Medley of Rabbit

Good fella, Strafella

To echo the many nuances in the Chamonix Pinot Noir Reserve 2008, Stefano Strafella composes variations on a compatibly delicate meat. By Victor Strugo.

 

Analytically-minded people will say there are two approaches to food and wine pairing: harmony or contrast. But analysts themselves have only half a vision.

Wise chefs know that pairing can be either analytical or instinctive - and each of these can in turn exhibit harmony or contrast. Or both. A true master who harmonises these pairs of apparent opposites on the plate creates a worthy partner to the most complex of wines.

The Chamonix Reserve Pinot Noir 2008 certainly combines harmony with contrasts. Its heady nose of violets and ample cherry mouthful are pure Franschhoek sunshine, yet it shows the restraint associated with Burgundian elegance.

When we tasted this wine at Stefano Strafella's eponymous restaurant in a Sandton boutique hotel, the chef was in two minds. A one-time Bocuse d'Or classicist, his left brain was contemplating Gallic wild mushrooms, but his Italian instincts were urging him to concoct a more frolicsome accompaniment to Pinot Nero. Happily Stefano opted to merge Franco-precision with Italian sensuality. He crafted three contrasting variations - confit, loin and risotto - on a rabbit theme.

"I know this will upset the animal rights people..." he ventured. But I interrupted and finished the sentence my way "... who are hypocrites if they condone eating chickens, beef and lamb but try to protect bunnies."

They may be cute, but they breed, well, like rabbits. Slow-cooked in goose fat, the legs echoed the wine's sweet notes and richness. He perched this most voluptuous part of the triptych on a satisfying Mediterranean aubergine caponata base.

The loin was shyer, relying on the wine's confi dent masculinity to explore its character and tease it out of its clingy cured pancetta dress. It reclined seductively on a bed of fava beans that added contrasting texture and colour, while the sepia di nero vinaigrette contributed a dramatic and tangy edge that found a liquorice element in the wine.

Stefano put the giblets to good use, adding them with napoletana sauce into a risotto. "South Africans have finally discovered arborio rice, but I prefer to use carnaroli," said Stefano. "Its longer grain is a little firmer. It takes a little longer to cook so absorbs more flavour." Interesting nuances on the plate - a perfect echo of what was in the glass.

Medley of Rabbit
Serves 4
1 whole rabbit (1.3kg)
250ml Rougié goose fat
200g pancetta, thinly sliced
Maldon salt
crushed black pepper
dried rosemary
100g dried (or 250g fresh) fava beans
2 medium aubergines
250g carnaroli rice
150ml napoletana sauce
1 litre vegetable stock to make risotto
extra virgin olive oil for
seasoning/sprinkling

Portion the rabbit by separating the legs from shoulders and loins from rib-cage. Make a basic stock from the carcass. Keep the liver to flavour the risotto.

CONFIT
Tidy legs and forelegs by cleaning/trimming the bone. Place in a large oven dish and cover with the goose fat. Bake at 100°C for about six hours. Cool in its fat. It can be refrigerated, then re-heated, preferably still with the fat, in an oven tray for five minutes.

WRAPPED LOIN
Keep the belly flap that is attached to the loin. Season with crushed salt, pepper and rosemary. Roll up. Wrap the loin neatly with the pancetta. Wrap the entire loin in tin foil, squeezing the two ends together to create a neat cylindrical shape which is retained once cooked. Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and roll over a hot pan to crisp the pancetta.

GARNISHES
Fava beans: Boil until tender, blend, season and press through a fine sieve to remove skins. Add olive oil to create a smooth purée.

Aubergines: Slice and bake with napoletana sauce, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, chopped olives and capers till tender (about 40 minutes).

Risotto: Cook according to classic recipe, adding the chopped liver and napoletana sauce for flavour. Sauce: Once stock is ready, simply reduce until it thickens to the required consistency.

Strafella's, Falstaff Inn, Longdon Road, Morningside, Johannesburg. Tel 011 784 5738, www.strafellas.co.za