Fenek recipe

Malta's national dish: rabbit marinated overnight in red wine, then stewed and eaten as two courses, the sauce over spaghetti first and the meat after.

14 hoursmedium11 ingredients

Ingredients

• 1200 g rabbit, jointed
• 500 ml red wine
• 4 bay leaves
• 6 clove garlic
• 400 g peeled tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 150 g onion
• 600 g potatoes
• 400 g spaghetti
• 50 ml olive oil
• 1 pinch salt and black pepper

How to make Fenek

1. The night before, put 1.2 kg of jointed rabbit in a bowl with 500 ml of red wine, 4 bay leaves and 3 crushed garlic cloves. Cover and refrigerate 12 hours, turning the pieces twice. This marinade is the dish; skip it and you have an ordinary stew.
2. Lift the rabbit out, keep the marinade, and pat the pieces dry.
3. Brown the rabbit in 50 ml of olive oil over medium-high heat, 8 to 10 minutes, then set it aside.
4. In the same pot soften 150 g of chopped onion with 3 more garlic cloves for 6 minutes, stir in 2 tbsp of tomato paste, cook 2 minutes, then add 400 g of peeled tomatoes.
5. Pour in the reserved marinade with its bay leaves, boil hard 3 minutes to burn off the raw alcohol, and season with 1 tsp of salt and pepper.
6. Return the rabbit, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 90 minutes. Add 600 g of potatoes in large chunks for the last 40 minutes.
7. For the first course, skim the fat, then spoon half the sauce over 400 g of cooked spaghetti.
8. Serve the rabbit and potatoes with the remaining sauce as the second course, with bread.

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