Oh Hello. So it’s 30 degrees outside and I decided to make Rabbit Stew. The Kitchen temperature inside now is about 34 degrees and there is no wind. Crazy? Perhaps. But delicious … ABSOLUTELY!

So let me tell you a little story about me growing up. We lived in a small place called Belcarra, population NO ONE it seemed at the time. The great thing about living out of the city though was the space. And what did we fill all that space with, Animals. We had chickens and turkeys, dogs, cats, hamsters and the occasional wild cougar and bear that would stop by. Another thing that we has was bunnies, lots and lots of bunnies. Oh my gosh they were so adorable. All of the animals were.

My sister and I would sneak the chickens and bunnies in our rooms and needless to say my mom was not impressed. Then again, we were also not impressed to learn the fact later in life that we were eating those chickens. Oh to be young and nieve. Anyways, one day we woke up and discovered that all of the bunnies had been missing from the cage. This is going to sound strange but our neighbour Bryan had a pet Phython that would go missing every now and then and all the neighbours would go out and look for it. Yes, strange. So we thought that the snake must have got them. Now, Belcarra has a bunny population, or so I am led to believe.

I grew up and we no longer had any animals (besides the cats and dogs) and I continued to eat chicken and turkey without even a second thought but for some reason could never come to terms with eating Rabbit. They were just so cute and cuddly, how could anyone eat them. But then it all changed. Tony, our neighbourhood friend took my mom and me to a place called The Latin Quarter to see some live Jazz one night. He ordered Rabbit and I wanted nothing to do with it. But the aroma from his plate kept hitting me and well, it just smelt so good. Let me tell you, it tasted even better. So now I try not to think of them as cute little bunnies but more as the other other white meat. Eek that sounded so horrible. Let’s move on ….

So here I am in St. Maarten which arguably has the best grocery store selections and some of the best eating out in the Caribbean, but is also half Dutch and half French. No one could decide on who got the Island so they just split it down the middle. It is a little odd but makes for such a diverse place. Drive down to the French side and you are surrounded by Patisserie’s, the best bakeries, french eateries, delicious wines and a few nude beaches because when in France. Drive down to the dutch side and you have casinos on every block, bbq road stands, Frikendale, Bitterballen and Heinken everywhere. And of course the world famous Sunset Beach where you watch planes fly right over your head. Go on youtube it is worth the watch.

So I am in French section of the Grocery Store when there just happened to be some fresh rabbit in. First time I had ever seen some in the Caribbean. This was perfect as we also had a friend coming to the boat that day so it was a great first meal to have.

Here is why I think you will love this dish:

1. Delicious
2. Flavourful
3. Simple
4. Impressive
5. Did I Say Delicious ….

Another great thing about this dish is really how easy it is to make. Rabbit, because not cooked very often, may sound like it’s a hard dish to make but when your braising it and throwing everything in the same pot, its fool proof. So go ahead and give the other other white meat a try, you wont regret it.

Oh, And if you ever happen to be in Belcarra and you see a rabbit, you will know where they came from.