Book of Days Tales

Malta became a British colony in 1813, serving as the headquarters for the British Mediterranean Fleet. It was besieged by the Axis powers during World War II and was an important Allied base for operations in North Africa and the Mediterranean. The British parliament passed the Malta Independence Act in 1964, giving Malta independence on this date, with Elizabeth II remaining as its queen. In 1974, the country became an independent republic that was no longer part of the British commonwealth

Stuffat Tal-Fenek (Maltese Braised Rabbit) is the national dish of Malta.

Ingredients

Garlic Confit

    2 cups peeled garlic cloves (from 6 garlic heads)

    2 cups grapeseed oil

Braised Rabbit

    1 whole rabbit with offal (kidneys and heart)

    4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste

    1 teaspoon black pepper

    4 cups chopped yellow onions, divided

    3 tablespoons garlic confit oil, divided

    1 ¾ cups peeled and chopped carrots

    3 tablespoons garlic confit cloves (about 15 cloves)

    2 ½ tablespoons tomato paste

    1 ¼ cups dry red wine (such as Garnacha)

    6 cups chicken stock or rabbit stock

    1 ½ cups tomato puree

    1 tablespoon honey

    2 dried bay leaves

   2 ½ cups potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

    3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

    3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

Additional Ingredients

    Extra-virgin olive oil

    Roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and roughly chopped fresh oregano, for garnish

    Crusty bread, for serving

Instructions

Make the garlic confit:

    Place the garlic cloves and oil in a small saucepan, making sure the garlic is completely covered with oil and no cloves float to the surface. Heat over medium-low heat until tiny bubbles start to form. Reduce the heat to very low, and cook, undisturbed, until the garlic is tender and light golden, about 45 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let cool slightly, about 30 minutes. Transfer garlic confit to a sterilized lidded jar, ensuring that thengarlic cloves are completely submerged in oil. Seal the jar, and store in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Make the braised rabbit:

    Remove the kidneys and heart from the cavity of rabbit, and set aside. Cut the front and hind legs from body. Cut behind the rib cage to isolate the saddle, and cut off the tail. (The rib cage, tail bone, and pelvic bones can be reserved and used to make stock.) Cut the saddle in half crosswise, cutting in between the vertebrae. Dry the rabbit legs and saddle pieces with paper towels; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate, and set aside.

    Place the rabbit kidneys and heart and 2/3 cup chopped onions in a food processor. Process until a smooth paste forms, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Set aside.

    Heat 2 tablespoons garlic confit oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Add half of the rabbit pieces, and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the rabbit pieces, and set aside. Add remaining 1 tablespoon garlic confit oil to the Dutch oven, and repeat browning process with the remaining rabbit pieces.

    Reduce the heat under the Dutch oven to medium, and add the remaining chopped onions; cook, stirring often, until translucent and starting to caramelize, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the carrots and 3 tablespoons garlic confit cloves, and reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and onion-offal puree; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high, and stir in the wine. Cook, stirring often and scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven, until the bottom of Dutch oven is nearly dry, about 5 minutes. Stir in the stock, tomato puree, honey, and bay leaves.

    Return the rabbit to the Dutch oven; bring to a boil over medium-high. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a low simmer; simmer 30 minutes. Stir in the potatoes, rosemary, thyme, and remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Cover and cook until the rabbit is easily pulled apart with a fork and the potatoes are tender, 30 to 40 minutes.

    Taste the braised rabbit, and correct the seasonings as needed. Remove and discard bay leaves. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat. Drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with parsley and oregano, and serve with crusty bread.

Serves 4 to 6.