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Rabbit with oven-dried tomatoes

Matt Tebbutt from Market Kitchen
Matt Tebbutt chooses farmed rabbit for its pale coloured flesh and chicken-like flavour in this Mediterranean-style main course dish

Rabbit with oven-dried tomatoes

Method

1. First make the home roasted tomatoes. Preheat the oven to its lowest setting. Cut the tomatoes in half and lay them on a baking tray. Season, place them in the oven and leave for 6-8 hours (or overnight) until semi-soft.

2. Joint the rabbit so you have fillets and back legs – reserve the bits you don’t want to eat like the neck, ribs, front legs and scraps of bone to make the stock. Put these scraps in a large pan with the onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf and garlic. Pour in a drizzle of olive oil and fry until the vegetables are brown.

3. Stir in the vinegar and sugar until everything is caramelised. Reserve 1 glass of the wine and pour the rest into the pan. Bring to the boil. When the wine has reduced slightly, cover and simmer for 2 hours until. Pass this through a sieve and set aside – this is your stock for later.

4. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Heat a little oil in a heavy roasting pan. Add the rabbit fillets and legs and cook on top of the stove until browned all over.

5. Transfer to the oven and roast for about 10 minutes in its own oils only, until cooked.

6. Remove from the oven, pour the stock and the reserved glass of wine into the pan and bring to the boil. Gently stir in the olives and the home roasted tomatoes, then shred in the basil. Serve with olive oil mash and a garnish of basil sprigs.

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Serves: 4-6

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 2 hrs 30 min, plus 6-8 hours or overnight slow-roasting

Ingredients
250g Tomatoes, preferably San Marazano (a classic Italian plum tomato)
2 whole farmed rabbits
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 Carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 clove Garlic, left whole
drizzle of Olive oil
1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 bottle dry white wine
handful Nicoise black olives, stones removed
bunch Basil, plus extra sprigs to serve
olive oil mashed potato, to serve