Rabbit Ravioli with Pea Sauce & Feta Cheese

From Discover the Chef’s Secret: Erik van Loo created a magnificent dish with rabbit loin fillet, wonderfully soft and tender with a sweet Banyuls jelly. Banyuls is the name of a fortified sweet French wine from Roussillon, also known as a Vin Doux Naturel. For this home version, we use a rabbit leg, which is somewhat easier to cook and obtain. Instead of the dessert wine, we use a sweet French variety that we can also enjoy with the dish. Wild rabbit leg has a fine texture and a mild game flavour. Combined with an earthy pea cream and spicy feta cheese, it is delicious with a lightly sweet, chilled wine.

Preparation

Gather the kitchen equipment and preheat the oven to 165 ºC.

Weigh and measure all the ingredients and have them ready or chilled.

Wash the leek and celery. Cut them, along with the two onions, into fine pieces. Set everything aside.

Clean the mushrooms and chop them roughly. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Set everything aside.

Wash the parsley, pick the leaves and finely chop the stems.

Cooking

Place a deep roasting pan over medium heat. Add the bacon lardons and let them gently render. Pat the rabbit legs dry with kitchen paper and cut them in half. Lightly dust them with flour, salt and pepper. Fry them in the bacon fat until the rabbit legs are golden brown. Add the onion and garlic and fry briefly until the onion is translucent. Deglaze with the wine. Add the remaining ingredients and the chicken stock until everything is just covered. Braise the legs over medium heat
until the meat can be pulled from the bones with a fork. Remove the legs from the braising liquid and leave them to cool. Continue reducing the sauce until it thickens.

The sauce

Make the pea sauce. Sauté the onion, leek and celery in a pan until translucent. Deglaze with the lightly sweet wine. After 1 minute, add a splash of stock until everything is just covered. Once the stock is boiling, add the peas and cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Briefly cooking the peas helps the sauce retain its beautiful green colour. Remove from the heat and add the mint. Blend everything into a smooth sauce using a stick blender or regular blender. If the mixture is too thick, add a
splash of stock until it reaches the desired consistency. Strain the sauce and keep it warm.

The ragout

Once the meat has cooled, pull it from the bones and discard the bones. Finely chop the meat and mix it with the sauce to make a firm ragout.

The ravioli

Make the ravioli. Place a large pan of water on the heat and bring it to the boil. Place a wonton wrapper on a chopping board and brush it with egg yolk. Place a spoonful of rabbit ragout on top and press it together into a neat round mound. Place a second wrapper on top and use your fingers to push the air out from around the mound of ragout. Make sure the entire edge is pressed firmly airtight. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers until all the ragout has been used.

Cook the ravioli for 2 to 3 minutes, until the rounded side is taut and wrinkled. Drain them and set them aside on a plate. Sprinkle the feta cheese with a little oregano and begin plating.

Plating

Spoon the warm pea sauce onto a plate and arrange the ravioli. Arrange several cubes of feta cheese on top and finish with pea cress. Serve immediately.

Wine recommendation

France, Côtes de Gascogne, Domaine du Tariquet, Premières Grives, Gros Manseng (specialist wine shops)

Discover the Chef’s Secret
Bart van Berkel
€ 29,95
Image: Bart van Berkel