Bryan Martin's rabbit paella with chorizo and morcilla twist

"Whatever you say, or do, you cannot let your mother know that this is what we are thinking, because, son, it is far easier, by a long shot, to seek forgiveness than it is to get permission." This was a conversation I was having with my 12-year-old son, who was about to get the greatest gift as a parent-father – a DJI Phantom 3.

For those who don't know, this Phantom is new-generation drone that can travel distances of up to two kilometres, can fly 100 metres high and travel at close to 60km an hour.

While my son researches the drone on his iPad, I say: "Let's look at some facts about rabbits. Did you know rabbits have amazing vision? Not just the seeing-at-night-carrot thing but they have panoramic vision, which makes them really hard to sneak up on. Rabbits form intricate social groups, are symbols of fertility and compassion and when they jump up in the air, they are actually jumping for joy. Now how's that search going?"

The main reason we aren't to share our little project with the "trouble-and-strife" is that, firstly, my wife will question why I'm all of a sudden an expert on flying toys – as she'll no doubt refer to the Phantom 3.

"What do you mean, you were playing with this toy at work?" Even I can predict this, and from there: "What exactly do you do each day, now that we are on that topic?".

See what I mean … questions that need not be asked being asked – and then the two-grand price will come up, which seems really reasonable, and then questions on why I think this is good parenting.

So, best to just get the drone, cook a nice meal, open some wine and hope it doesn't come up. By the time the question of "What the hell is that?" arises, we'll be so proficient at driving the Phantom and have come up with some useful reason for having it.

"Well, honey…" I know, in my mind I'm on a winner here, what could go wrong? "…It's a bird-control device for the vineyard, pest and disease management, mapping, you know, stuff like that…"

Or "It's for him, he made me do it … how good was that rabbit?"

Yes there are many holes in my plan and I'm destined to keep finding interesting roles this Phantom 3 will play in my life – like next time a volcano erupts or a meteor rockets towards Murrumbateman, who will be there to capture the high-definition images?

In the meantime, all this talk of rabbits, drones and Spain is making me hungry. This simple paella comes to mind, fortified with sherry and Spanish sausage. You can easily swap rabbits for chicken here, but a wild rabbit will give the dish an added complexity and you'll be doing the environment a favour eating these cute little pests.

Rabbit paella with chorizo and morcilla

1 large white rabbit
olive oil
200g spicy chorizo, sliced
100g morcilla sausage, sliced
1 large red onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
½ cup amontillado sherry
400g tin peeled tomatoes, crushed up
2-3 cups rich chicken stock
large pinch of saffron threads
300g paella rice (Bomba or similar)
chopped rosemary, parsley and oregano
salt and pepper

Cut the rabbit into 12 pieces on the bone, season with salt and pepper. Heat a big splash of olive oil in a wide pan, or paella pan, fry the two sliced sausages separately to seal the meat, scoop out and reserve. Add the rabbit pieces and cook until they are browned all over, remove. Add the chopped fresh vegetables and cook until transparent, deglaze with the sherry and add the crushed tomatoes.

Put the rabbit back in and cook over a low heat for about an hour. Meanwhile, heat the stock and add the saffron, keep warm. Once the rabbit is approaching tenderness, add the rice and stock. Bring to a simmer and add the sausage and herbs. Let this bubble away, don't stir, just agitate a little, it should take at least 30 minutes to absorb the stock. Add extra warm stock if needed. Season and serve with a glass of Mount Majura Graciano, the perfect wine for this dish.

Bryan Martin is the winemaker at Clonakilla and Ravensworth.