Rick Stein rabbit and onion casserole recipe on Rick Stein: From Venice to Istanbul

Rick Stein served up a tasty rabbit and onion casserole dish on Rick Stein: From Venice to Istanbul.
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Rick says: “I have been on the lookout for good rabbit dishes ever since I took a holiday on the island of Malta where there are a lot of them, being dry limestone country where not much other wildlife can thrive. This recipe, from Adriatic Croatia/Albania, uses garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, baby onions and red wine. Try it with rice or orzo pasta.”

The ingredients are: 2 rabbits, cleaned and jointed (ask your butcher to do this, if you like), 3 bay leaves, 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 100ml olive oil, 4 garlic cloves, grated, 6 whole allspice berries, 1 cinnamon stick, 200ml red wine, 350ml chicken stock, hot, 2 tbsp tomato purée, 5 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped, 1 tsp dried oregano, 600g baby onions or shallots, peeled and left whole, 1 tsp sugar and salt and freshly ground black pepper.