Frugal recipes

Check out this amazing recipe for rabbit, bacon and thyme pie - for £2.06 per person!

Recipe #23: Rabbit, bacon and thyme pie (serves 5)

In our brand new Frugal Recipe series, we'll be looking at cheaper cuts of meat and cheaper, more sustainable fish and how to make them into some fantastic meals over the next couple of months.

I'll be showing you some recipes that are great alternatives to (and in my opinion equally delicious as) the more expensive pork chops, chicken breasts and unsustainable cod options.

Rabbit is an outrageously underrated meat - I suppose some people can only think of nice fluffy bunnies as pets and not for eating. The meat is perfect for novices of game as it has a slight gamey flavour yet has similar characteristics to chicken in terms of flavour and texture. There is an abundance of rabbit in the UK and we're right in season at the moment so your local butcher will be able to get wild rabbit if you pre-order - a wild rabbit should cost no more than £3.50 each.

Ingredients

2 wild rabbits (£3.50 per rabbit - £7)
250g unsmoked streaky bacon (£1.64)
1 large onion (20p)
125g of unsalted butter (£1)
25g of fresh lemon thyme (64p)

The cupboard staples...

Salt, black pepper, chicken stock cube (2), milk, flour, and garlic (2 cloves).

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at Tesco, where it came to £10.32 - that's £2.06 per head!

Instructions

Firstly you'll need to joint the rabbits. Here's how it's done. Cut the hind quarters away from the body and separate the legs. Halve the leg joints. Cut the body horizontally through the backbone into two portions, stopping at the rib cage. Cut lengthways through the breastbone and divide the ribcage section in half. Flour and season the rabbit joints generously.
Now finely slice the onion and bacon and add a little butter (25g) to a very large saucepan with a drizzle of olive oil to stop the butter from burning. Add the rabbit joints and fry for 5 minutes until nice and browned and remove from the pan. Now add the onions and bacon and fry until brown.
Add the rabbit back to the pan along with the finely chopped garlic and thyme and cook for a further 2 minutes. Then add 2 pints of chicken stock and simmer gently for 40 minutes. Once simmered turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down completely.
Whilst the mixture is cooling down you can make the pastry. I prefer shortcrust for this pie. You can use flaky or rough puff if you wish.
For 12oz of shortcrust pastry (which will be more than enough to cover the pie dish) you will need 8oz of plain flour, 4oz of cubed butter, 5 tablespoons of cold water and a pinch of salt. Put the flour, salt and butter in a bowl and run between your fingers to breadcrumb consistency. Then stir in (use a knife) a little water until the mixture becomes dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 20 minutes in the fridge.
Now back to the rabbit mixture. You can either take the rabbit meat off the bone or just put the mixture into an ovenproof dish as it is - it depends on your personal preference. I would leave the bones on, so just fill the dish up with the mixture; cover with the pastry and brush with a little milk (remember to make a small hole in the middle to let the steam out). Cook for one hour at 200C.
I would serve with a big pile of comforting mash, happy eating!

A bit about our Chef, Paul Warburton

Paul Warburton, a lovemoney.com staff member, had a hectic career in the world of hot kitchens and screaming chefs before joining the lovemoney.com products development team.

During these years, under the tutorage of some great chefs, he honed his skills in cooking for numbers within a tight cost and portion-controlled environment.

Now he's planning to regularly offer his help to all budding chefs in the lovemoney.com community, so you can enjoy his original, low-cost recipes with your family and friends every Friday for free!

What lovemoney.com readers have said about Paul's other recipes

"We enjoyed this recipe very much: easy to make and even easier to eat!" varneyrob

"I made this recipe and it was absolutely delicious! Seriously good! Five of us feasted on it, and feasted well..." Ibeshy

"I made this recipe on Saturday night, and my 13 year-old son promptly requested it again for the following night!" Malcolm Wheatley

"This is a cracking risotto recipe. Just had it for lunch & it's a winner. More recipes please. Thanks." SavvyLass

"Another delicious offering from Paul. Thank you - keep 'em coming!" Palefire

Please add your own comments using the comments box below!

If you like this recipe, why not also try Paul's other Frugal Recipes: Pork, chorizo and cannellini bean stew Twice cooked pork belly, roast parsnips and sweet apple red cabbage Rolled breast of lamb with garlic mash and Savoy cabbage | Lemon & rosemary chicken thighs | Thai Pollock curry with egg noodles | Chunky pea and ham soup| Spaghetti alla carbonara | Pork stroganoff | Green chilli meat balls, sunflower seed couscous salad and mint yoghurt | Tagliatelle with air dried cured ham and minted peas | Beef, thyme and mushroom loaf with potato dauphinoise | Mixed bean and coriander green curry with fragrant rice | Egg Florentine with smoked cheddar and rocket salad | Beef, mushroom and thyme pie | Spicy tuna, bean and coriander lasagne | Beef koftas with a feta, spinach and fresh mint salad | Chorizo and pea risotto | Sausage and rosemary hotpot | Beef & thyme (Lacashire) hotpot