Freshwater Feasts

By El Lower, Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Information System (GLANSIS) communications specialist

Foraging is a hobby that unites many different groups of people, from home cooks to hunters to botanists and naturalists of all stripes. If you’re lucky enough to befriend a small game hunter or farmer with rabbits to spare, try making this rich braised pasta sauce with morels on a cool spring evening. Rabbit is a lean, mildly-flavored white meat that’s high in protein and significantly lower in environmental impact than many other types of livestock. If eating rabbit is a bridge too far for you, don’t worry – you can easily substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe, which I’ll include alternate instructions for below. And if you don’t have luck finding fresh morels on a spring hike, try to find some dried at the grocery store or farmer’s market. Failing that, you can use other fresh or dried wild mushrooms like oysters or porcini, though the flavor will be a little different. This recipe serves 8, but the ragu also freezes well for future suppers.

Ingredients

• 1 whole rabbit, cleaned (and thawed if from frozen), or 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• ½ bottle of white wine
• 2 onions, diced
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• About a dozen fresh or dried morel mushrooms, sliced or broken in half
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 Tbsp butter, divided
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 package of dried egg noodles
• ¼ cup chopped mixed tender herbs, divided (I recommend a mix of parsley, tarragon, and chives)
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Get out your slow cooker and add the diced onions, garlic, thyme, fresh or dried morels, and white wine to the bowl. Season your rabbit (or chicken) generously with salt and pepper, then nestle it into the bed of onions. If using rabbit, cook on high for 6 hours. If using chicken thighs, cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low from 4-5 hours. 
2. Once the meat is fully cooked, remove the rabbit or chicken from the slow cooker and shred it, reserving it in a bowl. The meat should be easy to pull apart and off the bone with forks, and the juices will have mixed with the wine in the slow cooker to create a broth.
3. Cook your egg noodles in a pot full of salted water according to package instructions. Drain, add 2 Tbsp of butter and half of your chopped fresh herbs, along with some salt and pepper to taste. Set aside while you finish the sauce.
4. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, combine 2 Tbsp of butter with an equal amount of flour over low heat to make a roux – this will thicken your sauce. Stir until it combines in a pale cream-colored paste, then whisk in the broth, onions, and mushrooms from the slow cooker insert to make your sauce. 
5. Add the shredded meat and 1 cup of heavy cream, and simmer for a few minutes to let the ragu thicken and the flavors mingle. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve by spooning the ragu over your herby buttered noodles and garnish with the remaining fresh herbs. This is a rich, hearty dish, so serving it alongside a crisp salad or other spring vegetables is recommended!