5 cloves garlic
1/4 cup roasted almonds
25 pitted green olives
Flour for dusting
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion
1 small hot chile, minced
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth, rabbit or other light broth
1 pound fingerling potatoes (optional)
Parsley for garnish
Pound the almonds with the garlic cloves and a pinch of salt in a mortar; you could also pulse them in a food processor or chop them finely by hand. Chop the olives roughly. Pour the olive oil in something ovenproof with a lid (a Dutch oven) and heat it over medium-high heat. Salt the squirrel and roll it in the flour. Brown the meat on all sides over medium heat. Remove the meat from the pot as it browns and set it aside. While the squirrel is browning, slice the onion in half. Grate one half through a coarse grater, and roughly chop the other half. You could also slice it in half-moons. When all the meat is browned, add the white wine and broth and scrape off any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring this to a rolling boil. When the liquid is boiling, add the almond-garlic mixture, the chile and the grated onion. Mix well and let boil for a minute. Add the squirrel back to the pot. Make sure it is not totally submerged. Halfway is ideal. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, take the pot out and add the sliced onion, the olives and the potatoes. Mix everything together. Cover the pot again and return to the oven for another 45 minutes to an hour.