Saturday, February 16, 2019

Dreaming of Provence with a Rabbit Lasagna and a Clos Cibbone #Winophiles

Tender layers of noodles, rabbit and mushroom ragout, and a brie and truffle bechamel sauce....you will swear that you are in Heaven....or at least Provence.


I made this amazing dinner to pair with a Provencal wine after reading A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle for our French Winophiles group.



I was excited to host The French Winophiles this month.  I know that most people, when they dream of going to France, have Paris as their destination.  If they are winophiles they may choose Bordeaux or Champagne.  But me....when I dream of France my heart yearns for Provence.

Image result for a year in provence book

We have visited Provence with the Winophiles before and have been given samples of wonderful and amazing Rosé wines for which the area is known. I asked the members to join me in exploring other wines made in Provence. For inspiration I invited them to read A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle.

This month's French Winophiles is sponsored by Blue Vase Book Exchange.  They provided some of our members with a copy of "A Year in Provence" by Peter Mayle.  You can find Blue Vase Book Exchange on Amazon and on Facebook



I ordered up a bottle of a red blend that I found from Provence over at Wine.com.  It is made mostly from Tibouren with a touch of Syrah.  It was described as light and fruity.  I thought it would make a great pairing with the Rabbit Lasagna I had decided to make.

Let's take a look at what wines and pairings the others are sharing today.


I enjoyed this memoir so much.  Every time I read a book set in Provence I daydream about visiting one day.  I loved the way Mayle wrote the book, breaking it down month by month and sharing with us a bit of his life.  He shared the triumphs and the trials.  Mayle's got a wonderful sense of humor and I laughed along with him as he described the people with whom he formed relationships.  

And the food......oh my YUM....Mayle has a way of writing about food that makes you salivate.  You can almost see and smell the dish based on his descriptions.  There was tons of food mentioned.  I decided to make rabbit which was mentioned numerous times.  I had a package of Brie Cheese with Truffles that I thought would be perfect along with the Rabbit.  Mayle had few paragraphs describing the hunt for truffles.  I wished I could have gone truffle hunting.

The wine poured a very light red.  It was flavorful and delicious.  It can stand on it's own but it paired amazingly well with the lasagna.  This wine was light enough not to overpower the dish and complement the richness of the cheesy sauce.  I think this wine would pair well with any dish that you would pair with a Beaujolais or Pinot Noir.

This lasagna was a huge success.  The Teen ate two servings.  She didn't ask what kind of meat was in it and I didn't volunteer.  The next day, when we were enjoying leftovers for lunch, Frank asked if I had added chicken along with the rabbit.  I replied there was only rabbit in the lasagna....his response was the classic "It tastes just like chicken".  I laughed as hard as I did at some of descriptions provided by Mayle in his memoir.

Sharing this post with Foodies Read. Stop by and see what others are reading this month.

#pasta, #rabbit, #Brie, #truffles, #bechamel, #onepotmeals, #casseroles, #lasagna,
Entrees, Game Meat, Casseroles
French
Yield: 6 servingsPin it

White Rabbit Lasagna

prep time: 30 minscook time: 2 hourtotal time: 2 hours and 30 mins
Tender layers of noodles, rabbit and mushroom ragout, and a brie and truffle bechamel sauce....you will swear that you are in Heaven....or at least Provence.

ingredients:

  • 1 Rabbit, quartered
  • 3 T. olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 c. dry white wine
  • 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
  • 4 c. chicken stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 t. dried thyme, crushed
  • 1 c. assorted mushrooms, roughly chopped (I used a pre packaged gourmet blend)
  • 3 T. butter
  • 3 T. flour
  • 3 c. milk
  • 5 oz. brie cheese with black truffles, rind removed and cubed
  • 1 t. rubbed sage
  • 1 t. chopped parsley (I used slightly dried)
  • pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
  • 9 no boil lasagna noodles or 9 lasagna noodles cooked per pkg directions.

instructions:

  1. Heat the oil in a dutch oven over med high heat.  Season the rabbit with salt and pepper and brown in the hot oil on all sides.  Remove the rabbit to a plate and set aside.
  2. Add the onion, shallot and garlic to the pot.  Cook and stir, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, until onions are translucent and softened.  Add the wine and tomatoes.  Cook for a few minutes and then return the rabbit to the pot along with the thyme and bay leaves.  Cover and place in a preheated 350* oven for about 40 minutes.
  3. Remove the dutch oven to the stove top, leaving the oven at 350*.  Remove the rabbit to a cutting board to cool slightly.  Discard the bay leaves and add the mushrooms to the dutch oven.  Cook over med high heat until sauce is reduced by half and thickened, stirring occasionally.  This took about half an hour.
  4. While the sauce is reducing, remove the rabbit meat from the bones and coarsely chop.  Set aside.
  5. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the flour, salt and pepper.  Cook and stir for a minute or two until the flour is cooked but not browned.  Whisk in the milk and brie cheese.  Cook and stir until thickened.  Stir in the parsley, sage, nutmeg and Parmesan cheese.  Cook and stir until smooth.  Remove from heat.
  6. Add the rabbit meat to the reduce vegetables making a ragout.
  7. Spread a little of the ragout onto the bottom of a small roasting pan.  Lay three noodles on top, breaking to make fit, if necessary.  Add a third of the ragout over the noodles and top with a third of the bechamel sauce.  Repeat this twice more ending with bechamel.  Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.
  8. Place roasting pan, uncovered, back into the preheated 350* oven for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.  Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

NOTES:

Adapted from a recipe found at D'artagnan.
Created using The Recipes Generator



We are all getting together for Twitter Chat to discuss our wine choices, our food pairings and our thoughts on this memoir today at 11 AM ET.  Please join in the discussion and fun following #winophiles.  Hope to see you there.

21 comments:

  1. Thanks for hosting! The wine sounds interesting, I haven't heard of that grape before. I'm trying to recall if I've read this book or another one by him. I need to check it out and read or re-read!

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  2. Thank you Wendy for hosting this month's #Winophiles. Your Rabbit Lasagna is so French and luxurious, with all the ingredients like rabbit, brie and black truffle. I'm loving it. The wine you chose is so unique too. I didn't see this wine when I searched in wine.com... Maybe forget wearing my reading glasses LOL

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    1. I don't know if I would have found it on my own Pinny. It was recommended by an agent over live chat.

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  3. I have never used rabbit to make lasagna. But the next time I get my hands on some, you can bet I'll be trying that. Thanks for hosting. And thanks, too, for the book. I loved it!

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  4. I actually had the opportunity to go to Provence about 18 years ago. My dad had rented a house on a lavender farm for six weeks and we got to stay there for a week. We followed the book The Markets of Provence and had an amazing time.

    P.S. Your lasagne sounds amazing.

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    1. How wonderful for you Karen....I would love to be able to go one day.

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  5. So impressed with the rabbit lasagna! Thanks for hosting this chat - I really enjoyed it!

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  6. "..you will swear that you are in Heaven....or at least Provence." Heaven, Provençe...pretty much the same thing. This dish sounds fantastic! Although with your husbands response, I might forego the bunnies and make it with chicken when I do it!

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  7. Thanks for hosting Wendy. I'm really enjoying the read! This lasagna looks delicious. Clos Cibonne make some beautiful wines. If you ever have a chance to find it, they make rosé from Tibouren as well that's really distinctive.

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  8. Wow! Rabbit lasagna is completely new to me Wendy! But it's a dish I know I would love...and that sauce! Thanks for sharing!

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  9. Thanks for hosting, Wendy! Rabbit sounds like a gift from Antoine Riviere!

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  10. First, thanks so much for linking this at First Monday Favorites and second, YUM. I love rabbit, hadn't had it in a yonks age, but was just talking about making a favorite dish of mine from when I was young, and then you had to link this,OMG. I've got it bookmarked to make for a future potluck.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for inviting me to join in the fun Sid. What is your favorite rabbit dish?

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