Rabbit Mole

By Molly O’Neill

Updated February 8, 2017

Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(26)
Comments
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It is during the coldest months that soft and fuzzy animals suddenly seem fair game. Deer becomes venison, and then becomes dinner. Rabbit is served as lapin à la moutarde, or pappardelle et coniglio, or conejo en mole -- more elegant phrasing perhaps, but rabbit stew all the same. Traditional rabbit stews are usually rather painstaking. A perfect Mexican mole sauce, I was told by an octogenarian cook in Oaxaca, the world capital of mole sauce, is a full day's work -- pounding, crushing, roasting, mixing and simmering. In any culture, the work is worth the delicious final product.

Featured in: FOOD; Rabbit Is Rich

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Ingredients

Yield:Four to five servings

FOR THE RABBIT

  • 1 tablespoon bacon fat

  • 1 2 ½-pound rabbit, cut into 7 pieces

  • 1 medium onion, minced

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

  • ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

  • 2 cups chicken broth

FOR THE SAUCE

  • 8 dried ancho chilies, soaked in 2 cups boiling water for 30 minutes

  • 1 cup drained, stewed whole tomatoes

  • ¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted

  • 1 tablespoon oregano

  • 2 whole cloves

  • 2 whole allspice

  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 9 cloves garlic, peeled

  • ¼ cup ripe banana

  • 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs

  • ½ ounce bitter chocolate, melted

  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 5 servings)

33 grams carbs; 135 milligrams cholesterol; 550 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 23 grams fat; 9 grams fiber; 1060 milligrams sodium; 54 grams protein; 7 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large heavy casserole, warm the bacon fat. Add the rabbit pieces and brown well. Add the onion, garlic and seasonings. Cook until the onion is soft, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Turn heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, to make the mole sauce, drain the chilies, reserving 1 tablespoon of the soaking liquid. Stem and seed the chilies. Place the chilies, tomatoes, sesame seeds, oregano, cloves, allspice, cinnamon and garlic in a blender and puree until very smooth. Add the reserved liquid, banana, bread crumbs, chocolate and salt. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape sides of bowl.

  3. Step 3

    Remove the rabbit pieces from the broth. Whisk in the mole sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Return rabbit to pan. Simmer until thick, about 15 minutes. Serve with white rice or warm flour tortilla.

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4 out of 5
26 user ratings
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Comments

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Ben

I followed this recipe almost exactly to a T. The only substitutions I made were sunflower seeds instead of sesame, and chicken thighs instead of rabbit. The banana is a make-or-break ingredient here. One person I served this to loved it, the other said it tasted like banana chicken and was not a fan. Not sure if I’ll follow that part of the recipe again, but otherwise a decent method for mole.

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