To Clean a Rabbit
After the rabbit is paunched and skinned, it
must be well washed and cleaned before it is ready
for cooking. First remove the kidneys and draw
away all the fat that surrounds them. Then break
the thin skin (diaphragm) which separates the
chest from the lower part of the body and draw
out the heart and lungs from the inside. The
liver, heart, and kidneys are the only inside parts
that should be kept. The gall must always be
carefully removed from the liver. Wash the
rabbit well in salt and water, and if possible let it
soak at least hour in tepid water with a little
salt in it. Then lift out, dry and use as directed.
Note. — If the strong flavour of the rabbit is ob-
jected to, it should be blanched before cooking.
To Skin and Paunch a Hare
A hare should not be paunched until it is about
to be used. Skin the hare first, in the same way
as directed for skinning a rabbit, only in this case
the tail and ears should be left on. The ears are
the most difficult parts to skin, and a little care
is required not to tear nor injure them in any way.
Sometimes a slit is made in one of the hind-legs
just above the foot, and the hare is hung on to a
hook while the skinning is being done. Paunch
in the same way as a rabbit, only be careful to save
the blood, as this is required for some dishes, such
as jugged hare and hare soup. Save also the
liver, heart, and kidneys, and remove the gall from
the liver. Wash the hare quickly in tepid water,
dry in a cloth, and it is then ready for cooking.
Many authorities object to this washing of the
hare and direct that it should be wiped only with
a cloth, in order not to lose any of the flavour, but
a quick washing without soaking seems a more
wholesome method.
To Cut a Rabbit in Joints
First cut off the four legs by the joints. Leave
the fore-legs whole, but cut the hind-legs in two or
three pieces, chopping through the bone with a
chopping knife. Then cut the body across in five or
six pieces, chopping the breast piece in two in order
to make it flatter. Trim the pieces neatly, re-
moving from them all the flap or loose skin, which
along with the neck may be put into the stock pot,
or used in the making of any gravy. Split the
head in two, and this may be served with the rabbit,
if liked ; it is considered a delicacy by some people.
The liver, heart, and kidneys may also be served.
To Bone a Rabbit
It is not often that a rabbit has to be boned, but
when a galantine has to be made it is necessary to do
so. Clean and prepare the rabbit as directed above,
then cut off the head and the two fore-legs and
lay the rabbit on a board with the open side upper-
most. Commence the boning at the neck end by
cutting through the thin layer of flesh which covers
the breast bone. Press the knife close to the bone
and raise the flesh from it on both sides. Then cut
away the flesh from the long back-bone, being
careful not to cut through the flesh on the back
of the rabbit if possible Disjoint the hind-legs
from the body and draw the back bone out.
Now cut through the flesh of the legs and remove
the bones as cleanly as possible. Remove also
all the flesh from the fore-legs which were cut off.
When every piece of bone has been removed,
spread the rabbit on the board and cut away all
sinews and any other parts that are uneatable.
Page 467
Presented as published in 1914. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
To Clean a Rabbit
After the rabbit is paunched and skinned, it must be well washed and cleaned before it is ready for cooking. First remove the kidneys and draw away all the fat that surrounds them. Then break the thin skin (diaphragm) which separates the chest from the lower part of the body and draw out the heart and lungs from the inside. The liver, heart, and kidneys are the only inside parts that should be kept. The gall must always be carefully removed from the liver. Wash the rabbit well in salt and water, and if possible let it soak at least hour in tepid water with a little salt in it. Then lift out, dry and use as directed.
Note. — If the strong flavour of the rabbit is objected to, it should be blanched before cooking.
To Skin and Paunch a Hare
A hare should not be paunched until it is about to be used. Skin the hare first, in the same way as directed for skinning a rabbit, only in this case the tail and ears should be left on. The ears are the most difficult parts to skin, and a little care is required not to tear nor injure them in any way. Sometimes a slit is made in one of the hind-legs just above the foot, and the hare is hung on to a hook while the skinning is being done. Paunch
in the same way as a rabbit, only be careful to save the blood, as this is required for some dishes, such as jugged hare and hare soup. Save also the liver, heart, and kidneys, and remove the gall from the liver. Wash the hare quickly in tepid water, dry in a cloth, and it is then ready for cooking. Many authorities object to this washing of the hare and direct that it should be wiped only with a cloth, in order not to lose any of the flavour, but a quick washing without soaking seems a more wholesome method.
To Cut a Rabbit in Joints
First cut off the four legs by the joints. Leave the fore-legs whole, but cut the hind-legs in two or three pieces, chopping through the bone with a chopping knife. Then cut the body across in five or six pieces, chopping the breast piece in two in order to make it flatter. Trim the pieces neatly, removing from them all the flap or loose skin, which along with the neck may be put into the stock pot, or used in the making of any gravy. Split the head in two, and this may be served with the rabbit, if liked ; it is considered a delicacy by some people. The liver, heart, and kidneys may also be served.
To Bone a Rabbit
It is not often that a rabbit has to be boned, but when a galantine has to be made it is necessary to do so. Clean and prepare the rabbit as directed above, then cut off the head and the two fore-legs and lay the rabbit on a board with the open side uppermost. Commence the boning at the neck end by cutting through the thin layer of flesh which covers the breast bone. Press the knife close to the bone and raise the flesh from it on both sides. Then cut away the flesh from the long back-bone, being careful not to cut through the flesh on the back of the rabbit if possible Disjoint the hind-legs from the body and draw the back bone out. Now cut through the flesh of the legs and remove the bones as cleanly as possible. Remove also all the flesh from the fore-legs which were cut off. When every piece of bone has been removed, spread the rabbit on the board and cut away all sinews and any other parts that are uneatable.