Name: Rabbit Stew with A Touch of Chocolate (Conejo con Chocolate Rodrigo Mestre)
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 1 large carrot, diced; Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper; 2 cups full-bodied dry red wine; 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, grated or finely chopped; 1½ cups chicken stock or broth; 6 black peppercorns; ¼ cup brandy; 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped; 1 fresh thyme sprig; 1 small cinnamon stick; 1 fresh rosemary sprig; 1 small bay leaf; 6 medium-size garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed; All-purpose flour, for dusting the rabbit; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 rabbit (2½ to 3 pounds), cut into 8 pieces, rinsed well and patted dry; 2 teaspoons grated orange zest

Preparation info

Serves
4 to 6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The New Spanish Table

By Anya von Bremzen

Published 2005

About

Cooking meat, chicken—even crustaceans—in a dark, intense sauce tinged with chocolate is a culinary tradition that never fails to surprise and delight visitors to Catalonia. As with Mexican moles, chocolate contributes complexity and intrigue to the sauce without overpowering it. This exceptional rabbit recipe comes from my friend, Rodrigo Mestre, a legendary Catalan bon vivant and author of sixteen cookbooks. Adding chocolate to savory dishes, Rodri says, became fashionabl