Stuffat tal-Fenek
Maltese Rabbit Stew
Stuffat tal-Fenek, or rabbit stew, is Malta's national dish. Rabbits were introduced in the island by the Phoenicians and they propagated over time. This dish is said to originate in the 16th century, when the Knights of St. John came into power in Malta and prohibited rabbit hunting to everyone outside their order. Hunting rabbits and stewing them became a sign of resistance against them. The ban, however, allowed the rabbits to multiply and by the time the ban was lifted in the 18th century there were enough of them for the dish to take off and become popular.
There are, as you can suppose, as many versions of this recipe as there are cooks. And it's really a very run-of-the-mill Mediterranean chicken stew, with very familiar flavors. One particular requirement of this dish is that it be marinated beforehand, though not all recipes call for it. This particular version calls for the tomatoes and potatoes to be diced, but it would work just as well with larger pieces.
I made it with chicken thighs rather than with rabbit for several reasons. For one, rabbits are cute and I had one as a pet once upon a time, and I'm uncomfortable cooking them. For another, they have lots of bones and not very much meat. Rabbit meat is also hard to find, and the flavor of domestic rabbit is not distinctive enough from that of chicken dark meat to make an actual difference in a stew where other flavors will predominate. Of course, this makes the dish less authentic, but only a little bit so - you won't be able to get or taste the Maltese breed of rabbits anywhere but malta.
All in all I enjoyed the stew because I love chicken stew, but my husband found it a bit bland.
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Maltese Rabbit Stew
Ingredients
- 3 cups red wine
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed, divided
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 12 bay leaves, divided
- salt to taste
- 4 - 5 lbs rabbit or chicken parts
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 1 400g can crushed tomatoes
- 10 sprigs of thyme or 1 Tbsp dried thyme
- 3 sprigs of rosemary or 1 Tbsp dried rosemary
- chicken stock or water
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 6 gold or white potatoes, diced
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
Directions
In a large, lidded container, mix together the wine, 4 garlic cloves, black peppercorns and 8 bay leaves and salt to taste. Add the rabbit parts and coat well. Cover and marinade overnight in the refrigerator.
Remove rabbit from the marinade and shake off excess liquid. Reserve the marinade.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the rabbit pieces and lightly brown on both sides. Remove and set aside.
Turn heat down to low and add the chopped onion and remaining 4 bay leaves. Saute until golden, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining 4 garlic cloves and saute for a minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, the thyme and the rosemary. Turn heat up to medium low and cook for 5 minutes. Add the reserved marinade, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Add rabbit pieces to the sauce. Add chicken stock or water until the rabbit pieces are covered. Bring to a boil.
Cover the pan and reduce heat to medium low. Cook for 30 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes and tomato paste. Season with salt to taste. Cook, uncovered, for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning before serving.
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Adapted from a recipe at La Pira Maltese Kitchen
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