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Picante de conejo
Rabbit in red chilli sauce
Picante de conejo: the Atacama's rabbit stewed in red chilli sauce
In the north of Chile, from Iquique to the oasis villages of the Atacama, picante means a stew in a thick, brick-red chilli sauce, and rabbit is the classic one, cooked for village feast days and Sunday lunch and served with boiled potatoes and white rice. The heat comes from dried red ají (ají panca or ají colorado), toasted in oil with onion and cumin. Rabbit is very lean, and boiling it hard is the mistake that makes it dry and stringy; keep the pot at a gentle simmer. Chef's tip: fry the chilli paste in the oil until it turns a shade darker and smells toasty before adding the stock; raw chilli paste tastes flat. Chicken thighs work well if you can't get rabbit.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ⅞ lb rabbitjointed into 8 pieces
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 4 garlic clovescrushed
- 3 tbsp ají panca or red chilli pasteor 2 dried red chillies, soaked and blended
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3 ¼ cups chicken stock
- 5 ½ oz frozen peas
- 1 ⅓ lb potatoespeeled, boiled, to serve
- 2 tbsp fresh parsleychopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Season 2 ⅞ lb rabbit with 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy casserole over a medium-high heat and brown the pieces in batches, about 3 minutes a side. Lift out.
12 minStep 2: Lower the heat and cook 2 onions in the same pan until soft and golden.
10 minStep 3: Add 4 garlic cloves, 3 tbsp ají panca or red chilli paste, 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp dried oregano and fry, stirring, until the paste darkens and the oil turns red.
3 minStep 4: Pour in 3 ¼ cups chicken stock, scraping up the browned bits, return the rabbit and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook gently until the meat is tender and pulls away from the bone; the thickest pieces should reach 160°F.
55 minStep 5: Uncover, add 5 ½ oz frozen peas and simmer until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the meat.
8 minStep 6: Scatter with 2 tbsp fresh parsley and serve with 1 ⅓ lb potatoes and white rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does picante de conejo take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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