If cooking during the pandemic has taught me anything it has to be about simple innovation using ingredients you have to hand. Similarly, it is about using one dish/recipe as the basis for another similar, but distinctively different dish.
This dish is a good example of that. The primary recipe (here) used the 2 rear legs and a little of the rabbit loin for the main dish for 2 people. 
This left some fantastic sauce, and some great cooked peppers, and a smaller portion of the rabbit. Obviously we could have just eaten it again as a slightly less opulent dish. Instead we gave it a little (frugal) twist. This made it go further, but more importantly gave it a different character and the feeling of a ‘new dish’! The idea was very simple; bring the meat and the sauce up to serving temperature, loosen the sauce slightly with a little stock, and then cook some gnocchi in the sauce.
And really it was as simple as that. It had been a lovely afternoon and we had been making stock from the rabbit carcass on the Big Green Egg. The rabbit and sauce still in its original casserole from 2 days earlier was put on the EGG and allowed to thoroughly warm through. A good ladleful of the rabbit stock was added and stirred through the sauce. The pan had been warming for a good 20 minutes and we had tested that the meat was above the minimal safe core temperature for reheated food (The minimum legally accepted temperature for reheating of food is 75C in England and Wales and 82C in Scotland). The gnocchi was added and stirred into the sauce and allowed to cook. Our gnocchi on this occasion were not home made. 
They normally require around 3 minutes cooking in boiling water – but when cooked in a sauce like this I tend to leave them a little longer. They certainly come to no harm and contribute a little to the thickening of the sauce.
All that was then left to do was to plate up with our chosen accompaniments.
…………….. on this occasion we served the dish with spiced cabbage and purple and green sprouting broccoli. The gnocchi gave a lovely rich oppulence to an already fantastic tasting sauce and complimented the rest of the dish perfectly!
……………….. do give it a go!
Rabbit, peppers and gnocchi
A simple way of taking the leftovers of a previous casserole, making it go just a little farther with a different 'taste twist'
Ingredients
- The remains of a rabbit and pepper casserole cooked earlier (would work with many other casseroles too)
- Ladle of good stock
- 150g gnocchi
Directions
- Step 1 Bring the remains of the old casserole up to temperature till the meat reaches a safe core temperature.
- Step 2 Add a generous ladle of good stock
- Step 3 Add the gnocchi and cook for 5-6 minutes
- Step 4 Serve with your choice of vegetables
