Sicilian sweet & sour rabbit

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Alimena (province of Palermo)

This recipe is from Alimena. I pass it on to you, exactly as is.

First: one or two rabbits, according to size.  Clean them, remove their heads, legs, and entrails, and divide them in equal portions.

Second: prepare a marinade with chopped onions, two bay leaves, a little tuft of rosemary, a little bit of salt, a few peppercorns, a half glass of Sicilian extra-virgin olive oil, and two glasses of red wine, nice and dry.  Boil everything for a couple of minutes, shut the heat, and let rest.

Third: into the cool marinade, lower the pieces of rabbit.  Let marinate for two hours.

Fourth: take a nice big pan, add two nice tablespoons of lard, and in it fry one small chopped onion. At the same time take the meat, strain it, dry it, pass the pieces in flour, and put them into the pan, browning them with the onion.  Add salt and pepper and, at just the right moment, add the strained marinade into the pan and cook on low heat.

Fifth: into an enameled Dutch oven, dissolve one tablespoon of sugar in a half glass of white wine vinegar, and pour it over the meat, adding a handful of pine nuts, a handful of raisins (previously soaked in lukewarm water), and 100 grams of chopped green Sicilian olives.  At this point, raise the heat and, when the vinegar is almost evaporated, shut the heat.

If everyone is all ready, once you are seated with the plate under your nose, let the food rest for a little bit — if you can.

English translation by Leonardo Ciampa.

A Sicilian rabbit, in Leonforte (province of Enna).