Rabbit in a Sweet and Sour sauce
A traditional recipe

Ingredients:

A rabbit cut into pieces	fifty grams of lard
two glasses of red wine	flour, as required
one and a half chopped onions	salt and pepper to taste
two cloves	two spoonfuls of sugar
a few sprigs of parsley	half a glass of vinegar
a bay leaf	a handful of sultanas
a branch of thyme	a handful of pine nuts
four or five whole peppercorns	stock or water as required

PREPARATION 

Cut a rabbit into pieces and after having rinsed and dried it well, place into a terracotta bowl. Now put two glasses of red wine, half a chopped onion, two cloves, a few sprigs of parsley, a bay leaf, a branch of thyme and four or five whole peppercorns into a saucepan. Heat this mixture, without allowing it to boil, remove from the heat and when it is slightly warm, pour onto the rabbit pieces. Leave it to marinate for a few hours, the longer the better. 

Now put a chopped onion into a saucepan with fifty grams of lard, cook until the onion becomes transparent. Remove the rabbit from its marinade, dry it, cover with flour and put into the saucepan to cook. Strain the marinade mixture so as to separate the wine from the herbs, and add to the rabbit gradually, whilst cooking. 

When all the wine has evaporated and the rabbit pieces have browned, season with salt and pepper and then add as much stock or water as is necessary to cover the rabbit pieces almost completely. Turn down the heat, cover the saucepan and allow to cook slowly. When the rabbit is cooked, tip the saucepan to one side slightly, in order to remove the fat which will be floating on the surface of the sauce. 

Place two spoonfuls of sugar in a separate copper dish (not tin plated), and melt over the heat. When the sugar has melted and become a slightly yellow colour, add half a glass of vinegar and, using a wooden spoon, remove the sugar well. Pour the sweet and sour sauce into the saucepan, adding a handful of well washed sultanas and a handful of pine nuts. Let it boil very gently for a further four or five minutes, then serve the rabbit. 

THE DISH

This dish, in truth, is a little unusual and is worthy of a gourmet's attention. 
It is fairly simple to make, but the preparation requires care and attention. The success of rabbit in a sweet and sour sauce is due to the harmony of flavours. It is important not to use too much vinegar, because it can have a negative effect on the choice of the wine, as you know, vinegar is the enemy of a good wine. As a whole, it is and important dish with rich flavours provided by the cloves, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, sultanas and pine nuts. 


WINE ACCOMPANIMENT

The red wine used in the cooking, means that the choice must fall on a red wine, maybe that used for the marinade would be best. We therefore require a young, fairly acidic and tannic red wine, to harmonise with the intense flavour of the vinegar. It must have a good structure, an intense and persistent flavour, and must not be bitter, otherwise it will contrast with the 'sweetness' of the rabbit meat. 

SUGGESTED WINES