Spanish Style Rabbit Food

SPANISH RABBIT STEW

Steps:

• Heat a large saute pan or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook the bacon until it is brown and crisp, about 7 minutes. Remove bacon to drain on paper towels.
• Season the rabbit with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining bacon fat and sear the rabbit pieces until golden on all sides, turning often, about 56 minutes. Lift out the rabbit pieces and reserve. Add the onion to the pan and saute until the onions are soft and caramelized, about 57 minutes. Add the garlic, almonds, cinnamon, red pepper flakes and salt, and cook until the aromas are released, about 1 minute. Add the wine and reduce by half.
• Add the stock, browned rabbit pieces, browned bacon and bay leaves. Cook, covered, until rabbit is fork tender, about 1 hour.
• Carefully lift out the rabbit pieces and transfer to a serving platter. Add the sherry to the sauce along with enough butter to thicken the sauce, whisking until the butter is incorporated. Pour the sauce over the warm rabbit pieces and garnish with toasted sliced almonds.

AUTHENTIC SPANISH PAELLA

Steps:

• It's best to have all of your ingredients prepared before you start cooking.
• Prepare the rabbit by separating the legs, cutting remaining meat into small slices and lightly salting. (In my area rabbit is seasonal. During the summer and fall I substitute with chicken legs).
• I peel my shrimp, leaving only the tail and then salt them. In Spain they tend to leave the shrimp unshelled.
• I always try to make my chicken stock from scratch (time permitting), adding a bit of rosemary, a tiny pinch of saffron and a bit of thyme. If you're going to use bouillon, I'd recommend at least heating it up with these herbs and then straining before you start.
• Keep your stock hot but not boiling as you cook.
• Coat the bottom of your pallera/pan with olive oil.
• Brown your chorizo over high heat for 1-2 minutes. Do not fully cook, just get the outside well browned. Set aside. This should add a nice red color and a hell of a flavor to your oil.
• Brown the Rabbit for 2-3 minutes. It should not be fully cooked. Set aside.
• Brown garlic, onion and bell pepper until they're softened, adding plum tomatoes shortly before the mixture is finished.
• Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and on the other add the half can of tomato paste. Caramelize it, flipping it and spreading it until it begins to loosen (1-2 min over hight heat).
• Mix all of the vegetables and meats together with the caramelized tomato paste also adding the paprika, parsley and thyme.
• Add rice, mixing together and stirring as the rice browns (1-1 1/2) minutes. As the rice browns mix in the saffron. Make sure to break it between your fingers and stir it in to release all those tasty oils.
• When the rice is slightly translucent add enough chicken stock to cover the whole mixture. If it's been kept warm, it will begin to boil almost immediately. Lower to a medium heat but keep it at a steady boil.
• This is where paella is made and broken. I stir a few times in the first 5-10 minutes, adding broth as necessary to keep the rice fully covered. After this you must let the paella SIT! Let it cook another 10-20 minutes (I find that this step takes longer on a stovetop), adding broth bit by bit to keep the rice submerged until the rice on the top is al dente. Don't worry about rice burning to the bottom, this part (which actually has a name which escapes me at the moment, it's something like socarrat) is a tasty delicacy.
• Once you've stirred the paella for the last time and are letting cook, when you have about 8 minutes left to cook lay shrimp on top, turning over after 2-4 minutes to cook other side.
• When the rice on top is still quite al dente, take paella off of heat and cover. You must let it sit for 15-20 minutes. I've taken the lid off prematurely and ended up with a crunchy mess. Patience is the key.
• Once you're sure it's ready uncover, garnish with lemon wedges and enjoy!

CREOLE RABBIT - LOUISIANA STYLE

Steps:

• Dry rabbit and place in bowl.
• Combine salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, onion, garlic and vinegar.
• Pour over rabbit, turning pieces to coat.
• Cover bowl and marinade overnight in refrigerator.
• Transfer rabbit and marinade to well-greased baking dish.
• Bake in preheated 450°F oven 1 hour.
• Combine remaining ingredients and pour over rabbit.
• Bake 30 to 45 minutes longer, until rabbit is fork-tender.
• Serve warm.

AUTHENTIC PAELLA VALENCIANA

Steps:

• Heat a paella pan over medium-high heat, and coat with olive oil. Add the chicken, rabbit and garlic; cook and stir until nicely browned. Move the browned meat to the sides of the pan, and add the tomato, butter beans, peas, and green beans. Season with paprika, and mix well.
• Fill the paella pan almost to the top with water, measuring the water as you put it in. This is to help you to determine how much rice to add, as paella pans come in different sizes. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 1 hour to make a nice broth.
• Season with a generous amount of salt, and just enough saffron to make a nice yellow color. Season with thyme and rosemary if desired. The goal is to make a rich tasting broth that will soak into the rice to make it delicious. Stir in half as much rice as the amount of water in the pan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.

SPANISH RABBIT STEW HUNTER-STYLE RECIPE - (3.7/5)

Steps:

• Peel and chop the onion and garlic. Cut the ham into small pieces and set aside. Rinse and cut tomato into small cubes. Rinse all dirt off mushrooms, then trim stems and slice. Chop 2 sprigs of parsley and set apart. Remove rabbit from packaging. Rinse and pat dry. Cut rabbit into 8-10 pieces. Salt and pepper all sides. In a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan, heat 3-4 tbsp olive oil on medium. When hot, sauté onion and garlic. When soft, add the ham cubes. When onion is translucent, remove onion, garlic and ham from pan with a slotted spatula and set aside on plate for later, reserving the oil. Add some olive oil to the same pan and brown the rabbit on both sides. Remove from frying pan. Pour any oil left in frying pan into a large casserole or stew pot. Place rabbit and onion mixture into pot and mix. Add chopped parsley and dried thyme to pot and stir. Place on medium heat. Add the cognac, white wine and water to rabbit and mix. Simmer uncovered for approximately 30 minutes and add chopped mushrooms after 15 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes. If necessary, add a bit more water while simmering. Serve with home-fried potatoes or rice. Spanish stews or casseroles such as this are traditionally served with rustic bread, especially in Old Castilla where this regional recipe originates.