Hearty Rabbit and Bean Soup

Preparation

• Rabbit Prep
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 
• Toss the rabbit meat with the flour, then tap off the excess. 
• Heat oil and butter in a 6-quart or 7-quart Dutch oven on a stovetop burner over medium-high heat. Add the rabbit pieces and brown for about 5 minutes until golden all over.
• Add yellow onion and chicken broth to the Dutch oven. Mix well, cover with the lid or tightly with foil, and place in the oven at 325 degrees F, undisturbed, for about 3 to 4  hours. 
• Remove the Dutch oven and chill for about 2 hours or overnight so you can handle the meat and bones. Using your hands, shred the meat and discard all the bones. Set meat aside until ready to make the soup. Transfer any remaining liquid and onions to a large bowl and reserve them to use in the soup later on. Wipe out the Dutch oven so it’s clean and ready to use to cook the bacon.
• Soup Instructions
• When the rabbit is cooked and ready, get your prep done before you start cooking the soup: finely dice the onion. Dice the carrots. Chop the parsley.
• Add 1 can of beans with liquid to a blender or food processor, pour in 1 cup of the chicken broth, and puree until smooth. Set aside.
• Bring the bacon to room temperature. Lay the strips in the Dutch oven, raise the heat to medium and cook, turning, until crispy, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove bacon from the pot using a slotted spoon leaving as much grease as possible in the pot. Chop bacon into pieces and set aside for later. 
• Add onion, carrots, and garlic to the bacon grease. Sauté for 5 minutes over medium-high heat until fragrant and soft. Stir in the salt, pepper, smoked paprika, Herbes de Provence,  and tomato paste.
• Add the remaining 2 cans of beans together with the pureed beans. Pour in the remaining chicken broth along with the reserved liquid and onion leftover from cooking the rabbit.  Bring to a boil, then turn down to medium heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Add the couscous and cooked & shredded rabbit meat and simmer for another 5 minutes until the couscous is cooked.
• When ready to serve, turn off the heat, and add the bacon and Parmesan. Stir until well combined. Divide soup into serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley and fresh ground pepper. Serve immediately and enjoy!