Rabbit hotpot with white beans and Spanish sausage

Method

1. Cook the beans in fresh water until they are just tender then drain and reserve. Pat the rabbit legs dry and lightly season them with salt and pepper. In a large oven-proof casserole dish, sauté the rabbit pieces in olive oil until they colour. Towards the end of cooking time turn up the heat and pour in the honey glaze. Sauté for a further 30 seconds until the mixture gently caramelises, turning the rabbit pieces so that they are coated with the glaze. Now add the whole shallots, mushrooms, garlic and chorizo sausage pieces and sauté for 2 minutes, turning everything in the glaze. Add the white wine and stir to lift all the golden bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Then add the beans, chopped tomatoes, sage leaves, juniper berries, orange peel and chicken stock.
2. Season with fresh black pepper.
3. Bring to the boil, then cover the surface of the casserole with a circle of greaseproof paper and cover the dish with a lid. Cook on the middle shelf of a preheated 180°C oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and check that the rabbit is tender and the meat is beginning to fall from the bones. Return to the oven and cook for a further 20 minutes. Preheat the grill to its highest temperature. Make sure you have removed the baking paper and sprinkle the surface with a mixture of the crumbing mix and the olives.
4. Grill until golden-brown and serve immediately.