THE RABBIT “PRINCE”
The ways of the rabbit are infinite, or nearly so. For islander cuisine rabbit is a real totem, as ragout for Neaples. It is the dish of seasonal rites, feasts, engagements, marriages. The “Ischitana rabbit”, recipe with which the local cuisine identi? es itself, is rooted in history. It dates back to the Phoenicians, who used rabbits as extra food: they captured them in Spain, then set them free in the islands where they stopped off, on their way home after unloading the goods in ports. In the time between a travel and another, the animals reproduced quickly: it was easy to hunt them into the restricted areas of the islands where they landed for supply.
The wild rabbits of Ischia, that still populates the forests and ridges of hills, have these formidable ancestors. Centuries later the farmers, digging holes in the open countryside, found that those holes, even more than three meters deep, were the ideal shelter to raise rabbits in semi-wild state. Today the «coniglio da fossa» (cave rabbit) is a Slow Food presidium.
INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4 PEOPLE):
- 1 rabbit of 1,300 gr
- 300g cherry tomatoes
- 1 garlic
- 1 glass of white wine
- 50g tomato concentrate
- 100g extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- thyme, basil and marjoram
- hot pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Add the white wine, let it evaporate and then add the cherry tomatoes cut into quarters. Add the salt and the pepper and let it cook for 20 minutes. When cooked, add the herbs and the chopped hot pepper.
