Sweet & sour rabbit
Ingredients
- 1 whole rabbit (1.2kg), skinned, jointed, with offal
- olive oil
- 1 red onion
- 5 ripe cherry tomatoes
- 1 fresh red chilli
- 5 fresh bay leaves
- 50g pine nuts
- 50g blanched almonds
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 150ml full-bodied Sicilian red wine
- 100ml thick balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon runny honey
Instructions
- 1
Place all the rabbit and the offal in a cold casserole pan and add 3 tablespoons of oil. Put on a medium-high heat for the rabbit to get golden, turning occasionally, while you peel and finely slice the onion, quarter the tomatoes, then halve the chilli lengthways and deseed. Add it all to the pan with the bay, all the nuts, the cloves and wine. Pour in 350ml of water, bring to the boil, then simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes.
- 2
When the time's up, pour in the balsamic and add the honey. Cook for another 30 minutes, or until the rabbit is soft and tender and the liquid has reduced to a dark, thick, flavourful coating, stirring occasionally.
- 3
Serve as is, or Marina serves hers at room temperature, which is common in hot climates like the Aeolian Islands. We had it with pasta, but it's also typical to enjoy it with couscous or bread. Delicious.
