Rabbit Tagine

I finally had the chance to go up to the 99 Ranch in Van Nuys.  Compared to my old one in Anaheim, it isn't as new and fancy.  The bakery is smaller and there isn't a food court.  But the deli is awesome.  They had whole fried ducks the day I was there, looking like they had just come from a swim through lava.  Heads and all.  If you wanted one of the very healthy crabs, you practically had to chase it across the store. Those suckers move fast.

Since I had to put the groceries in a cooler in the back seat, live crab was not on my list.  But I checked out the deep freezers, where you can find unusual meats and fish.  I finally found the seafood medley that I had wanted to use for the risotto.  They also had a pound of pre-steamed baby clams for $1.99.  And they had whole rabbit, frozen solid.

Um, I didn't notice the "whole" part until the onions were sautéed.  It isn't hard to cut one into pieces.  It's like quartering a chicken.  You just don't want to do it at the last second.  At least there weren't any giblets.

Rabbits don't have a lot of meat on them.  It's like a Cornish hen, where you think you're getting more than you really are.  Plan a healthy serving of sides, like veggie couscous and some harira.

I'm going to lie a touch in this recipe.  I planned to use chicken broth, then forgot to buy some.  Subbed in 2 cups of Chardonnay.  All that Two-buck Chuck isn't going to drink itself.

2 lb rabbit, cut up
1 Tb olive oil
1/2 C chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 C (about 8) dried dates
2 C water
2 C chicken broth
2 tsp cumin
2 Tb lemon juice
1 tsp kosher salt
pinch saffron

1.  In a deep frying pan with a lid, sautée onion and garlic in olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add rabbit pieces and sear for one minute.  Turn over and sear other side for a minute.

2.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to a simmer, cover, and let the tagine cook slowly for 1-1/2 hours.  Turn meat over about halfway through cooking.  When done, the meat will practically fall off the bones.  Serve over rice or couscous.

Serves 3

Difficulty level  π