Braised Rabbit with Olives and Caperberries is in part inspired by a recipe from Stella, our Australian friend Stella’s Sicilian cousin. Maybe we should call it Stella’s Stella’s Rabbit. Whatever the moniker, it’s best served when the weather is cooling and you want to gather a few friends for a special occasion.
Once considered a humble food easy on the domestic purse, rabbit is now almost thought of as a luxury. It does however make for a lovely change from the more usual meats on the menu, and very tasty to boot.
We like the idea of accompanying it with some regular root vegetables that have also been elevated above their humble status. Dishes such as Radishes Poached in Butter, potato puree, and caramelized carrots and parsnips should complete the picture nicely.
Braised Rabbit with Olives and Caperberries is a handy recipe to have in your repertoire not only because it tastes great but because you can experiment with different ways of preparing it - swap the rabbit for chicken and the olives and caperberries for other flavoursome ingredients.
You could even debone the cooked rabbit and top it with some Gluten-Free Flaky Pastry to transform it into a posh pie.
Caren
BRAISED RABBIT WITH OLIVES AND CAPERBERRIES
Serves 4
1 whole rabbit, about 1 kg, jointed (Ask your butcher to do this.)
100 ml olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
120 gm trimmed celery stalks, finely sliced
250 ml chicken stock, plus more if required
½ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
¼ cup each fresh parsley and oregano, chopped
1 400gm tin crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
100 ml red wine vinegar
100 gm Sicilian green olives, rinsed
60 gm small caperberries, soaked in water for 1 hour, drained
Sea salt to taste
Nut Topping
20 gm pine nuts, toasted, roughly chopped
40 gm pistachios, toasted, roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 lemon, zest only
¼ cup virgin olive oil
Combine all the ingredients.
Wash the rabbit pieces and dry well.
Heat oil in a large, heavy fry pan with a lid. Add rabbit pieces and fry over medium-low heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Turn the heat to low. Add onion, garlic and celery to the pan and sauté until the vegetables are transparent but not browning. Add the stock and stir to loosen any bits caught on the bottom of the pan.
Add pepper, chilli, herbs, tomatoes, sugar and vinegar. Cover and simmer on low for 10 minutes.
Add the rabbit pieces and olives. Turn to coat the rabbit in the sauce. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes, adding some stock if the sauce is drying out. Season with salt if required. Add half the caperberries and turn off the heat. Allow the rabbit to rest for 30 – 45 minutes for the flavours to develop. Gently reheat when required.
Scatter the remaining caperberries and nut topping over the braised rabbit. Serve with the buttered radishes and a bowl of creamy potato puree and some carrots.
(Remind your guests that the rabbit has fine bones and the olives have pips.)
RADISHES POACHED IN BUTTER
Serves 4
2 bunches of radishes, washed and trimmed, large ones halved
60 gm butter
30 ml water
Sea salt to taste
Melt 30gm of the butter with the water in a small fry pan.
Add the radishes and simmer for about 5 minutes until the water has evaporated.
Season to taste.
Set aside until just before serving. Add the remaining 30gm butter and fry until the butter begins to brown.