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Southern Italian Rabbit Stew Recipe

2K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  mjp28 
#1 ·
This is a delicious recipe for rabbit stew that was handed down to me from my Italian grandmother. They use to hunt rabbit in the old country and loved to make this stew. I hope you will try it. The following is a short video showing how to make the recipe.



• 2 Cottontail rabbits or 8 chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 chopped garlic cloves
• 1 chopped onion
• 4 tablespoons capers or green peppercorns, "which ever you prefer"
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley Large pinch saffron
• 2 cups Hot water
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• Salt and Pepper

1. Soak the rabbit in salted water for 24 hours in the refrigerator. This is not necessary for chicken.
2. Get the vegetable oil hot over medium-high heat in a large skillet or Dutch oven.
3. Pat the rabbit or chicken pieces dry and brown well in the pot.
4. Meanwhile, chop half the capers or green peppercorns
5. Get your tap water as hot as it will go and fill a 2 cup measure. Crush the saffron in your palm and sprinkle it into the hot water.
6. Once the meat is all browned, remove it to a plate. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until browned.
7. Add everything into the pot. Place the rabbit or chicken pieces into the liquid. If the liquid does not come at least halfway up the sides of the hare pieces.
8. Cover tightly and place wild rabbit in 300 degree oven for 2.5 hours. Domestic rabbit and chicken should only cook for 1.5 hours. Check the Rabbit after 2 1/2 hours; it should be finished.
9. Serve with wild rice, a green salad and a good Cabernet Sauvignon.
 
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#2 ·
Instruction #7.

If the water does not come at least half-way up the meat - WHAT?

You don't say.

Add more water, probably. But - you don't say.

:p
 
#3 ·
I suspect you need to add Jackalope broth to cover, Alpo, but water will probably do in a pinch.;)

I'm wondering why it's necessary to soak rabbit in salted water for 24 hours, but not chicken. I also wonder about the cooking time being different, but I suspect that wild rabbits are a bit tougher than domestic, and take more time to tenderize in the pot. That makes sense.

Since I don't have any Southern Italian rabbits available, I plan to try this with Mojave Desert rabbits, which are plentiful here, and not smart enough to run away from me and my pellet gun. I haven't ever tried to eat the rabbits I shoot because of the risk of contracting Tularemia here in the Southwest, but I suppose I could invest in some latex gloves. This sounds delicious enough to be worth the risk!:)
 
#4 ·
I notice the first ingredient is "cottontails", and instruction #8 says "wild rabbit".

A lot of people say to soak wild meat in salt water for a day. Gets rid of the "gamey" taste. And it also gets rid of blood, like maybe Br'er Rabbit took a load of #6s.

Store-bought chicken don't have that problem.
 
#5 ·
I suspect you need to add Jackalope broth to cover, Alpo, but water will probably do in a pinch.;)

I'm wondering why it's necessary to soak rabbit in salted water for 24 hours, but not chicken. I also wonder about the cooking time being different, but I suspect that wild rabbits are a bit tougher than domestic, and take more time to tenderize in the pot. That makes sense.

Since I don't have any Southern Italian rabbits available, I plan to try this with Mojave Desert rabbits, which are plentiful here, and not smart enough to run away from me and my pellet gun. I haven't ever tried to eat the rabbits I shoot because of the risk of contracting Tularemia here in the Southwest, but I suppose I could invest in some latex gloves. This sounds delicious enough to be worth the risk!:)
I soak the rabbit in salt water for a couple of reasons. The salt water draws out most of the blood from the meat and by doing so takes a lot of the gaminess with it. The salt water also brine's it a little and makes the meat more tender.
Be careful about Tularemia! Out west we nee to worry about that disease. Wear gloves and check the liver and heart after you gut the rabbit. Make sure the rabbit has no yellow or white spots on its liver or heart. If it does it is infected with Tularemia and dispose of the rabbit and was your hands.

Good hunting.
 
#7 ·
I'll do this. We have two rabbits we've been growing all winter in the kitchen in one of our large dog kennels. They are both for meat.
 
#8 ·
Yum! Sounds like a good way to spice up the bunny. I have to give this one a try. Been in a rut with the same old stew recipe for several years now.
I'll have to use North Dakota cottontails though...airfare to southern Italy is 'spensive. :D

And YES on the checking for tularemia (rabbit fever)!
 
#9 ·
Alpo/UT - good info!

Using wild rabbit would be the only kind for me, so it's good to know this stuff. I actually checked into buying rabbit not too long ago, and found it readily available on the Internet for $49.99 each!!! That's almost convinced me to change my retirement plans, buying a few acres of desert, sinking a well, planting alfalfa and raising rabbits for resale. As a bonus, I get to harvest them my own way.:D
 
#10 ·
Oh geezzz I haven't hunted rabbit in years, grandma used to cook all that stuff back on the ol' homestead.

I also used to hear stories from my dad on when they hunted rabbit, squirrel with his .22.

Miss those days.
 
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