Stewing Rabbit Meat in Red Wine

Rabbit meat is widely touted as the ideal white meat. It is virtually fat free and has a flavor similar to that of a free-range chicken. With just a little more acceptance, rabbit meat would be an important and comparatively inexpensive source of proteins. Try this way of stewing it in red wine for a heavenly experience.

                                                                    Preparation time: 30 minutes
                                                                   Cooking time: 1 hour
                                                                   Serves:4   

Ingredients

1 kg rabbit meat (carved)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/8 spoon rosemary
1 cup red wine
1/2 chicken cube, mixed with 1/2 cup of water
Salt and black pepper
4 large tomatoes, chopped

Method

1. Cut the rabbit into eight pieces. Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the rabbit pieces until brown. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for two minutes.
2. Add the red wine and chicken stock. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Cover and allow it to boil for 20 minutes.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes to the stew and simmer for a further 30 minutes or until the rabbit is soft.

Serve hot with accompaniments such as rice, vegetables and roast potatoes.

Cooking tips

1. For a milder rabbit flavor, soak the uncooked meat in cold salty water for 1 hour and 30 minutes prior to cooking.
2. Use one glass of stout beer (Guinness) in place of red wine to create Irish rabbit stew.