Whilst  clearing out the freezer I found a portion of rabbit given to me by a friend from countryside; which inspired me to create a seasonal dish for the Easter weekend!
Although I am a huge fan of traditional meals enjoyed with family during this period, I think that preparing something slightly different is always a bonus. Rabbit has been popular with  my family since I can remember. My granddad had his own farm with muscovy ducks, guinea fowls, and rabbits. There was nothing better than a kitchen full of steam emanating from cast iron dishes mixed with the aromas of fresh herbs and braising rabbit. So my goal was to recover from memory a particular favourite dish prepared by the lady who looked after the kitchen at my grandparents household. However, as usual, thats only the starting point, and the end result is something quite personal.

I have roasted the ingredients gradually and then braised all together in a heat resistant dish, to keep the meat and veg soft and tender.
A perfect solution for a family Easter lunch!

And this is how it goes:
4-5 of rabbit fillets ( you can also use chicken if you like)
2-3 medium carrots
1 medium parsnip
2 medium red onions
3-4 garlic cloves
fresh herbs (thyme and oregano are best)
handful of dried tomatoes ( I used the sun-dried variety preserved in sunflower oil)
a bag of kale
a few tsp of a good quality fig chutney
a handful of onions marinated in balsamic vinegar

Marinate rabbit in olive oil, sliced garlic, coarse pepper, salt flakes and herbs, for a couple of hours. In the large non-stick frying pan, roast chopped vegetables with a generous splash of olive oil. While the vegetables are sautéing, place the marinated meat on another pan, and fry gently but do not cook throughly. Place them into a heat resistant glass dish (e.g. Pyrex). At this stage add kale, sliced tomatoes and marinated onions on top of the veggies and rabbit. Cover by lid and sweat for another 10 mins or so on low heat, in the meantime add the fig chutney until all soft and moist from the juices and the meat is cooked through.

As I am a barley lover I found the barley groats as a great compliment for this casserole. Rice seemed a bit too plain. And above all, this is the original meal we’re cooking, right?

One more thing, this dish goes so well with a glass of grenache red wine!