Rabbit Soup with Garlic and Peppers

One 3-pound rabbit
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ pound chorizo sausages pricked with a fork (so they don’t split)
3 medium onions, chopped into ¼-inch dice
3 red peppers (about ½ pound each), peeled with a vegetable peeler, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch strips
2 cups peeled garlic cloves (about 2 heads or 25 cloves)
1 tablespoon paprika
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
8 cups Chicken Stock or high-quality canned low-sodium chicken broth or more as needed
2 cups cooked chickpeas or canned chickpeas, rinsed well
2 tablespoons dry sherry
6 ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped into ¼-inch dice (or one 15-ounce can diced tomatoes)
½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

This rustic dish is a great introduction to cooking rabbit. The rabbit is seared, then simmered slowly in a garlicky soup broth.

Season the rabbit all over with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat (the pot should be large enough to hold the rabbit and sausage in a single layer). Add the rabbit and sausage and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add the onions to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Lower the heat if the onions are cooking too fast. Add the peppers, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the peppers just begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, bay leaves, thyme, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute.
Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, then return the rabbit and sausage to the pot. Cover and cook for 1 hour.
Flip the sausage and rabbit so they cook evenly, add the chickpeas, and cook for another 30 minutes or so, adding more stock if needed. When done, the rabbit should be just about falling off the bone.
Remove the rabbit and sausage from the pot. When it is cool enough to handle, shred the rabbit meat off the bones. Slice the sausage into ½-inch diagonal pieces. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Season the soup with salt and pepper.
Return the meat to the pot. Heat the soup to warm everything through. Add the sherry, tomatoes, and parsley and simmer for 5 minutes.
Ladle the soup into warm bowls and serve.