Rabbit sauce piquante for Shoe

2 rabbits, dressed & cut into pieces
1 cup oil, divided
1/2 cup flour
5 med. onions, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 lg. bell pepper, chopped
2-(8oz cans) tomato sauce
1-(6 oz can) tomato paste
5 cups water
1/2 cup of wine (any red wine)dont forget to taste the wine to make sure it is good for cooking with ;-)take another swig, just to make sure
1 small garlic (about 6 cloves) sliced thin
1 (4&3/4oz) jar of stuffed olives
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper( i use more)
1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
2 Tablespoons chopped green onion
1 fresh lemon, thin sliced
In a dutch oven over med. heat, brown rabbits in half the oil. Remove and set aside. Using remaining oil & flour make a golden brown roux.*(see below) Add onions, celery and bell peppers and saute. Allow veggies to simmer for 10 min. Add tomato sauce, paste ,water and wine. Cook uncovered for 45-60 minutes, stirring frequently. Place browned rabbit back into the sauce mixture. Add olives, mushrooms,garlic cloves and other seasonings. Allow mixture to come to a boil, lower tempature, and then simmer till rabbit is very tender, about 2 hours. (if it is a wild rabbit, cook for 3 hrs) Add parsley & green onions the last 15 minutes of cooking time also, float about 4 thin slices of lemon in the sauce piquante. Serve over cooked spaghetti or steamed rice. Serves 8

to make a roux: heat oil in heavy pan, a black iron skillet works well. Sprinkle flour in hot oil. Stir mixture constantly back and forth and never take your eyes off of the pot! A roux gets very hot and can burn quick. You want your roux for this dish to be golden brown before adding your veggies, once the veggies are added it will no longer brown. Be careful to never add anything cold to a hot roux, as it will "blow up" on you and splatter.