Ingredients

• 2 rabbits, jointed or 1 chicken jointed
• 10 cloves garlic, crushed only
• 2 tablespoons rosemary leaves
• ½ teaspoon salt and cracked black pepper
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup dry white wine or sherry
• 1 cup chicken stock

Method

1. Place the jointed rabbit or chicken into a ceramic dish and scatter over the garlic, rosemary and salt and pepper. Pour over the olive oil. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Drain off oil and set aside. Heat in a lidded frying pan and in batches, brown rabbit on all sides until an even nut-brown colour.
3. With the rabbit still in the pan, add the garlic cloves and cook only until they colour. Add the rosemary and wine or sherry and stock. Cover and simmer over a very low heat for about 40 minutes or until the rabbit pieces are tender. Alternatively, cook (lidded) in the oven at 160ºC for the same time. Remove the rabbit and boil down the juices by about one-third until flavoursome.
4. Serve the rabbit with olive-oil mashed potatoes and the garlicky juices.

Cooks Tips

- Rabbit is now sold in the supermarket as well as at the butcher's shop. Farmed, it is milder than the wild meat and makes a nice change from chicken for special occasions.