This is my mum’s (nanna’s) rabbit stew (stuffat tal fenek) which we had for dinner tonight. This is her recipe which I am going to share with you. As suspected I am slowly becoming the sous chef in my kitchen…..
Like every Maltese family there is a preferred way to cook rabbit stew. Nanna’s recipe was wonderfully tasty but I usually do my rabbit stew differently. I cook mine in wine. Both ways are great and I think I will be trying this way more often. I will post my recipe another time soon. Leftover meat and sauce is usually then used the following day to add to pasta which will be our lunch tomorrow.
Mum went to our local butcher in Balham (SW London) and bought our farmed rabbit which they also chopped for us. You can also use wild rabbit. I hope you are able to find rabbit wherever you are. It really is a delicious meat to try if you haven’t already.
- Whole rabbit cut into pieces (the butcher should be able to do this for you - ask them for the livers too)
- 5 cloves garlic sliced thinly
- 2 tbs all spice
- 2 tbs worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbs tomato paste
- Salt and pepper
- 4 onions chopped
- 2 carrots (1 diced into small pieces and the other carrot cut into quarters)
- 1 large celery stick sliced
- 1 can chopped tomato
- 5 bay leaves
- 1 tbs oregano
- 500 ml water
- 10 small peeled potatoes
- Half a lemon cut into three pieces
- ½ cup red wine
- 2 tbs fresh chopped mint
- 1 cup peas
- Olive oil for frying
- Sprinkle all spice, salt and pepper, and worcestershire sauce onto the rabbit pieces.
- Fry rabbit pieces until well browned in a deep frying pan and set aside.
- In the same pan fry onion and garlic for five minutes until lightly coloured.
- Add diced carrot, celery and tomato paste and cook for ten minutes.
- Add can of chopped tomatoes, oregano and bay leaves and cook on medium heat for a further ten minutes.
- Add 500 ml water and rabbit pieces into the frying pan.
- Add potatoes, remaining carrot, lemon rind and wine.
- Bring to the boil and then simmer for 1hr.
- Add peas and cook for a further 15 min.