Stewed rabbit with prunes & pine nuts

Conejo estofado con ciruelas y piñones

Rabbit is considered a high-quality meat in Spain and is eaten often. The taste and texture of rabbit meat is similar to chicken, and when cooked well the flesh is delicate and succulent. Wild rabbit is a little more expensive and has a stronger flavour than farmed rabbit, but both varieties are free range, and delicious.

SERVES 4

olive oil, for frying

6 thick slices tocino, cut into small chunks

10–15 pickling onions, peeled

2 farmed or wild rabbits, each cut into 8 pieces

375 ml (13 fl oz/1½ cups) dry white wine

500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) chicken stock

3 garlic cloves, unpeeled

2 dried bay leaves

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

2 handfuls seedless dried prunes

115 g (4 oz/¾ cup) toasted pine nuts

Heat a small dash of the olive oil in a flameproof casserole dish over medium heat. Add the tocino and cook until crispy. Remove and drain on paper towel. Add the onions and cook for 3–4 minutes in the tocino fat, until they just start to colour. Remove from the dish and set aside.

Season the rabbit pieces with sea salt flakes. Add a little more oil to the dish if necessary, and cook the rabbit pieces on all sides until they start to brown. Remove the rabbit pieces from the dish and set aside.

Pour the wine into the casserole dish and scrape all the residual, browned juices from the base. Add the stock. Return the tocino, onions and rabbit to the dish, along with the garlic cloves, bay leaves and thyme. Cover with a lid and increase the heat to bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.

Add the prunes and cook for another 30 minutes. The rabbit is ready when the meat falls away from the bone when lightly squeezed.

Transfer the rabbit, tocino, onions, prunes, garlic (discard the skins) and herbs to a serving plate. Increase the heat to high and boil the remaining juices until thickened to your liking, about 5 minutes.

Serve a few pieces of rabbit per person. Spoon around the onions, tocino, prunes and garlic, and scatter around the pine nuts. Serve the gravy on the side.