Traditional Spanish Garlic Rabbit Recipe

Recipes like conejo al ajillo (garlic rabbit) represent a cuisine of proximity and subsistence: a ‘waste-not’ gastronomy based on the ingredients that peasants had closest at hand. Garlic was cheap and could be grown in any vegetable patch. Thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves are aromatics easily found along Mediterranean paths and forests. The other seasonings are staples of the Spanish kitchen. While the wine used to sauté the meat would have been a harsher red, the vinegar used to tenderize it was simply whatever they had available.

Our star ingredient, garlic, has been used since antiquity to season food, acting as the soul of countless dishes. In the case of Spain, the technique of sautéing meat with abundant garlic was practiced for centuries before receiving its popular name, ‘al ajillo.’ We can find the designation ‘al ajillo‘ in written cookbooks starting from the early 20th century.

It is curious to observe how the rabbit’s fate on the Spanish table has taken a complete turn: what was once a pillar of game and subsistence cooking for the rural population is now sold at prices that surpass other white meats.

Garlic Rabbit Recipe, ‘conejo al ajillo’

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Raciones

2

raciones

Tiempo de preparación

10

minutes

Tiempo de cocinado

20

minutes

Ingredientes

• 1 rabbit cut into pieces

• 2 heads of garlic

• Salt

• Black pepper

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 1 sprig of thyme

• 1 sprig of rosemary

• *You can use dried herbs if fresh ones are not available.

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 tablespoon of Sherry vinegar

• 250 ml of white wine

Instrucciones

• Cover the bottom of a pot or frying pan with extra virgin olive oil.
• Add the garlic—some cloves whole with a small slit in the middle and others peeled and chopped—keeping the pan over medium-low heat. Maintain this temperature throughout the entire cooking process.
• Once the oil begins to heat up, add the chopped rabbit and season with salt and pepper.
• Next, add the thyme and rosemary. Sauté for a few minutes.
• Once the rabbit has started to sear, pour in the small glass of white wine. When the wine begins to boil, add the Sherry vinegar. Stir everything together.
• Let it cook until only the oil remains and the rabbit is nicely golden brown.
• Serve with a good crusty bread to dip in the sauce.

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