RABBIT IN SAUCE
This recipe is part of the White Paper of Gastronomic Tourism in Tortosa and was taken from the book La Cuina de Bítem, ara i abans (Tortosa, Associació de Dones Punta Rodona, 2008). It was prepared at the Hospitality School of the Dertosa High School in Tortosa by chef Margaret Nofre.
INGREDIENTS
One whole rabbit or half a rabbit
The rabbit’s liver
1 head of garlic
1 tomato
2 sprigs of parsley
25 g toasted almonds
25 g toasted hazelnuts
1 glass of rancio wine or sweet muscatel wine
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
A piece of stale bread
Preparation
1
First, prepare the picada (a traditional Catalan seasoning paste). Fry the stale bread, the rabbit liver, and a few garlic cloves in oil. Remove from the heat.
2
To make the picada, start by finely chopping the parsley and the fried garlic, then add the hazelnuts and almonds, and finally the liver and fried bread. Grind everything together until you get a very fine paste.
3
Season the rabbit with salt and pepper. In a large casserole or pan with hot oil, brown the rabbit pieces, stirring often to avoid burning.
4
Once the rabbit is golden, remove it from the pan and set it aside.
5
Meanwhile, finely dice the onion and tomato (brunoise cut)
6
In the same pan, add the onion and cook until soft. Then add the tomato and let it all simmer gently to make a sofrito.
7
When the sofrito is ready, return the rabbit to the pan
8
Add the glass of rancio wine and a glass of water. Let it simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes.
9
Add the picada, mix it well into the sauce, and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve.
