Rabbit Legs with Capers and Lemon

This is a recipe from the Aeolean Islands down near Sicily. Rabbits or Chicken are a good source of protein in these areas and very easy to make into a tasty dish. Lemons and capers grow everywhere on these spots and they give a distinct flavour to each dish.

I saw Jamie Oliver on one of his Italian quests cooking with the Nonnas and Mamas in Italy with his old friend and former Chef Gennaro Cataldo. The traditional home cooked meals are the best. That is no restaurant food, but hearty and comes with a lot of love for the products.

I used just some basic veg like carrots, celeriac, leek and onions as the base and cut up lemons and the juice of an other one. A bit of a light wine and some veg stock round that all up.

recipe for 2:
2 rabbit legs
2 carrots
10 cm piece of leek
60 g celeriac
1 large spring onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 bay leaves
1 lovage sprig
3 stalks of thyme
2 stalks of sage
2 lemons
2 stalks parsley
3 tbsp caper berries
2 tbsp fine capers in salt
rapeseed oil
flour
1 glass of rose coloured wine  Cinsault
250 ml veg stock
salt and pepper

Season the rabbit legs with salt and pepper and coat them in flour.
In a wide pan with a lid heat up the oil and give the rabbit 4 min on each side. Take it out.
Chop the veggies and get them with a little more oil in the same pan, fry them for 5m min and add 2 tsp of flour to the mix and the bay leaves and herbs. Season with salt and pepper.

Set the rabbit legs on top, pour in wine and stock and add the caper apples, the juice of half a lemon and the second lemon in 4 pieces. Close the lid and cook on medium heat for 20 min, turn the legs and add the capers without any more salt.

Cook for 30 more min until the meat starts to get off the bone.
Serve with rice.