Not all methods to hunt the Patagonian wild rabbit are equally successful.
Rabbit Stewed in it's Own Juice
The special thing about this recipe is, that the rabbits meat is not fried but stewed in its own juice with spices. Who has invented this recipe is not known – Hektor Maille found it on piece of paper in the kitchen of a dwelling in Puerto Williams. It's not clear either if it originally should be prepared with the darker meat of the wild rabbit abundant in Tierra del Fuego. We have cooked it with the whiter meat of common house rabbits.
Following the recipe this rabbit should be prepared with Canelo (the fruits of Drimys winteri), that grows all over the forests of Patagonia. Outside the southern tip of America Canelo is hard to find. That's why we have replaced it by Tasmanian Pepper having a similar taste. Who can't find Tasmanian pepper neither, might triple the amount of black pepper (what does not exactly lead to the same results though).
1 rabbit of about 1.2 to 1.5 kg, ready for being cooked, chopped in about 8 pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 big piece of green celery, in small pieces (about 100 gm)
1 or 2 cartots, in very small pieces (about 100 gm)
4 pods garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons Tasmanian pepper
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 stalks rosemary
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 dl white wine, dry
1 pinch of salt
1 dl strong chicken broth
3 to 5 tablespoons hot mustard (e.g. from Dijon)
As many stews this rabbit can be easily prepared in advance. Just add a few tablespoons of water, put on a lid and allow warming up over a low flame unless the heat has penetrated the rabbit's meat.
More about the travel adventure of Secret Agent Hektor Maille:
In a hut in Puerto Williams, the last settlement on the American continent, Hektor Maille prepared a menu following recipes he found in his rustic dwelling - two things that simply did not jell with each other:
First Publication: 30-9-2010
Modifications: 27-1-2011, 20-6-2011, 15-11-2011, 18-12-2011