Rabbit jamon logs

By: Rohan Anderson
From: A Year of Practiculture
Serves: 4
Photographer: Rohan Anderson & Kate Berry

There are two cuts of wild rabbit meat: the legs, which require a few hours braised over low–medium heat; and the backstrap tenderloin, which can be tenderised and cooked quickly in a frying pan. If I have a successful night hunting, I’ll butcher out the tenderloins and reserve them for a meal such as this. I’m so used to rabbit meat that I like to add flavour to make it a bit more exciting. I don’t think they taste gamey at all – in fact, they can be a bit bland, like a chicken breast – so adding some flavour is common when cooking the backstraps. I cure a pork leg every year and thus have a decent supply of finely sliced jamon that’s been cured for at least 12 months, if not longer. We’re also blessed to have a small cheese-making company nearby that makes some killer cheeses, notably a strong blue cheese that I like to use in this dish. Something strong like a Roquefort or even Gorgonzola would work well.

It’s a delicate meal – rich but not stodgy – and makes a fine starter.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
8	rabbit backstraps of equal size
12 long slices	jamon
100-200g	blue cheese
	cooking twine
1-2 tablespoons	olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
a few handfuls	white asparagus, blanched for 5 minutes
	peppercress, to serve
	freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a roasting tin.
Trim any sinew off the rabbit backstraps, then cover with plastic wrap and gently tenderise with a rolling pin (that means tap them firmly but don’t squish them to a pulp). For each log, lay three jamon strips on the bench, then gently lay two tenderised backstraps on top of the jamon, side by side, and finally crumble over a quarter of the blue cheese. Roll up into a log and tie with cooking twine to hold it in place.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and brown all sides of each log for 1 minute each side. Transfer the logs to the prepared roasting tin, cover with aluminium foil and roast for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a chargrill pan over medium heat and grill the asparagus.
Remove the rabbit logs from the oven and gently slice into portions. Serve on the grilled asparagus with a generous scattering of cress, a little pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.