Rabbit Stifado Recipe - Food.com (2024)

• 1 large rabbit, jointed (approximately 3 1/2 pounds)
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar (balsamic also works nicely)
• ¹⁄₂ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¹⁄₃ teaspoon sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 small cinnamon stick (about a 3-inch length)
• 4 whole allspice
• 1 sprig rosemary
• ²⁄₃ cup red wine
• 1 ¹⁄₄ cups hot water
• salt and black pepper
• 1 ¹⁄₂ lbs white pearl onions, peeled, left whole

directions

• Rinse the rabbit pieces and place them in a mixing bowl together with the bay leaves and vinegar; mix well and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight; remove the rabbit from the marinade and pat dry with kitchen paper.
• Heat half of the olive oil in a large saucepan until hot, add the rabbit and fry the pieces until quite brown on all sides; add the tomato paste, bay leaves (left over from the marinade), sugar, garlic, spices, wine and the hot water.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to the boil mixing well then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan; add the onions and sauté gently for 15 minutes stirring occasionally, until golden all over; after the rabbit has been cooking for 1 hour, add the onions and oil from the frying pan to the saucepan; combine, then re-cover and simmer for a further 15 minutes; fish out the cinnamon stick, allspice berries and rosemary sprig.
• Note: This can be served with pasta, noodles, rice or oven-roasted potatoes, but my personal favourite is homemade french-fries, which taste delicious dunked in the spicy sauce.