Cephalonian Rabbit Pie (Kouneloptia Kefaloniki)
Servings Prep. Time Cooking Time Calories % from Fat Fat Sodium Carbohydrates Protein Cholesterol
6-8 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A


INGREDIENTS:
1.3 kg/3 lb rabbit, jointed 125 ml/4 fl oz distilled white vinegar 175 ml/6 fl oz red wine
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram 2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary 3 cloves garlic 3 tablespoons olive oil
freshly ground black pepper 1 large onion, chopped 400 g/14 oz can chopped tomatoes
salt 40 g/1-1/2 oz rice 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
115 g/4 oz feta cheese, diced 1 quantity filo horiatiko milk, for glazing



1 Place the rabbit pieces in a bowl with the white vinegar and add water to cover. Stand for 2 hours, rinse and pat dry. Place the pieces in a clean bowl with the red wine, wine vinegar, herbs, 1 chopped clove garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil and a good grinding of black pepper. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight, turning the pieces occasionally. Remove the pieces from the marinade and drain well, reserving the marinade.
2 Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in large deep saucepan and brown the pieces all over in batches, transferring to a dish when browned. Add the onion and cook gently for about 6-8 minutes, until softened. Finely chop the remaining garlic, add to the pan and cook for several seconds. Pour in the marinade, tomatoes and salt to taste. Cover and simmer gently for about 1-1-1/2 hours until very tender with the meat almost falling from the bones, and remove to a plate. Boil the liquid in the pan until reduced by half. Discard the bay leaves. Separate the rabbit meat from the bones, cut into thick strips and return to the pan. Stir in the rice and parsley and simmer for 5-6 minutes until the rice is partly cooked.
3 Preheat the oven to 190 C/375 F/gas mark 5.
4 Divide the pastry into two, with one piece larger than the other. Roll out the larger piece to fit a large rectangular baking dish. Line the dish with pastry and spread the rabbit filling evenly over the base. Scatter the diced feta cheese evenly on top. Roll out the remaining pastry and place on top. Press the edges together to seal. Brush the top with milk and cut a number of small slits in the pastry. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180 C/350 F/gas mark 4 and bake for about 30 minutes more, until golden brown. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

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