Happy Hobbit Day, everyone! Today is both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins’ birthday (born in the years 2890 and 2968 of the Third Age, respectively). To celebrate this auspicious occasion, I turned to the wisdom of dear Samwise Gamgee — a kindred spirit, as both a gardener and a cook. Anyone who brings along a small box of his favorite seasonings to Mordor (in the event of needing to roast a chicken one evening) is someone I’m going to ask about Shire food. 

Hobbit Food

Sam knows his stuff and, on the journey with Frodo and Smeagol, makes a rabbit stew. Though Smeagol objects to such cookery, I decided it would be a fitting tribute to such excellent Hobbits.

This particular rabbit stew is much more likely to be made in the Shire than on the road to Mordor, but it tastes delicious just the same. 

Rabbit Stew

Rabbit:

3 pounds rabbit meat (leg quarters or whole rabbit cut into pieces)
⅓ cup all-purpose wheat flour
Kosher salt 
1 tsp fresh-ground voatsiperifery (or Tellicherry peppercorns, cracked)
½ tsp fresh-ground allspice
Bacon or duck fat (for cooking)

Stew base:

A little more bacon or duck fat (for cooking)
⅔ c caramelized onions (can sub 1 large fresh shallot, minced) 
½ cup diced ham 
1 tsp garlic base (can sub 3 fresh garlic cloves, minced)
2 tsp Better Than Boullion base (roasted veggie, chicken, or beef) + 1 cup hot water
OR 1 ½ cups good stock
1 cup dry red wine
4 bay leaves
1 Tbsp raspberry jelly (can sub blackberry or red currant)
Spice mix (see below)
2 Tbsp all-purpose wheat flour

Spices:

½ tsp dried rosemary 
¼ tsp rubbed sage 
½ tsp dried orange peel 
1 tsp cocoa powder 
12 Tellicherry black peppercorns, crushed
8 allspice berries, ground (about ¼ tsp)
¼ tsp red pepper flakes 

Instructions

Brown the rabbit:

Sprinkle rabbit with salt. Dredge in ⅓ cup flour seasoned with voatsiperifery and allspice. Shake off extra flour so it doesn’t burn during the next step. 

Heat bacon fat over medium-high heat in a large stewpot or dutch oven. Brown rabbit meat on both sides — about 4 minutes per side for the large pieces, 2 ½ minutes per side for small pieces.  Remove from heat and set aside. 

Make the stew base:

Check the pot that you browned the rabbit in. If there are no burned bits in the cooking fat, continue using it for the onions and garlic. If there are burned spots, pour the used fat into a heatproof container and add in new bacon or duck fat into the pot. 

To the fat, add caramelized onions, diced ham, and garlic (garlic base or minced cloves). Cook 2 minutes. If using fresh shallot, cook until translucent. 

Add Better Than Bouillon base and hot water (or stock). Add the wine and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Add spice mix, jelly, and browned rabbit pieces. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to low and cover. 

Simmer 90 minutes, basting occasionally, or until rabbit is tender and cooked through. Don’t turn up the heat and try to cook it faster; the meat will be very tough. Keep it low and slow. If it starts looking too dry, add more water. Rabbit is done when it reaches 160*F. You can pull it off the stove at about 155*F and tent under foil until it reaches 160*F. Don’t overcook it, but wild rabbit, especially, needs to be cooked through.

Thicken the gravy:

Remove the rabbit from the stew pot when it reaches temperature. Leave the stew liquid on the stove. In a small dish or cup, mix 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour with 3 Tbsp water until a slurry forms. Add to the stew base and cook for a few minutes, until the gravy is thickened to your liking. 

Serve: 

Serve stew gravy over the rabbit. I recommend serving with taters — boil ‘em, mash ‘em, or stick them in the stew (cooked, of course). 

Also pairs well with roasted veggies, crusty bread, and a berry pie for afters. 

Happy birthday, Bilbo and Frodo!