Cacciatore!

Here is a picture of wild rabbit cacciatore (hunter's rabbit) which John cooked for me last night. Here also is a picture of John with a hunter's bow and arrow in his hands. Are they in any way related?

Not really. The rabbit came out of the deep freeze shot, skinned and prepared for cooking by the brilliant Wild Irish Game company run by Mick Healy. The archery lesson was an outing of our Tai Chi class.

One of the movements in Tai Chi is The Archer a lovely echo of the way the body moves when drawing back the bow. Like so many activities, at this point it's all about breathing, stance, keeping the head still, core muscle movement rather than arm movement, and a lot to do with stillness. Stillness of the soul and nature. After that, the arrow does the work.

It has been observed that the hunter gatherer diet is the healthiest the human race has ever known. Part of this is because wild foods are so vital in themselves. But another part must come from the physical act of picking, chasing, focusing, breathing. It is said that if your bow reaches its target (in our case, an apple) that night you will dream about it, so deep-rooted and elemental is the act.

The Archer in Tai Chi is a movement that nurtures the lung meridian. By the end of a session of archery, your arms have pulled a considerable rate - going quickly into tons if you stick at it. But if you do it right, you shouldn't feel it. You just feel your full free breaths against the stinging cold, feel your shoulders opening and your mind relaxing. You end up with an appetite and enjoy the companionship of your fellow hunters.

With practice you might even end up with dinner.

Note: Our archery tutor, Fiona Clark, has sensibility advised us to say that it is actually illegal to hunt with a bow and arrow in Ireland.

Wild Rabbit Cacciatore

1 wild rabbit
seasoned flour
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
a handful of black olives
sprigs of rosemary and thyme
a 400g can of tomatoes
a glass of white wine
Olive oil

Heat the oven to 170ºC. Portion the rabbit: you should have two hind legs, two forelegs, and three or four pieces from the saddle, depending on the size of the rabbit. Dust them in seasoned flour, then fry until browned in a good splash of olive oil in a large pan which will hold everything in the oven. Brown the pieces on both sides, then remove. Toss in the chopped onion, carrot, garlic and fry until softened – it helps to cover the pan to achieve the softening. Put the rabbit pieces back in, add a glass of white wine and scrape up all the tasty brown bits on the bottom, then add the tin of chopped tomatoes, the olives, and the rosemary and thyme sprigs. Bring to the boil, then place in the oven for two hours – wild rabbit takes longer to cook than the hutch variety. Check after an hour that all is well, when you might find you need to add a good splash of water. Taste after two hours that the meat is tender as butter, then serve.

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Sweet dreams....