Conejo en Salmorejo is the primary dish I’ve ready following my journey to Tenerife. Rabbits had been launched to the island by Spanish settlers and thrived within the volcanic panorama, offering an reasonably priced supply of protein. The recipe probably advanced from the Fifteenth-century French salmis preparation, using wine and vinegar to protect the meat and mellow the robust taste of untamed rabbit. Regardless of the identify, it bears no relation to Andalusian salmorejo, the chilly tomato soup just like gazpacho. The inclusion of pimentón, or smoked paprika, is what provides this dish its distinct Spanish character.
To make sure the meat remained tender and juicy, I opted to prepare dinner the rabbit sous vide. Rabbit behaves in a different way than different meats in a water bathtub; as a consequence of enzymatic exercise, the feel can turn into unpleasantly mushy if cooked for only some hours at 60C/140F. After experimentation, I found that 8 hours at 74C/165F yields the most effective outcomes, mimicking a wonderfully executed conventional braise.
In Tenerife, this dish is usually served as rustic, bone-in items of rabbit. Slightly than following that conventional presentation, I choose to debone the meat after cooking. I then use the bones to create a inventory, which I scale back and incorporate again into the sauce. This strategy presents two distinct benefits: it ensures a extra refined eating expertise and captures the total depth of taste from the bones. Eradicating the meat is easy as soon as it has been cooked, and whereas it requires a bit extra effort from the chef, it considerably enhances the pleasure to your visitors.
Historically, the rabbit’s liver is used to supply an earthy richness and to naturally thicken the sauce. I didn’t embrace it right here, as rabbit is usually bought as legs solely, and the liver is commonly lacking even when shopping for a complete rabbit. Moreover, I discover the ensuing gamey taste a bit overpowering, and I’m pretty sure it was omitted from the variations I sampled in Tenerife.
As a result of acidity in a sous vide bag may also compromise the feel, I added the vinegar and white wine solely after the sous vide course of was full. This strategy captures the normal taste of the sauce whereas eliminating the chance of mushiness. For these with out a chamber vacuum sealer, this methodology additionally simplifies the bagging course of because the marinade accommodates little or no liquid. I served the rabbit with Canarian potatoes and mojos, which would be the topic of my subsequent put up.
Components
For 4-6 servings
- 6 rabbit legs, about 1.3 kilos (4 lbs)
- 6 garlic gloves
- 3 recent bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp candy smoked paprika
- 1 tsp scorching smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 Tbsp recent thyme leaves
- 1 Tbsp recent oregano leaves
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 4 Tbsp further virgin olive oil, divided
- 250 ml (1 cup) dry white wine
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) pink wine vinegar
Directions
Take away the powerful central vein from 3 recent bay leaves and chop them. Finely chop 6 garlic cloves and put together 1 tablespoon every of recent oregano and recent thyme leaves.
Place these substances in a mortar with 1 teaspoon of coarse salt and 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds, then pound till a clean paste varieties.
Stir in 2 tablespoons of additional virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of candy smoked paprika, and 1 teaspoon of scorching smoked paprika.
Place 6 rabbit legs in a big bowl and add the seasoning combination. Rub the marinade completely into the meat on all sides.
Vacuum seal the rabbit legs, utilizing a rubber spatula to make sure all of the seasoning from the bowl is included within the baggage. If time permits, enable the rabbit to marinate within the fridge for not less than one hour or ideally in a single day. Whereas the salt acts as a dry brine in the course of the 8-hour prepare dinner regardless, my experiments with hen have proven that dry brining the meat earlier than the cooking course of helps it retain barely extra juices.
Cook dinner the rabbit sous vide for 8 hours at 74C/165F. As soon as completed, take away the rabbit from the baggage and reserve the juices.
Permit the meat to chill till it may be dealt with, then take away it from the bones.
Chop the bones in half with a cleaver to show the marrow, which is able to enrich the inventory. Place them in a stress cooker or stockpot, overlaying them sparingly with water.
Strain prepare dinner for 1.5 hours, or simmer in a lined pot for 3 hours.
Pressure the ensuing inventory by way of a sieve.
Warmth 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over excessive warmth. Add the rabbit items and sauté shortly till frivolously browned to develop taste with out drying out the meat. Take away the rabbit and put aside. You can additionally decide to sauté the entire legs earlier than deboning; this reduces the chance of overcooking the meat, however the browning will likely be much less uniform because of the form of the legs.
Deglaze the pan with 250 ml of dry white wine…
…and 60 ml of pink wine vinegar.
Cut back the liquid by half to permit the alcohol to evaporate, then add the reserved juices from the sous vide baggage and the rabbit inventory.
Simmer till the sauce reaches a wealthy consistency and taste.
Return the rabbit items to the pan and allow them to warmth by way of over very low warmth for a couple of minutes. Style and modify the salt as wanted earlier than serving on preheated plates or bowls.
Wine pairing
Whereas pairing this with a wine from Tenerife can be most applicable, such bottles might be troublesome to search out. A full-bodied white, a medium-bodied pink, or perhaps a structured rosé would work properly. In the event you can supply a white from Tenerife, an oaked Albillo Criollo is the perfect selection; for a pink, a Listán Negro is ideal as these are often not full-bodied. We loved the dish with a full-bodied, oaked white Rioja, which proved to be a wonderful match.
