Anna Sultana's Fenek fil forn (Roasted Rabbit or Chicken, Maltese Style)

A few folks still think I overdid the holidays with Carmela's Entertaining with The Sopranos booze recipes and want more recipes from Ma.

No problem.

A staple when I was growing up was rabbit.  

Pop had a few cages of rabbits in the garage.  

Boy and girl rabbits.

Well, they did the deed.

The rabbits, I mean.

We had lots of rabbit meat.

No questions asked.

Here's a simple recipe.  

It works just as well with stewing fowl.

                        Fenek fil forn

Make the following sauce:

Saute 

1 large chopped onion

3 cloves minced garlic

add 

4 ripe tomatoes, chopped

season with 

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon toasted fennel seeds

Stir in

4 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice

Simmer until the sauce is thick.

----

While the sauce is simmering,

Cut a rabbit (or stewing hen) into pieces

flour the pieces

quickly brown them in olive oil.

Arrange them in a greased baking dish.

Pour the sauce over the pieces in the baking dish

Roast, uncovered, 350º  40 min. 

Midway baste with 

3 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice

Easy, no?

Another Maltese recipe for rabbit is my Ma's Fenek bit-tewm u bl-Imbid.
It's rabbit stewed with garlic and wine.
Also very easy.