(As prepared and read by Big Al Tuller for the October 19, 2006 podcast)
1, 3-lb rabbit (or two smaller) Ask your butcher to cut it up for a sautee for you.
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Marinade
1 large onion finely sliced
6 garlic cloves, crushed
3 healthy sized thyme branches
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
Pepper
1 Tbs olive oil
3 cups young, deep colored, tannic red wine
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Salt
Flour
4 Tbs olive oil
1 head garlic, cloves separated, uncrushed, unpeeled
Bouquet garni (lots of thyme, bay leaf, dried orange peel)
Pepper
In a large mixing bowl, mix up the rabbit pieces with all the dry ingredients for the marinade. Add olive oil and red wine to cover and let marinate for several hours. Turn the pieces over a couple of times. You can put everything into a zip lock.
When you are ready to start cooking, gather a big bowl and colander to fit inside and dump the rabbit and marinade into it. Dry the rabbit pieces, salt them and dredge in flour. Heat the olive oil in a heavy large sautaé pan and arrange the rabbit pieces and garlic. Brown on medium heat turning several times and during the process sprinkle a little extra flour over the browning pieces.
In a sauce pan, bring the marinade to a boil and then pour it over the rabbit. Scrape the pan to make sure all the bits on the bottom dissolve into the liquid. Add the bouquet garni and set to just a bare simmer with lid slightly ajar. After 30 minutes turn over the rabbit pieces. Check again in about 15 minutes. Test to see if the thigh of the rabbit is tender. If so you can remove the pan from the heat, add pepper and salt and serve.
The dish is better if prepared early in the day and allowed to sit a bit, then reheated. It is also very good if finished with the rabbit’s liver, pureed and mixed with a bit of the sauce and then reintroduced to the dish, stirring it around over low heat and letting the sauce thicken.