Rabbit Stewed in Stout

Serve this with parsleyed potatoes or egg noodles. Drink stout or red wine with the meal.

4 slices bacon
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 (3 to 3 1/2 pound) rabbit, cut up
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, cut into halves
1 (16 ounce) jar whole onions, drained
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 (12 ounce) bottle Irish stout or dark beer
2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Minced parsley

Fry bacon in Dutch oven until crisp. Remove bacon and reserve. Reserve fat in Dutch oven.

Mix flour, salt, pepper and paprika. Coat rabbit pieces with flour mixture. Heat bacon fat until hot. Cook rabbit over medium heat until brown on all sides, about 15 minutes.

Add mushrooms, onions, thyme and bay leaf. Pour stout over rabbit and vegetables. Crumble reserved bacon over mixture. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until thickest pieces of rabbit are done, about 1 hour.

Remove rabbit and vegetables to warm platter; keep warm. Remove bay leaf. Heat stout mixture to boiling. Mix water and cornstarch; stir into stout mixture. Boil and stir 1 minute.

Pour sauce over rabbit and vegetables. Sprinkle with parsley.

Yields 6 servings.