Maltese rabbit stew (Stuffat tal-fenek)

1. Cut the rabbit into 8-10 pieces, put in a dish with the roughly crushed garlic and bay leaves, pour over the wine, cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Lift out the rabbit and keep the marinade; pat the meat dry, season with salt and pepper and brown in batches in the olive oil in a large pan, then remove.

3. In the same fat, soften the chopped onions for 8 minutes, add the garlic from the marinade and the tomato purée and fry for 1 minute.

4. Pour in the marinade, add the peeled, diced tomatoes and the rabbit, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour.

5. Add the peeled potatoes, cut into large chunks, and cook for 25 minutes more, then stir in the peas and cook for another 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the meat comes easily off the bone.

6. Taste, season with salt and pepper and serve with crusty bread.

Tip: "Fenkata" – a shared rabbit feast – is Malta's national celebration: the sauce is first served with spaghetti as a starter, and only then comes the meat with the potatoes – it's worth serving it that way yourself.