In Greek: κουνέλι με άσπρη σάλτσα, pronounced kou-NEH-lee meh AHS-pree SAHLT-sah
This dish require three-hour marinating of the rabbit before cooking. The tastes in this dish are remarkable, and since most of us don’t cook rabbit on a daily basis, this is an excellent recipe that shows off the best of all tastes: rabbit, white wine, garlic, and fresh herbs.
Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 4 hours
Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 pound rabbit, skinned and gutted, cut into serving size pieces
- red wine vinegar
- 1 cup of olive oil
- 12-15 cloves of garlic, cut in slivers lengthwise
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, washed
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1/3 cup of white wine
- 2 cups of water
Preparation:
Place the rabbit pieces in a pan and marinate in enough vinegar to cover half-way. Soak on one side for 1 hour 30 minutes, then turn and soak on the other side for 1 hour 30 minutes. Total time: 3 hours. Discard the vinegar.
In a large skillet, sauté the marinated rabbit in hot oil until well-browned. Add the garlic, and when lightly browned, pour in the white wine.
Transfer everything from the frying pan (including oil) to a stew pot with a tight-fitting lid, and heat to a boil Stir in salt, pepper, rosemary, and bay leaf. Stir in water slowly, trying not to break the boil. Cover tightly and simmer (lowest heat to maintain a very light boil) for 1 hour. 10 minutes before cooking is done, add the lemon juice and shake the pot gently to distribute.
When cooking time is up, turn off the heat and leave the pot on the stove for 10-15 minutes.
Yield: serves 4
Note: Do not uncover the pot during cooking, until time to add the lemon juice. Then cover again tightly.