One Sicilian method of cooking rabbit is to prepare it similarly to hare, marinating the meat and cooking it with strong flavours. This approach inspires timeless, flavour-rich country Sicilian cooking.
Although hare can be difficult to find, rabbit is more readily available and is a suitable substitute for the same traditional recipes.
I always begin by marinating the rabbit before cooking. The marination can be shorter than for hare, and the cooking time is also reduced especially when using farmed rabbit, which is more tender and less gamey.
On my blog, you will find recipes for both rabbit and hare. In fact, most dishes designed for chicken can be easily adapted for rabbit with excellent results.
This particular rabbit dish was prepared with cloves, cinnamon and red wine, spices and aromas that are deeply rooted in Sicilian culinary history and a legacy of Arab influence on the island’s cuisine.
While cooking, I took more step-by-step photos than usual to capture the process and the unfolding colour and depth of the sauce.
The food historian Pino Correnti, in his Il Libro D’oro della Cucina e dei Vini di Sicilia, attributes this recipe to Licodia Eubea and refers to it as Coniglio da Licodia Eubea.
I have driven through Licodia Eubea on my way from Piazza Armerina to Caltagirone and onward to Ragusa. I didn’t stop for photos there, but nearby Grammichele—with its remarkable hexagonal piazza and one of the world’s largest sundials—made an unforgettable impression. Like Licodia Eubea, the streets were almost empty, giving us the feeling that we had the whole town to ourselves.
For the completer recipe:
RABBIT with cloves, cinnamon and red wine (CONIGLIO DA LICODIA EUBEA)
Other Sicilian Recipes for cooking rabbit:
CONIGLIO A PARTUISA (Braised rabbit as cooked in Ragusa)