Rabbit Soup is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic soup of rabbit, vegetables and herbs thickened with cream, hard-boiled eggs, rice flour and breadcrumbs. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Rabbit Soup.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
181. INGREDIENTS.—2 large rabbits, or 3 small ones; a faggot of savoury herbs, 1/2 head of celery, 2 carrots, 1 onion, 1 blade of mace, salt and white pepper to taste, a little pounded mace, 1/2 pint of cream, the yolks of 2 eggs boiled hard, the crumb of a French roll, nearly 3 quarts of water.
Mode.—Make the soup with the legs and shoulders of the rabbit, and keep the nice pieces for a dish or entrée. Put them into warm water, and draw the blood; when quite clean, put them in a stewpan, with a faggot of herbs, and a teacupful, or rather more, of veal stock or water. Simmer slowly till done through, and add the 3 quarts of water, and boil for an hour. Take out the rabbet, pick the meat from the bones, covering it up to keep it white; put the bones back in the liquor, add the vegetables, and simmer for 2 hours; skim and strain, and let it cool. Now pound the meat in a mortar, with the yolks of the eggs, and the crumb of the roll previously soaked; rub it through a tammy, and gradually add it to the strained liquor, and simmer for 15 minutes. Mix arrowroot or rice-flour with the cream (say 2 dessert-spoonfuls), and stir in the soup; bring it to a boil, and serve. This soup must be very white, and instead of thickening it with arrowroot or rice-flour, vermicelli or pearl barley can be boiled in a little stock, and put in 5 minutes before serving.
Time.—Nearly 4 hours. Average cost, 1s. per quart.
Seasonable from September to March.
Sufficient for 10 persons.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
2 large rabbits (or 3 small rabbits)
1 bunch of savoury herbs
1/2 head of celery, chopped
2 carrots, scraped and chopped
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 blade of mace
salt and freshly-ground white pepper, to taste
generous pinch of ground mace
300ml cream
2 hard-boiled egg yolks
100g breadcrumbs (from a French roll, for preference)
3l water
2 soup spoons of rice flour
Method:
Remove the marrow from the bones and discard then combine all the ingredients in a large stockpot. Cove and simmer slowly for 8 hours over low heat. If the meat is not coked to shreds, remove the veal knuckles and beef shins from the pot and set aside in the refrigerator to use for another dish.
Use only the legs and shoulders of the rabbit for this soup (keep the saddles for another dish). Place the rabbit legs and shoulders in a bowl with plenty of water (this leaches out the blood to keep the flesh white). Set aside for 3 hours, or until completely white, then place the meat in a stockpot along with the herbs and 250ml of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for about 70 minutes, or until the rabbit is done through. Add the remaining water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for a further 2 hours.
Remove the rabbit pieces and strip the meat from the bone. Place in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and set aside. Return the bones to the stock, add the vegetables and simmer for a further 2 hours. Take off the heat, skim the surface of the stock then set aside to cool.
Add the meat to a mortar and pound with the egg yolks to a paste. Add the breadcrumbs (soak these beforehand) then pound to combine. Force the paste through a fine-meshed sieve and gradually whisk into the stock. Return to the heat, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
Mix the rice flour to a smooth paste with a little of the cream then whisk this into the remainder of the cream, to combine. Stir this mixture into the soup, bring to a boil, then serve immediately.
