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.

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.

• "A Book, An Inspired Braise, and A (Surprise!) Bottle of Red from Provençe" by Culinary Adventures with Camilla. 
• "At Last! A Provencal Rouge-2006 Domaine La Bastide Blanche Bandol" by Enofylz Wine Blog
• "Beef Daube Provençal with Bandol Red Wine" by Cooking Chat 
• "Bellet: Provence’s Urban Appellation" by L’Occasion 
• “Blanc de Bellet: Like a Bouquet of Spring Flowers!” by Keep the Peas 
• "Cooking to the Wine: Domaine de L'Olivette Bandol with herb Roasted Leg of Lamb and Saucy Mediterranean Veggies" by Somm's Table.
• "Curled up with a Bandol and a book." by Crushed Grape Chronicles 
• "Dreaming of Provence with a Rabbit Lasagna and a Clos Cibbone" by A Day in the Life on the Farm 
• "Halibut with Meyer Lemon Olive Salsa and Bandol Blanc" by Always Ravenous
• "Lamb Shanks Provençal with Les Baux de Provence and Cassis" by Food Wine Click 
• "Pissaladiere and a Provence Red" by Our Good Life 
• "Provence: Beyond Rosé" by Kate’s Recipe Box 
• "Provence: Viewing the World Through Rose Wine Glasses" by Side Hustle Wino
• "Say Oui to a Glass of  Provence Rose and Succulent Seafood" by Chinese Food & Wine Pairings
• "With Love From Provence. A Biodynamic Red and a Kosher Rose with Tritip, Quiche, Soup, Salad  by Wine Predator

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 servingsAuthor: Wendy KlikPin 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.

https://adayinthelifeonthefarm.blogspot.com/2019/02/white-rabbit-lasagna-inspired-by-year.html

Property of A Day in the Life on the Farm

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.