GARLIG RABBIT - CONEJO AL AJILLO

Top: A nice Tortilla de Patata wedge with Conejo Al Ajillo. Lower left: A proud hunter with her first kill. Lower right: processed bunny that is wet aging

This recipe is from a special day. My wife and I were relaxing with our newborn boy in the delivery room. The two athletes fell asleep just before Ana, our midwife, came in to check on the family.

Ana was from Spain, which triggered a good discussion and exchange of Spanish memories. Spain has a special place in our hearts. That is where I met my wife and our baby boy was named after the town where we met.

Ana, this recipe is inspired by your description of your favorite Spanish meal. Thank you for taking great care of us and for sharing your culinary memories.


CONEJO AL AJILLO CON TORTILLA DE PATATA

English: Garlic Rabbit with Spanish Potato Omelette.

If you haven’t had small game hunt success the rabbit can be exchanged for boneless chicken thighs. Costco or Sams usually have these available and the dark meat work great as a substitute.

For our last winter celebration meal we were short on enough cottontail. The wild game substitution we used worked great: squirrel, cottontail, snowshoe hare and even a farmed rabbit that we had in the freezer. In general dark meat works great for this. Wild turkey would probably be amazing as a substitute meat.

GARLIC RABBIT INGREDIENTS

  • 1.5 lbs of rabbit meat or substitute dark meat. Deboned and cut into large bite sized chunks

  • olive oil

  • 1 cube Knorr Chicken Bouillon

  • 1 ball of garlic

  • 1.5 tbsp of oregano

  • A pinch or two of black pepper

  • 1 cup water

  • 0.5 cup of cognac or brandy

  • Optional: rabbit livers


De-pit the garlic

Preparations

  • Easy peel the garlic: Take all the individual garlic cloves from the ball and put them in a small pot with lid on. Shake vigorously for 1 minute. Done.

  • De-pit the garlic: The garlic core contain a bitterness we don’t want. Cut the garlic cloves in half and remove the core. Wet your hands with cold water and the garlic will not stick to your hands.

  • In a dutch oven on the stove, add some olive oil, the rabbit chunks and oregano. Brown the rabbit, stirring with a wooden utensil to avoid sticking.

  • Crush the garlic. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Often I crush them against the cutting board using a fork. Optional: Mash the livers and mix together with the rest of the garlic and spices.

  • Add the garlic and spice mix to the pot and stir until mixed.

  • Add water and cognac and scrape the pot to get loose any stuck taste bombs.

  • Crumble the bouillon cube and stir in.

  • Lower the heat. With the lid on let the rabbit simmer for about 45 minutes.

  • In the meantime: This is the perfect time to start preparing for the Tortilla de Patata - omelette.

  • Remove the lid and let it continue to simmer until the sauce is reduced. If you want more sauce don’t reduce it all the way and add your favorite thickening agent.

De-boning the rabbit

Browning

Reduction

Taste explosion