The national dish of Malta is a rabbit stew called Stuffat tal-fenek and our country chef Liz has created this lovely recipe for it. Check out her blog post about it here. This is a dish that is also suitable for a slow cooker since it will only get better the longer it simmers.
The national day of Malta is March 31, why not buy some rabbits and make this meal to celebrate!
Recipe: The national dish of Malta - Stuffat tal-Fenek (rabbit stew)
Ingredients
- 2,5 kg rabbit around 2 skinned and jointed with or without liver and kidneys
- 550 ml red wine around 3/4 of a bottle
- 1 l water
- 2 onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 10 bay leaves
- 400 g canned whole peeled tomatoes
- 3 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 carrots
- 7 potatoes
- salt
- black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- oregano optional
- rosemary optional
Instructions
- Marinate the rabbit in the wine, garlic and bay for an hour or two, or if possible the night before cooking. Cover and chill in the fridge
- Finely chop the onions, mince the garlic and slice the carrots
- When ready to cook, remove the rabbit joints from the marinade, shaking off excess liquid. Heat the olive oil over a high heat in a heavy-based casserole or pan and sear the rabbit on all sides until lightly browned (about 4 minutes on each side). Remove and set aside
- Lower the heat and add the onion and some fresh bay leaves to the pan. Brown the onion gently for around 5 minutes, then add the garlic and continue to gently fry for another minute
- Add the whole canned tomatoes mashed up, and increase the heat. Cook for around 5 minutes stirring a little, then add the marinade and bring to boil. Return the rabbit joints to the pan, give a good shake and top up with water to just cover the rabbit. Cover, return to the boil, and then reduce to a medium simmer (gently bubbling)
- After half an hour, add the sliced carrots, potatoes and tomato puree and season, shake the pot gently or stir to ensure the vegetables are covered with liquid. Continue to simmer the stew for around another half an hour.
- After one hour, prop the lid half off to allow the sauce to thicken up. Check the rabbit after 15 minutes – the stew is ready when the rabbit is just falling off the bone and the root vegetables are tender.
- Serve with fennel-seed and olive oil-roast potatoes or regular mashed potatoes and with white crusty bread to mop up the delicious and rich sauce.
Additional tips:
- If using rabbit liver and kidneys, remove when the stew is done, slice up roughly and serve with some sauce and shreds of rabbit meat for a first course on spaghetti.
- Peas are favourite in this stew, but do not feature in the traditional recipe I used, but feel free to add 15 minutes before end of cooking whether using a handful or two of fresh or frozen.
- Herbs – bay is the only herb required in the traditional dish, but you could add oregano and rosemary to give the flavour more depth.
About the Country Chef
Trained as a journalist, Liz spent 30 years writing for a living. She worked and lived in London before marrying and moving to Malta in the early 1990s. She developed her cooking skills while in Malta, where she opened a restaurant. Her menus are based on in-season products fetched from food markets. Meals are cooked for the day to live the day. One day at a time. Read more about Liz here: theredbistro.com
Read more about IngredientMatcher’s Country Chefs in the Foodie section
Read more about national dishes and the ebook “National Dishes From Around The World”
Read more about other national dish recipes published on this blog
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