Rea's Recipes: Rabbit Fricassee

Friday, 15 June 2007

Rabbit Fricassee

1 rabbit
2 rashers bacon
1 onion
salt
pepper
1 tbsp shortening
1 tbsp flour
1 and 1/2 cups water
1 cup milk
finely-chopped parsley

Wash the rabbit well, dry and cut into joints. Peel and slice the onion. Melt the shortening, add the rabbit pieces and fry gently, without browning. Remove from saucepan, add onion and fry lightly. Replace rabbit and add water. Season to taste, shut lid tightly and simmer gently for 1 and 1/2 hours or until tender.
Cut the bacon into pieces, roll up and place on a skewer. When the rabbit is cooked, place the bacon under a red-hot griller and grill until crisp. Remove the rabbit to a hot serving dish, blend flour with milk and stir into rabbit cooking liquid. Heat until boiling, then pour over rabbit. Sprinkle with parsley, garnish with bacon rolls and serve at once.

About this project

After Marea died in 2001, her eldest grandchild was given her old collection of recipes. Some were handwritten and some had been carefully cut out of magazines and newspapers, and pasted into old exercise books. They reflected another era of Australian cooking, and many of the recipes were a record of the type of home-cooked food that was prevalent during the 1950s to 1980s. In January 2007 her grandchild decided to transcribe Marea's recipes, to create an "online family kitchen history". Marea's recipes are now available to her children, her grandchildren, and to anyone with an interest in the history of Australian cooking.

History of Australian cooking

Prior to WWII, the everyday cooking of white Australian families could be described as "meat and three veg": basic, with rare use of seasonings, spices or herbs. Cooking was defined by Australians' colonial heritage and strong British influence. A lack of refrigeration also influenced the types of foods that could be made, especially in the summer. After the strong influx of immigrants in the 1950s, more exotic ingredients were available. Immigrants came from countries including Greece, Lebanon, Italy, China and Japan. Ginger was used in new ways. Garlic made a new appearance. Soy sauce and oyster sauce were new ingredients. Australian household cooking of the 50s, 60s and to an extent, the 70s was still relatively simple, with an emphasis on good-value and thrifty cooking, making dishes go a long way, re-inventing dishes in new ways and often providing high-calorie filling food for family members who did physical work. At this time families were larger by today's standards, and women were entering the workforce in greater numbers, although they still held the traditional responsibility of doing most of the shopping and cooking for the family. Magazines and newspapers provided support for working women by printing recipes with few ingredients, that made use of cheap commercial products and that could be quickly made after work. However, until multiculturalism became widely known and accepted in the 70s and 80s, most home-cooked food still clung hard to its British roots. Paul Keating's Labor Government was an advocate of multiculturalism in the 1990s. As a result, immigration increased and Australians learnt more about different countries and cultures. Greater public space was allocated to foreign cultures, their traditions, history and their cuisine. Since the 1990s Australian home cooking has become more global, stylish and sophisticated than ever before, with an emphasis on quality fresh ingredients and simple preparation.

Friday, 15 June 2007

Rabbit Fricassee

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About this project

History of Australian cooking

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