Australian poached rabbit with bruschetta

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

1 ea Spanish onion peeled and -sliced
2 ea Stalks of celery chopped
2 sm Carrots chopped
2 ea Sprigs of thyme
2 ea Bay leaves
12 ea Black peppercorns
1 ea Rabbit
2 ea Cloves of garlic quartered
16 sm Fresh sage leaves
2 1/2 c Extra virgin olive oil
1 ea Crusty Italian ring loaf of

Instructions:

-bread (preferably day-old) -Mesclun to serve Lemon wedges (optional) to -serve Bring 6 liters of salted water to the boil in a large saucepan. Add onion celery carrot herbs and peppercorns and return to the boil. Skim surface. Add rabbit and return to the boil. Reduce heat to lowest setting cover and simmer very gently for 1 hour or until rabbit is tender. Remove from heat and cool rabbit in cooking liquid. Remove rabbit from liquid strip meat from bones and place it in a single layer on a plate or tray. Season meat generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Return bones to cooking liquid and boil again to make stock to freeze for another purpose if desired. Transfer rabbit to a bowl. Add garlic sage and oil just to cover. Using your hands mix ingredients to combine then cover and refrigerate for 48 hours. Cut bread into 1cm-thick slices and brush both sides with remaining oil combined with 1 teaspoon sea salt. Place in a single layer on a rack on an oven tray and bake at 150C for 30 minutes or until pale golden. Using a slotted spoon remove rabbit from oil and serve at room temperature with warm bruschetta mesclun and lemon wedges if desired. Source: Australian Gourmet Traveller July '94