Recipe Manuscript

Lapin Garenne

Name: Lapin Garenne
Prep time: PTPT25M
Cook time: PTPT50M
Yield: 4
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 1 wild rabbit (about 1.2–1.5 kg), skinned and cleaned; 500 ml dry white wine (for marinade); 50 g unsalted butter; 100 g smoked bacon, diced (or pancetta as substitute); 150 ml chicken or vegetable stock; 150 ml dry white wine (additional, for sauce); Salt and black pepper, to taste; 150 g button mushrooms (champignons), sliced; 30–50 g black truffle, sliced (optional/substitute with extra mushrooms if unavailable); Toasted bread, to serve

"Wild Rabbit"

1910

From the treasured pages of Resetas de Cocina: Refrescos, Reposteria, Dulces

Written by Cármen Volante

Early Modern Kitchen (1900 - 1930)European Intermediate Dinner Lunch

Original Recipe • 1910

Original Manuscript(circa Early Modern Kitchen, 1900 - 1930)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

Lapin Garenne

"Se despoja de la piel, se lava y corta en raciones, se pone a marinar durante 2 horas en vino blanco. Se saltea en mantequilla durante 30 minutos agregandole tocino. Pasado este tiempo se retira el tocino y se vierte sobre el conejo ligera salsa fresca, una parte de caldo y otra de vino blanco. Se sazona, sirviendola con champignones, trufas y tostadas."

English Translation

"Remove the skin, wash and cut into portions, and marinate for 2 hours in white wine. Sauté in butter for 30 minutes, adding bacon. After this time, remove the bacon and pour a light fresh sauce over the rabbit, with part broth and part white wine. Season, and serve with mushrooms, truffles, and toast."

Note on the Original Text

Early 1900s recipes like this one were written with the expectation that the cook possessed both knowledge and intuition—ingredients and steps are listed broadly, with little precision and few exact quantities or temperatures. Terms like 'marinar' (to marinate) or 'saltear' (to sauté) assume familiarity with basic techniques. Spellings and culinary language have shifted only slightly over a century, but you might spot some now-antiquated flourishes or phrasing. The recipe's concise but evocative instructions reflect both a cook's experience and the manual, improvisational spirit of home cooking in that era.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Resetas de Cocina: Refrescos, Reposteria, Dulces - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Resetas de Cocina: Refrescos, Reposteria, Dulces (1910)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Cármen Volante

Era

1910

Publisher

Unknown

Background

An enchanting early 20th-century manuscript cookbook filled with delightful recipes and menus, including Brazilian tarts, inventive egg dishes, savory chicken pies, and sweet yolk cookies—each page a celebration of culinary tradition and creativity.

Kindly made available by

University of Texas at San Antonio

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe hails from early 20th-century Spain, tucked within a lovingly handwritten cookbook compiled in 1910 by Carmen Volante. The collection documents both everyday and festive fare, providing a snapshot of upper-middle-class domestic cooking at a time when French culinary influences were fashionable and accessible wild game dishes were still commonplace. Rabbit, especially wild rabbit ('garenne'), was a celebrated protein in Spanish and wider European cooking, linking home kitchens to the rhythms of hunting seasons and rural life. The recipe stands as a delicious intersection between rustic traditions and refined, sauce-driven cookery.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Preparation at the turn of the 20th century would have involved simple but sturdy kitchen tools: a sharp knife for skinning and portioning the rabbit, a deep basin or ceramic bowl for marinating, and a heavy cast-iron skillet or clay cazuela for sautéing and stovetop simmering. The cook would have used a wood or coal-fired stove, wooden spoons for stirring, and perhaps a mortar and pestle to grind seasonings.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

1 wild rabbit (about 2.5–3.3 lb), skinned and cleaned
2 cups dry white wine (for marinade)
3.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3.5 ounces smoked bacon, diced (or pancetta as substitute)
2/3 cup chicken or vegetable stock
2/3 cup dry white wine (additional, for sauce)
Salt and black pepper, to taste
5.3 ounces button mushrooms (champignons), sliced
1–1.75 ounces black truffle, sliced (optional/substitute with extra mushrooms if unavailable)
Toasted bread, to serve

Instructions

Begin by skinning and cleaning a wild rabbit, then cut it into serving pieces.
Place the rabbit in a bowl and marinate it in 2 cups of dry white wine for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
After marinating, heat 3.5 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the rabbit pieces and sauté gently for about 30 minutes, adding 3.5 ounces of diced bacon as you cook.
When the time is up, remove the bacon from the pan.
Pour in a light, fresh sauce made with 2/3 cup of chicken or vegetable stock and another 2/3 cup of white wine.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Continue simmering until the rabbit is tender and thoroughly cooked.
Just before serving, add 5.3 ounces of sliced mushrooms (preferably champignons) and a few slices of black truffle if available.
Serve the rabbit hot with toasted bread.

Estimated Calories

365 per serving

Cooking Estimates

Preparation takes about 25 minutes, including cutting the rabbit and getting ingredients ready. The rabbit marinates for 2 hours while you wait, and then you cook everything for about 50 minutes. Each serving has around 365 calories.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.