So it is Thom's birthday today and I am trying to decide what would be the most appropirate recipe to post on this occasion. Should be something with chocolate, right? But then this blog should be about the things that one has just cooked, which in my case is a Moroccan lapin aux epices - which also makes a nice birthday dish. I'll post the Sacher cake recipe of my grandmother or the Sephardic chocolate mousse from Morocco some other time...
LAPIN AUX EPICES, Moroccan rabbit with herbs
1 nice rabbit about 1,5 - 2kg
2 big onions
6 cloves of garlic
a good bunch of garlic and coriander
4 spoons of olive oil
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp Ras Al Hanout (a Moroccan spice mix)
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp cumin powder
nutmeg
What I like most about this recipe is that the French Moroccan cookbook that I have it from specifies "un beau lapin" - a nice or beautiful rabbit. Maybe this should be the name of this recipe, beautiful rabbit.
Cut the rabbit into pieces, discarding the head, salt and set the liver aside. Finely chop the onions and the garlic as well as the herbs. Put all this in a big pot, together with the cinnamon, the rest of the spices and the oil. Mix well. Add the meat, mix well again, add 500ml of water and slowly bring to a boil. Cover three quarters with water, lower the heat and let it simmer slowly for 45 minutes. Add the liver 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Reduce the sauce if it is too thin after taking out the meat. Adjust seasoning. Serve with couscous and fresh chopped coriander.
Happy Birthday!
