fine
1 cup White Wine
Flour, Olive Oil, Salt, Black Pepper, Red Pepper, Creole Seasoning, Worcestershire

***Dumplins*** 1 cup Flour, 1 cup Cornmeal, 1 beaten Egg, 1 tbsp. Baking Powder, 1 tbsp. Sugar, 1 cup Chicken Stock or can of Broth, 3 tbsp. melted Butter, dash of Salt

Begin heating a shallow amount of olive oil in a large iron pot. Dredge your marinated rabbit in flour (seasoned with a little Creole seasoning). Brown each piece for a few minutes and place on a plate with paper towels to drain off the oil.

In the drippings and brown "yum yums", sauté' the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic and parsley. If needed, add a little more oil and season with a little salt and black pepper. Add the wine and stir. Stir-in the peas, mushrooms, carrots and add the chicken stock. Season with just a dash or two of salt, pepper, Creole season and Worcestershire.

Add the rabbit to the pot, cover and simmer for at least 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Taste to see if you may need a little more seasoning.

Make your dumplins, now, in a large bowl. Fold-in all your ingredients and gradually, from beginning to the end, fold-in the stock to a get a good "dumpling" consistency (not too thick, not too thin).

Your pot should be at a slow boil. Form the dumplins with a tablespoon. Add dumplins, one at a time and baste while you add them (don't stir). If needed, it's ok to add a little more stock or seasoned water to help the dumplins swim around. Finish cooking until your dumplins are done.

Would be nice to garnish each serving with a little fresh diced green onion and parsley. A meal in one pot. Not sure you need anything else to go with it except maybe some good ole cobbler or bread pudding to chase it down with.

***You can make this same dish by substituting fryer parts. If you really wanted to go "country", use squirrel.

D. Bass