There is nothing so invigorating as facing down Mother Nature. Mortal combat with the beasts of the forest may not arise too often in Toronto, but it does arise. And you better be ready. I was thrown into survival mode last Friday when my girlfriend defrosted a rabbit for dinner.
She had purchased the frozen rabbit from one of Toronto’s excellent farmers’ markets. But once it was thawed, we discovered that “farmer’s rabbit” does not come in nice little portions. It is a disturbingly large and sturdy carcass: legs, lungs, liver, neck. Cradling it in my hands, it felt like one of those creepy hairless cats. Except that this cadaver hadn’t been perfectly skinned: wiry fur still sprouted here and there, like strands of hair clinging to the wall of a shower.
I was repulsed, but I was also quite hungry. With my laptop on the counter next to me, I set about butchering this monster according to these helpful instructions. Unfortunately, we have no meat cleaver. The bunny won Round 1 as I discovered that you can’t cut through a spinal column with a pair of scissors.
My frustration grew until I remembered that I had a Khukri knife in my sock drawer. A Khukri is a machete-like weapon once used by Nepalese commandoes to, among other things, sever the limbs from enemies of the British Empire. A friend had given me one with the suggestion that I might need it in case of home invasion, although I suspect that if an intruder saw me charging at him with this chopper, his greatest danger would be laughing to death.
The pride of the Gurkhas made short work of the bunny, especially when I learned to swing the blade above my head before delivering the coup-de-grâce. The battle cry also helped.
The dirty work done, we employed an excellent recipe for Rabbit Dijonnaise with Mushroom and Arugula Sauté. I’ve tried this recipe with chicken, but rabbit is much better. Although rabbit is less moist than poultry, it has a richer flavour that’s reminiscent of wild game. A hearty, rustic meal like this calls for a rustic wine – something earthy.
I settled on a Cave de Rasteau “Rasteau Prestige” 2003 ($18.95) from the southern Cotes Du Rhone Villages of France. This is primarily Syrah, blended with some southern Grenache to add character. I bought 3 bottles two years ago but found it unimpressive at the time. But just two years in, the Short Cellar has coaxed it into something lovely: it had a gripping nose of herbs, earth and a little manure – something critics call “barnyard”. The palate was mellow but very complex: ripe blackberries, strawberry, and blood orange topped with chocolate. A little maturation had transformed it into a much more expensive wine. I toasted my worthy opponent and thanked him for the wonderful meal.
[This post has been updated]
Matthew Sullivan is a civil litigator in Toronto. He writes a weekly blog entry here on lawandstyle.ca. The Short Cellar column appears in the print edition of Precedent. Matthew can be reached at matthew@lawandstyle.beta-site.ca