Hunting for food is something our ancestors have done since the dawn of time. Whether it's hunting animals or 'hunting' for berries and roots, it has been essential for our survival.
Contrary to the title, this recipe is not spicy!
One of my ancestral strands includes the Black Caribs. They survived slavery by not getting enslaved in the first place. They hid in caves up at the top of the volcano on the island of St.Vincent and lived off the surrounding plants and animals - whilst also killing any stranger that came within a few hundred yards!! I'm proud to be one of their descendants, and clearly the need to hunt runs strong through my veins!
As Winter approaches my focus turns to different types of hunting methods and also different meals. One that I'll be eating a lot of is this delicious rabbit paella dish that I concocted - mixing one of my favourite paella dishes from the Valencia region (snail and rabbit, yum) with my own favourite ingredients.
You need to make sure you have marinated the rabbit for at least an hour before use, but preferably 4 - 8 hours, as this tenderises the meat and keeps it moist - use the juice of 2 lemons, about 100ml oil, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar and 3 or 4 crushed garlic gloves. OR search for your own marinade recipe.
INGREDIENTS
(Feeds 4-6)
~1 whole rabbit (or 3/4 if the front legs are damaged)
~ 1/2 chorizo sausage
~ 1/2 red onion
~ 1/2 pack paella rice (250g)
~ 1/2 bell pepper
~ handful of asparagus or tenderstem broccoli
~ small glass of dry white wine
~ 600ml of veg stock (use 2x stock cubes)
~ 1/2 cup frozen peas
~ Seasoning to taste
~ OPTIONAL 1/2 can chopped tomatoes.
METHOD
1 - Pour the wine for the recipe - and another for yourself.
2 - Remove all of the meat from the rabbit and chop into small chunks. Sprinkle your chosen seasoning over the meat and set aside.
3 - Heat a little oil in a large frying pan or paella pan (med-high temp). Roughly chop the onion and add to the oil. Finely chop the pepper and asparagus/broccoli into very small chunks and add to the pan.
4 - Chop the chorizo into small chunks and add to the pan. Fry all together for a couple of minutes.
5 - While this is all frying, boil the kettle and get your stock ready in a jug
5 - Add the chunks of rabbit to the pan and stir in with the chorizo and veg
6 - Add the rice to the pan and stir in with everything, making sure it is all covered in the juices.
7 - Pour in the white wine and turn down the temp to low-med. Stir into the mixture for a couple of minutes.
8 - Add 200ml of the stock and leave the pan to bubble for around 10-15 minutes. Add the cup of peas. Add the chopped tomatoes if you're using them.
Keep adding more stock and stirring the pan every 10 - 15 minutes, until it's been cooking for a total of around 45 minutes. If you run out of stock top up with water only, to ensure the seasoning isn't too strong.
9 - Remove pan from the heat when all of the fluid is gone and leave to sit for 5 minutes so the rice can soak up the last of the liquid and get a bit fluffy. Serve with your choice of wine!
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