I think I've eaten rabbit a couple of times in my life, the last time at a fancy restaurant on Long Island in September. It sure had a lot of little bones in it, and the meat didn't come off those bones very easily. Made me wonder why people would want to spend all that money for all those bones. To me, it seemed like eating duck - not worth all the effort.

I don't think I'll be eating rabbit any time soon, unless I find myself at a restaurant that is known to have really good hasenpfeffer. I've always wanted to try hasenpfeffer, although I'm be happy with a taste and not a $40 dinner.

The "Game" section of my Joy of Cooking cookbook is only 6 pages long, but it makes very interesting reading. It's right after the section on chitterlings, pigs' ears, coskscombs, pigs' feet, oxtails, and head cheese - not to mention tripe, lamb fries (prairie oysters, aka lamb testicles), Calf or lamb head, tongue, kidneys and braised heart slices.

The "Game" section covers mostly rabbit, but also opossum, porcupine, raccoon, muskrat, woodchuck, beaver (use young animals only), beaver tail, armadillo, venison (deer, moose, or elk), bear, peccary, wild boar, and stuffed boar's head.

Hasenpfeffer, says the cookbook, is just a simple rabbit stew with onion, celery, carrots, and a variety of savory spices. Dip the rabbit in flour and fry it in bacon fat before adding it to the stew. Hasenpheffer, by the way, is also known as rabbit a la mode - but I don't think that means it needs ice cream.

This recipe for hasenpfeffer includes red wine and sour cream, and sounds quite tasty.

-Joe-