Rabbit Stew

I used to say I couldn't live in Barcelona. That was a lie. I could live in Barcelona, but I wouldn't want to for some reason. Mainly I blamed it on the food. Food is important to me. When searching for an apartment recently, I ruled out 3 perfectly good places on their lack of kitchen counter space and/or gas stoves. I keep a food journal. I update it daily. Barcelona's food isn't bad, it's just confusing and (unfairly) dissapointing. It's confusing because it sounds so appealing and usually tastes so average. How many times have you gone to Origen 99.9% for the amazing menu only to eat a bland and forgettable dinner. It's (unfairly) dissapointing because so many credible sources have called Barcelona a food capital of the world. Why? If you can't find interesting food, from unknown chefs, that tastes as good as it sounds, then it's not a food destination. So I used that argument a few times against Barcelona.

But on my tenth visit, I changed my mind. It could have been the Ducki rides, and nothing more. I have a suspicion, though. It might be that I'm beginning to like the food in Spain more than I'm willing to admit. When I returned I had a disproportionate amount of food photos. I must have forced my Dad to gain at least a few pounds on the tapas bars in Sevilla alone. And the two afternoons we spent in Boqueria completely undermined my complaint about the lack of options for grocery shopping. Even the market in Gracia is impressive. I made a rabbit stew with its bounty, and the only thing lacking was David's ovenless kitchen. So maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I just need more time to cook. Too bad it's running out.








My Rabbit Stew:

1/2 pound pancetta, 1 or 2 whole rabbits cut into serving portions, 1 cup red wine, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 medium onions, 1 leek and 1 fennel bulb thinly sliced, 4 carrots diced, 4 potatoes chopped into large pieces, 2 cups vegetable stock, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, 3 anchovy fillets, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 16 oz. can whole tomatoes broken into pieces with fingers, 2 ripe tomatoes chopped. Parmesean.

1. Brown pancetta (or meaty bacon) and rabbit in skillet. Remove and set aside.
2. Deglaze skillet with red wine. Add oil as soon as wine begins to steam.
3. When oil and wine are hot, and onion, leek and fennel and sautee until soft.
4. Add carrot and potato, stock, bay leaf, thyme, and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
5. While stew is cooking, heat anchovy fillets in their own oil on low until they can be broken up and made into a kind of paste with the back of a spoon. Add balsamic vinegar and canned tomatoes. When hot, add to stew along with the fresh tomato.
6. Remove bay leaf and return rabbit and pancetta to stew and simmer until rabbit is cooked through.
7. Serve with grated parmesean.