Rabbit and spring vegetables

Instructions

1. Step 1

   First you will need to butcher the rabbit. Remove the head, and then remove and set aside the kidneys, livers, heart, legs and shoulders

2. Step 2

   De-membrane the kidneys. De-bone the legs and separate the muscles. Remove the loins and take off any sinew. Remove and French trim the racks. Chop the bones

3. Step 3

   Take a medium-sized pan and heat over high heat. Add some oil and, once hot, sear the shoulders until coloured and caramelised. Remove and set aside

4. Step 4

   Add the chopped bones, and cook until browned. Remove the bones and add shallots, garlic and thyme for the rabbit sauce. Cook until softened, and then deglaze the pan with sake. Reduce the sake until it has a glaze-like consistency

5. Step 5

   Lower the heat, and add the stocks. Slowly bring the pan up to a simmer, and then add the bones and shoulders back into the pan. Cook everything for 30 minutes, or until the shoulders are tender. Remove the shoulders from the pan, and then continue to cook the sauce for another 30 minutes, or until it has reduced to a sauce-like consistency. Season with a pinch of salt and the sherry vinegar, and pass through a fine-mesh sieve

6. Step 6

   Take the rabbit loins, leg muscles and racks and season them. Put each one into a separate vacuum pack bag with some thyme. Drizzle olive oil into each bag and vacuum seal the bags tightly

7. Step 7

   Cook in a water bath at 65°C. Remove the loins and racks after 8 minutes and the legs after 12 minutes. Put the bags into an ice bath

8. Step 8

   To pickle the shallots and carrots, place the shallots and carrots in a heatproof bowl. Add the water, vinegar, salt and sugar to a pan and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and then pour it over the shallots and carrots. Set aside to pickle

9. Step 9

   For the carrot purée, sauté the carrots in a medium-hot pan with the olive oil for 1 minute. Add the white wine and reduce it by half, and then add water to cover. Simmer the carrots until very soft

10. Step 10

    Transfer the carrots to a blender and blend with butter and some of the cooking liquid until smooth. Season with salt

11. Step 11

    Preheat the oven to 180°C

12. Step 12

    Take the radishes and slice them thinly with a knife or mandolin. Keep in water until plating

13. Step 13

    Take the baby carrots and baby turnips and clean them thoroughly, but don't peel them. Cook the baby carrots and turnips together in a pan with water, butter, sugar and salt. Cook them for around 8 minutes on a low rolling boil or until just tender. Remove from the water and cut in half lengthwise, then toss with the chives

14. Step 14

    Place the cavolo nero on a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until crispy

15. Step 15

    To reheat the rabbit, place it in a small pan with some of the rabbit jus, and warm up very gently for a few seconds. Season the heart, livers and kidneys, then sear them off in a hot pan until just cooked with some olive oil

16. Step 16

    Plate up all of your rabbit, and finish the plate with the carrot purée, dressed baby vegetables, pickled carrots and shallots, more rabbit jus, crispy cavolo nero and nasturtium cress. Add the liver, kidney and heart to finish