Ingredients

• 30 ml extra virgin olive oil

• 340 g boneless rabbit, cut into large chunks

• 2 onions, roughly chopped

• 3 garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 large red pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

• 15 ml paprika

• 2 ml chilli powder

• 2 ml ground cumin

• large pinch of ground cinnamon

• 2 bay leaves

• 250 ml dry white wine

• 250 ml chicken stock

• 225 g chopped tomatoes from a can

• 30 ml tomato purée

• 45 ml chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

• 2 pinches of saffron threads

• 60 ml hot water

• 1 can chickpeas, about 400 g, drained and rinsed

• 225 g new potatoes, scrubbed and halved

• 2 sprigs of fresh oregano OR marjoram, leaves coarsely chopped

• grated zest and juice of 1 small orange, preferably a blood orange

• salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole, add the chunks of rabbit and sauté until browned on all sides. Add the onions, garlic and red pepper and fry, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until the onions have softened. Add the paprika, chilli powder, cumin, cinnamon and bay leaves, stir well and fry for 1 minute.

2. Add the wine, stock, tomatoes with their juice, tomato purée and half of the parsley. Cover and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to very low and simmer for about 40 minutes or until the rabbit is very tender. Meanwhile, crumble the saffron into a small bowl and add the hot water. Stir, then leave to soak for 15–20 minutes.

3. Add the chickpeas and potatoes to the stew, together with the saffron and its soaking water, the oregano or marjoram, and orange zest and juice. Stir, then simmer for 25–30 minutes or until the gravy has thickened and is not too soupy. Taste and add seasoning if needed, and remove the bay leaves if you prefer. Serve hot, sprinkled with the remaining parsley.

Variation

Instead of rabbit, use lean pork fillet (tenderloin) or lamb fillet or boneless leg, trimmed of fat and cut into bite-sized chunks.

Plus Points

Chickpeas are an important source of vegetable protein in many parts of the world, and they are a good source of soluble dietary fibre. In this recipe the chickpeas provide a greater amount of iron per portion than the rabbit (1.5 mg compared with 0.9 mg). The absorption of the iron is helped by the generous amounts of vitamin C provided by the vegetables, in particular red pepper.