Hasenpfeffer

Ingredients

3 rabbit
1/2 ts salt
3/8 c all purpose flour
1/2 bacon
1/2 c shallots
1 clove garlic
1 c dry wine
1 c water
1 tb instant chicken bouillon
1 tb currant jelly
10 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1/4 ts rosemary leaves
1/8 ts thyme leaves
2 ts lemon juice
3 tb water
2 tb flour

Instructions

Sprinkle rabbit with salt. Coat with 1/3 cup flour; shake off excess. Fry bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp; remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Brown a few pieces of rabbit in hot bacon fat; remove browned pieces. Repeat with remaining rabbit. Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat. Cook and stir shallots and garlic in hot fat in Dutch oven until shallots are tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in wine, 1 cup water and the instant bouillon. Heat to boiling. Stir in jelly, peppercorns, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme. Return rabbit and bacon to Dutch oven. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until rabbit is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaf and discard. Place rabbit on warm platter; keep warm while preparing gravy. Stir lemon juice into liquid in Dutch oven. Shake 3 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons flour in covered jar. Stir flour 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves in cheesecloth bag. stir 1 minute. (If gravy is too thick, stir in more water until of desired consistency.) Serve gravy with rabbit.