Variations of brown sugar bourbon-glazed ham or rosemary-garlic roasted lamb, warm, billowy biscuits and roasted root vegetables grace traditional Easter tables, and thankfully so. If you want to go beyond the merely traditional but keep close to the holiday’s theme, consider rabbit. After learning how good they are for you and how great they taste, you may just want Peter Cottontail to ditch the bunny trail and hop on into your Dutch oven.
Rabbit is leaner than chicken, veal or turkey, with less fat and cholesterol. It has half the calories per pound compared to beef and pork and is the most easily digestible protein around. Since it’s both abundant and ubiquitous, low consumption has little to do with availability and lots to do with Thumper (a Cottontail) and Bugs (probably a Lop-Eared Gray.)
“Some people just can’t get beyond that mindset,” says Stephen Edwards. His Aspen Hill Farms in Boyne City, Michigan supplies local three- and four-star resorts and sells nationally through U.S. Wellness Meats. “I’ve had my rump chewed any number of times by people who say, ‘That’s not an appropriate food.’” He just holds his tongue and keeps his cool.
Here’s a bunch of rabbit recipes for basting your bunny.
Helpful suggestion: take your bunny to a movie before cooking him.
Mom’s tradition on us kiddies birthdays was that we could have whatever we wanted for dinner. My choice was Hasenpfeffer. Good Eats:
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/hasenpfeffer-rabbit-stew/Detail.aspx
Then one year I went for frog legs. Mom was always happy to go to the local deli and get the requested meal.
Desert was ALWAYS vanilla ice cream chocolate cake roll.
I wish I were 10 again.
You eat Bambi (venison) what’s the problem with Thumper ?
Rabbit is very nice – better than cat anyway!
#1. Dad raced pigeons. The deadbeats ended up in a casserole. Another beautiful and underrated traditional dish. Deadbeat Pigeon Stew.
Its an amazing show of the media’s power
Americans and Canadians generally don’t eat animals for dinner meat that were Disney favorite characters
Rabbits- Bugs Bunny and Bambi for Deer meat
Amazing isn’t eat
I don’t quite get the Christianity worship of rabbits during Easter? What of the eggs? WTF is that about? Rabbit don’t lay eggs.
Anyway, I’m glad chocolate Easter eggs is what is served. Which brings up another question, the chocolate?
Alphie, pls weigh in on this and explain this weirdness from your perspective. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation.
Both the egg and the rabbit are symbols of fertility and were very popular in the Roman Empire as Christianity got going. As everything else with religion, its a mix of theology, custom, adoption of current and previous myths and so forth. I think chocolate makes women horny and is a welcomed addition to any festival romp.
leaner isn’t always better.
*cough* Rabbit starvation
#6 hmmm. Seems sexual in nature. Why are the kids involved with this sexual ritual?
#8 – a country that is prepared to eat 1Bn fried hog’s anus patties every year is concerned about eating meat that is so lean it’s nature’s Atkins diet?
As far as I’m concerned, Bambi mother was just pre-roasted…
I’m got nothing against chowing down on Thumper either. In a red wine and cream velouté sauce, mmmmm.
Come to think of it, I’m expecting a shipment of Rudolph meat shortly.
You can keep Flossy, Bossy and Elsie as well.
Buffalo meat is a lot tastier and more tender.
The picture is from Donny Darko movie, right?
Greetings from Russia
I don’t know. I like roasted chicken the best.
You can keep your rodent to yourself.
#12 lol
True dat
Chicken = corporately manufactured mass processed chock full of hormones, anti-biotics, salmonella, preservatives and who knows what else.
Rabbit = a nice change of pace.
I only wish I could avoid factory food. but free range is not available or is too expensive.
All food is food. Culturally bound to think otherwise. Horses, cats, dogs = good meat just thrown away.
i usually eat rabbit on easter.. and i start by biting the ears off first…. hhhmmm chocolaty
Easter is a silly holiday for that is for kids and finding eggs and for kids eating Peeps and “Hop” pooping candies.
First, Easter is just represents a cultural replacement of what was back in the day the Pagan the Spring Equinox. Like how Jesus wasn’t born at Christmas, but Christmas was the replacement of the Pagan Winter Solstice holiday. You know, keep the populace happy with change. Pagans get to switch to Christianity and keep all their festivals, they just have new names … facts be damned. And that’s politics for you, even back in Roman times.
Second, hardcore Christians always say “God sent his only son to die for you” … well, if he was resurrected 3 days later, God wasn’t that big into the idea of personal sacrifice.
And to any offended religious nuts out there, I’m not actually making fun of your religion — non-violent religions (like Christianity) serve a great purpose to provide the moral foundations people need (and besides, the 10 Commandments introduced the idea of law that even a King must abide by. Before Hebrew Biblical law, there was no concept that kings and emperors were accountable to anyone because they often pretended to be god-kings.)
I’m just saying Easter is the most perverted holiday imaginable … where did this Easter Bunny come from??? Why are there Cadbury Eggs and Peeps and jelly beans?
It is just bizarre and all the candy sucks and some of the lemon or orange flavor candy is just gross.
And it takes some sort of scientist to calculate the date that Easter falls on … enough already!
#5 see #16 Christians have nothing to do with what has become of the Easter holiday. It’s just another perversion, taking advantage of peoples wallets in the name of capitalism. Who needs Valentines day, if you love her so much, show it every freaking day!
Poor Mr. Edwards. I wonder if his rump is kosher?
You Deniers…
No Marshmallow Chickies For You!
#14 Whole Foods. No hormones.
I also would not eat commercial, hormone infused chickens that grow to adult size in 8 days.
This is why Pedro has tits.