Dinner 14: Nevada

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Hunter's Rabbit
(Not-)Buttermilk Onion Rings
Sunshine Beets
Caramel-Frosted Potato Cake

Justin's Review

I chose Nevada because Daddy said it would probably be the hardest one to find foods for and I thought that was kind of funny. Mommy said we should just have a buffet, but I decided I wanted to try rabbit. We also had onion rings, beets and a cake made with potatoes!

When Daddy and I went to get the rabbit, the butcher had just left the store and we had to come back another day, but the second time Daddy just went by himself.

I liked the rabbit, but there were a lot of tomato bits in the sauce - too many of them! I really liked the onion rings, they were delicious, but I really, really, really didn't like the beets. Yuck! The potato cake was really good, too. You couldn't taste potatoes at all, it just tasted like chocolate and frosting.

Recipes

Hunter's Rabbit

(original recipe from Food Network)

1/2 cup olive oil
1 rabbit, cut into 6-8 portions
salt and pepper, to taste
2 shallots, minced
1/3 cup flour
1 pinch dried thyme
1 pinch dried parsley
1 bay leaf
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup red wine
1 cup beef broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium heat. Sprinkle the rabbit pieces with salt and pepper. Place the pieces in the hot oil and brown both sides. Remove from the heat and transfer the pieces to a medium casserole dish.

Return the skillet to the heat and add more oil. Add the shallots and sauté for about 2 minutes. Transfer the shallots to the casserole.

Sprinkle the rabbit casserole with flour, thyme and parsley. Add the bay leaf and stir in the tomato sauce, wine and broth. Cover with foil and put in the oven to bake until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours.

(Not-)Buttermilk Onion Rings

(original recipe from StarChefs.com)

1 cup soy milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 large Vidalia onions, sliced into thin rounds

4 ounces flour

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

oil, for frying

salt and pepper, to taste

Lightly whisk together soy milk and vinegar in a medium bowl. Soak onion rings in the mixture for 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cayenne pepper, paprika, cumin and salt. 

Heat oil to 350 degrees.

Remove the onion rings from the soy milk mixture, squeezing off any excess. Toss the rings in the flour mixture. Shake off excess flour and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Add salt and a pepper, if desired.

Sunshine Beets

(original recipe from Cooks.com)

1 1/2 cups sliced cooked beets
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon soy margarine

In a small saucepan, stir together cornstarch, sugar and salt. Combine with orange juice and cook over medium-high heat until the mixture thickens.

Add the cooked beets and margarine and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until beets are hot.

Caramel-Frosted Potato Cake

(original recipe from Taste of Home)

Cake:

3/4 cup soy margarine, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs equivalent of egg replacer, prepared

1 cup mashed potatoes (without milk or butter)

2 ounces sweet chocolate, melted

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup soy milk

Frosting:

1/4 soy margarine

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-4 tablespoons soy milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a tube pan.

In a large bowl, cream margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the potatoes, chocolate and 1 tablespoon of the prepared egg replacer.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, nutmeg and cloves. Gradually add to the margarine mixture, alternating with soy milk, and beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg replacer until as foamy as possible. Gently stir into the batter. 

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, melt the margarine in a small saucepan, add brown sugar and cook over low heat for 2 inures. Remove from the heat and let cool for 3 minutes. Stir in the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and just enough milk to achieve a thick pouring consistency. Pour over cake.