This is my veganized, adapted recipe of an Old Traditional ‘Maltese Rabbit Stew’- so it’s 100% Cruelty-Free and Cholesterol-Free too ! It’s very easy to prepare and goes down a treat !
An ancient recipe passed down – inspired by one of an ex-boyfriend’s mum’s grandma. And how would I know ? Well, his mother spent most of her time in the kitchen, and I took great delight passing the time there with her – I have to say it was the most aromatic place I had ever been in.
Of Maltese origin, this recipe was cooked with either rabbit, or pork, or some other meat – but this has been veganized, and turned into one of my favourite pasta sauces ever.
I almost hit the ceiling with delight when I tasted my own cruelty free version of this – because it WORKED. So, now I am going to dance the jig, and get on with sharing this very ancient and well finger-licking delight without further ado.
Note : You may see a few sliced mushrooms in this dish – that is not traditional, but I had a few in the fridge and added them whilst frying the garlic and they worked beautifully – they gave the dish a nice rich earthy taste with lovely texture – I used about 4-5 medium to small sized ones.
INGREDIENTS
1 medium sized onion, very finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 potato cut into small squares (optional – I had none at home, but next time I shall add them) – do pre-boil it first, so that it is soft, then discard the water, and set aside
1½ cups (375 mL) dry wine
2 carrots chopped and boiled until soft
3 tsp mixed spice (similar to the US pumpkin pie spice)
2 tsp maple syrup or sugar
½ cup petit pois or marrow fat peas
salt to taste
1 heaped tsp dried vegetable stock granules or veg cube
¼ cup (60 mL) water
2 tsp Bisto gravy granules or cornstarch, mixed with a little water
½ tsp garlic powder, or fine granules
2 bay leaves
2 cups faux 100% vegan chicken pieces (I used ‘QUORN’ vegan pieces)
2-3 Tbsp tomato paste
½ tsp curry powder
extra virgin olive oil
METHOD
Place your frozen chicken pieces in a bowl, cover them with the wine and a few extra garlic cloves cut in half, and allow them to marinate for an hour.
Next, heat your oil in a casserole, and spoon in your onions. Mix these for a couple of minutes, until they become translucent. Then add your garlic, and mix again.
At this point, add the chicken pieces, without the wine but add your dried spices. Stir them around the dish, and allow them to gently fry, adding more olive oil if you need to, now spoon in your tomato paste, and mix for a couple of minutes.
Add your vegetable stock powder, and mix so that the aromas begin to mingle and merge – they should begin to emit a wonderful smell.
Now add in the wine, a little at a time, stirring in between. Add the remaining ingredients, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. As the sauce thickens, preheat your oven to 350ºF (150ºC)
Place your casserole in the oven, and allow to bake gently for half an hour. Then serve on top of spaghetti, cooked al dente (my personal preference). Or with my ‘Easy Cheesy Potato Gratin’ https://www.mouthwateringvegan.com/2020/06/21/easy-cheezy-potato-gratin/
Serve with homemade grated cheese (made with processed raw almonds, nutritional yeast, a teaspoon of fine garlic granules, and salt). Bon Appétit !
All recipes and content © Miriam Sorrell www.mouthwateringvegan.com 2010
These are free recipes for your pleasure – all we ask in return is that you take a few moments to leave us a constructive comment !
We’re having around 40 degrees C for at least the next week here in Australia but can’t wait to try this when the weather cools down. Happy New Year Miriam
My word Barbara, it sounds unbearable ! It’s just way too hot. Hope you have air-conditioning and that you get to swim and have some cool drinks, smoothies and salads. Happy New Year to you too dear Barbara and to your loved ones too !
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Looks great…all I’d have to get are the peas…….thanks.
Hi Miriam,
Happy 2013! Looks wonderful, but I can’t eat wheat or soy (in the vegan chicken) (wheat in the Bistro) – so am wondering what to substitute. Not the first time I’ve had this problem, so … for the “chicken,” maybe eggplant squares, with extra mushroom for that meaty something???? Cabbage chunks? Cauliflower? But do you have an idea of what for the Bistro? Thanks.
I’ve just made this for tea and it was so good. It’s really difficult to find words that are good enough to describe how yummy it is! I became vegetarian many years ago and it was really difficult to get decent food. Recipes such as this make it so much easier to follow a vegan diet 🙂 I have pre-ordered your book and I’m really looking forward to it arriving.
Shared on Facebook! 🙂
This tasty pasta dish is a fine example of generating interest in Vegan cuisine by simulating the distinctive taste and experience of certain meat dishes while remaining totally plant-based and free of animal flesh. Congratulations to you Miriam for successfully creating this! 🙂
Germany votes 5***** for this yummy and super easy vegan dish!!!! Thank you for sharing it!!!
Sundari Hi there and welcome here. Thanks for the 5 stars there ! My hope is that you try it, enjoy it and come back with your further thoughts/feedback ! Best Wishes your way in the meantime !
Michael Hi there and thanks for this wonderful comment which sums up my beliefs and feelings surrounding plant based ‘meats’ – which of course have their place on our tables and because they are totally cruelty free, one can enjoy the splendor, tradition and taste of dishes gone by, that remain close to our hearts without the guilt, which in my opinion makes them taste all the more great ! Always great to share with like-minded people the heart of the matter when it comes to good food, recipe ideas and such like. Best Wishes your way Michael !
Rosie dear Hi there and welcome here. Many thanks for taking the time to drop by with your comment, feedback and wonderful words. You are probably the 1st in the world to have tried this so soon after I posted it up. We were eating it and shortly after I composed the recipe, within hours you yourself had made and tasted this – I am delighted that you shared in the taste of this ancient recipe. So glad you enjoyed it and hope you make it again for many years to come. Thank you for pre-ordering my book 🙂 . Meantime, I will add you to our new upcoming monthly newsletter that is due out some weeks from now. Happy New Year to you and come back with your future comments and feedback !
Dear Gerry, I can see how much you would love to make this recipe and this is why at some point we are keeping our fingers crossed that Quorn will make an egg free version as that would be ideal for you and many others too. I recall Quorn from years ago and it tasted divine, but alas the egg is a no-no for me. Meantime, if you are going to use veggies instead, I am worried you will not get the same effect from it as the 2 most important and crucial ingredients are the ‘faux chicken’ and the bisto, and all that’s left is the wine and veggies. You could try to use eggplant, potatoes and mushrooms as the veggies. Use cornstarch instead of the bisto as bisto is a thickening powder with flavour, and for the flavour use either half a cup of fake chicken stock and/or 1 tablespoon of brown sauce (also known as steak sauce in the States and Canada). I think we may have pushed the boat out quite far with this, so if you are going to try it out with these tips, let me know if it worked for you as I’m somewhat in the dark here. Best of luck your way 🙂
Kari dear I will await your feedback on this and hope you thoroughly enjoy it in the meantime 🙂
Thanks for the Pingback ! 🙂
Thanks, Miriam! Faux meat is a real help to folks like me who are working their way into a vegan lifestyle ….and dragging a reluctant meat eater with them. Some folks are just less “extreme” – in food or politics! I definitely will try this and I’m betting it’s a hit!
Sybil Hi there and welcome here. Wise words and thought there ! I am unashamed of the fact that I and my family all love faux meat and we’ve been vegan now for some years. Way we see it, nobody is getting hurt, we are still enjoying a plant based healthy diet and allow ourselves the indulgence of faux meat which is also plant based – a win-win situation ! Doesn’t make one less of a vegan for eating and enjoying it. You are clearly on the right path and I look forward to your future comments and feedback on my blog and if you wish me to add you to our new monthly upcoming newsletter for useful vegan info and recipe alerts, then just say the word ! Cheers !
Hi Miriam – it was so good!!!! My boyfriend absolutely loved it – like me!!!! We had to use tofu chunks instead of the faux chicken and as we both don’t like alcohol i used vegetable stock in it. Turned out to be superyummy!!!! Perfect for cold dark rainy german winter nights!!! Can’t wait to have it another time – will surprise my parents with this kind of vegan superfood….my mom was just diagnosed with diabetes and is changing her diet – this might be helping her a lot. BTW we were serving it with whole wheat mini maccaroni stirred in it *perfect*
All the best for you – you definitely just won a big fan far far away <3 Can't wait to get your Book!!!!
Sundari Hi there and thanks for dropping by with your comment. I don’t recall whether you made it with tofu because you cannot get faux meat or whether it is because you don’t like the faux meat available, but all the same I am so happy that this worked so well for you. I don’t like alcohol either, but in food it’s different, so do bear that in mind. I very much look forward to our future comments and feedback on my blog. Best to you in the meantime ! P.S. Let me know if you wish to be added or if I have already added you to our forthcoming monthly new newsletter for recipe updates, information and much more !
Miriam – we don’t have that kind of faux meat in Germany…..and i just had the Tofu at hand so i gave it a try 🙂 My boyfriend is hindu and not having alcohol at all no matter which way….so we just skipped it and still it turned out to taste great! Please add me to your newsletter – will be happy to hear from you!!!!
Oh God… that looked YUMMI! Have to try this…
Hi there Victoria and hope you make this and come back with your feedback and comments ! Best wishes your way in the meantime !
I love that there are so many vegan recipes….had no idea. Can you find a recipe for cashew “cheese”? Lost the one I had. It had pimentos cashews and called for agar agar. can’t remember the other ingredients.
Sonja Hi there and welcome here. Glad you love my recipes. My own cheese creations are included in the publication of my upcoming book “Mouthwatering Vegan” where a selection of easy to make vegan cheeses feature including melting cheese and others too (including my exotic feta cheese). Best wishes your way !
Miriam, thank you for yet another wonderful recipe. I made this tonight with a few minor substitutions -did not have white wine, so used red instead, did not have the gravy granules, so I used, as suggested, corn strch with broth and brown sauce and I replaced the peas with edemames (i had a bag open in the freezer, so it made more sense than to open a can of peas and only use half a cup) .i served it on rice. It was absolutely delicious. My six year old son ate it all (less the mushrooms which he generally doesn’t like) and his favourite bits were the faux meat ! Thank you!
I have been unable to find Redwood Chicken Pieces in the United States at all. Have you ever used Gardein? Would they be an acceptable substitute? I am having an absolute fit to make this today. Marty
Hi Marty, I haven’t used Gardein myself, as we don’t get this range in Malta, but I have heard from many vegans in the US and Canada that it’s very good, so I would go ahead and try it. Please let me know how it turns out !
Andreea Hi there and welcome here. Sounds as though your slight change of a few ingredients, ie substitutions were fine and worked. I am so glad you enjoyed it and your little boy too (who is the same age as my girl, who also very much enjoyed it). Best wishes your way and hope you enjoy many more recipes from here !
Hi miriam,
I read this recipe this morning and loved the sound of it. I decided to try something different and cooked the ‘chicken’ sauce just like your recipe but i put in a pie crust and served it with mashed potatoes topped with nutmeg. It made a superb winter meal. Absolutely delicious!
Hi there Annamaria – what a magnificent idea, sounds fantastic, especially with the mashed potatoes ! Hope you enjoy more of my recipes here and come back with your feedback. Best wishes your way in the meantime !
Hi Miriam What a Maltese style “rabbit” sauce and no bay leaf???
Just booked my copy. Hope it’s shipped!
Hi Joe, you must have looked over the recipe a little too fast . . . there are 2 bay leaves in it. You’re absolutely right – you can’t have a traditional Maltese “rabbit” sauce without bay leaf !
Hi Joe, thanks for pre-ordering my book – it won’t come before June, as it’s a pre-order in advance of publication on 18th June.
I will be making it in a solar oven.
Sounds interesting Skip – let me know how it goes !
Ooops sorry being hasty!
I made this a while ago and it was so good. Can’t wait to make it again :D. Also, could you add me to the mailing list for the newsletter? Thank you.
Anna Hi there and am glad you enjoyed this when you made it. I have just added you to my mailing list – it will be a fortnight before it’s out. Cheers ! 🙂
Hi,
do you know of anything else I could use instead of the dry white wine?
thanks
RK
Hi RK, I am not sure what would work in lieue of the white wine. Maybe unsweentened grape juice with a shot of vinegar, but I can’t be sure !