Italian Braised Rabbit Recipes

Steps:

• Cut the rabbit into 9 pieces (or ask your butcher to) as follows: with a sharp cleaver, cut the saddle (center portion) into 3 pieces, leaving the kidneys attached. Cut the front portion (front legs) in half through the backbone. Chop each hind leg into 2 pieces. Reserve the liver and heart to sauté as a snack.
• Heat .25 inch of olive oil in a Dutch oven or deep, wide heavy skillet over medium heat. Season the rabbit pieces with salt and pepper, then dust lightly with flour. Lightly brown the rabbit for about 3 minutes on both sides, working in batches. Drain on kitchen towels, then transfer to a baking dish in one layer. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Pour off the used oil, wipe out the pan and add 2 tablespoons fresh oil. Heat to medium-high, add the onions and cook till soft, about 5 minutes. Add the leek, garlic, rosemary and mushrooms. Season generously with salt and pepper, and add red pepper flakes to taste. Cook for 2 minutes more, stirring.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and wine, and let the mixture reduce for 1 minute. Add the broth, bring to a simmer, taste and adjust seasonings.
• Ladle the mixture evenly over the rabbit. Cover the dish, and bake for 1 hour. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Have the rabbit cut up like a chicken, the saddle should be cut into three or four pieces. The saddle is the rounded portion of the back between the shoulder and loin. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Put a couple of tablespoons of flour into a paper bag. Put the rabbit pieces in the bag, roll the top shut, then shake the bag to evenly coat the rabbit with the flour. Heat the oil in a large, lidded skillet over a medium flame. Add the onions, shallot and carrots and sauté them for a couple of minutes. Remove to a bowl. Put the rabbit pieces in the skillet and brown them all around. Return the vegetables to the pan. Pour in the red wine and the brandy, then add the tomato paste and the can of tomatoes, with the juice. Stir to dissolve the paste into the liquid. Then scatter the herbs around and give everything a good grinding of black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and put into the oven. After about 20 minutes, take the pan out of the oven and remove the lid. Stir in the chopped up liver and the olives. Put the lid back, then return the pan to the oven. The rabbit should be done in another 20 minutes. This is terrific with pretty much any carb that you like-rice, mashed potatoes, a tubular pasta.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan. When hot, add the rabbit, brown on all sides, then remove from the pan and set aside.
• Add the bacon, onion and carrot to the pan and cook for 10 mins until soft. Add the garlic, rosemary and tomato purée, stir for 1-2 mins, then pour in the wine and chicken stock.
• Return the rabbit to the pan, season, cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for 1 hr until the rabbit is really tender.
• Remove the rabbit from the pan and shred the meat using 2 forks. Be careful to remove all small bones. Meanwhile, increase the heat under the pan and boil the liquid for 5 mins until reduced by half. Add the shredded meat and reduce the heat to low. Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted water following pack instructions. Drain, reserving a little pasta water to thin the sauce if necessary.
• Stir half the orange zest, mustard, cream and parsley into the rabbit sauce. Add the cooked pasta to the pan, toss everything well to coat and heat through for 1-2 mins. Serve in bowls with grated Parmesan, parsley leaves and the remaining orange zest.

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook rabbit in oil until lightly browned; remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute onion until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, thyme, pepper and bay leaf. , Return rabbit to pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until meat is tender and a thermometer reads 160°., Remove rabbit to a serving platter. Discard bay leaf. Combine the flour, lemon juice and water until smooth; stir into pan juice. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with rabbit.

Steps:

• Rinse the rabbit pieces in cold water and pat dry.
• In a deep wide skillet with a lid, put the oil, celery, garlic, and the rabbit in a single layer. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 2 hours. Turn the meat once or twice. If some of the ingredients begin to scorch, add a little water.
• After 2 hours, the rabbit may have thrown off a lot of liquid. Uncover the pan, turn the heat up to medium, and cook until the liquid has evaporated, turning the meat from time to time.
• Add the wine, rosemary, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, until the wine has evaporated.
• Dissolve the bouillon cube, tomato paste, and sugar in the warm water. Pour it over the rabbit, and cook gently for another 12 to 15 minutes, basting and turning the rabbit two or three times.
• Serve immediately, accompanied by polenta if desired.
• (The dish may be prepared entirely ahead of time. Reheat gently with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water over low heat, covered, turning the meat occasionally.).

Steps:

• In a large bowl stir together flour and salt. Add rabbit and toss to coat. In a heavy kettle heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown rabbit in batches, transferring pieces to a bowl.
• Add onion and remaining tablespoon oil to kettle and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned. Stir in garlic and rosemary and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth, wine, and rabbit with any juices accumulated in bowl and simmer, covered, 1 hour, or until rabbit is tender. Remove lid and simmer until sauce is thickened slightly. Stir in parsley.
• Stir sage into warm polenta. Serve polenta topped with rabbit and sauce.
• To make basic polenta:
• In a heavy saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of pan, about 40 minutes for cornmeal and about 15 minutes 2for instant polenta. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. Stir polenta just before using. Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.
• Note: In the traditional method of cooking polenta, forty minutes of constant stirring is required to achieve a lumpless texture and fragrant flavor. However, Italian-food expert Marcella Hazan has developed a method that involves very little stirring during this time. We believe it produces a very good polenta, one nearly as flavorful and smooth as the traditional procedure. To make satisfactory polenta in a real hurry, an imported instant polenta (precooked cornmeal) is available. This cooks in a mere fifteen minutes.

Steps:

• In large casserole over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and add onion, bacon, bay leaves, sage, rosemary and cloves. Saute, stirring constantly, until onion is wilted, about 4 minutes.
• Season rabbit pieces with salt and pepper to taste. Add rabbit to casserole, and saute until lightly browned, about 3 minutes a side. Add tomato paste and wine. Stir, scraping bottom of pan. Add stock. Simmer partly covered until rabbit is cooked, about 40 minutes.
• Remove rabbit pieces to a platter, and keep them warm. Strain sauce, and return it to a clean pan. Bring it to a boil, and reduce for 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Pour sauce over rabbit, and serve with polenta.

Steps:

• For Sauce.
• Heat oil in heavy 4-quart nonaluminum saucepan over medium heat.
• Add onion,carrot,celery and parsley and brown, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes.
• Add garlic and basil and cook 15 seconds.
• Mix in tomatoes.
• Reduce heat and simmer until reduced and thick,stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
• Can be prepared 3 days ahead and refrigerated.
• For Rabbit.
• Remove long loin piece on each side of backbone by cutting between meat and bone with sharp knife.
• Halve each loin crosswise;cut off remaining meat from bones.
• Put rabbit meat in large bowl; mix in wine,bay leaves,garlic, rosemary, pepper and cloves.
• Marinate at least 5 hours at cool room temperature or overnight in refrigerator, turning occasionally.
• Remove rabbit from marinade and pat dry;reserve marinade.
• Heat oil in nonaluminum heavy large skillet over medium heat.
• Add pancetta and brown, stirring frequently.
• Remove, using a slotted spoon.
• Add rabbit loins to skillet and sear on all sides; do not brown.
• Cool and refrigerate.
• Brown remaining rabbit meat over medium heat in batches(do not crowd).
• Transfer to heavy 5-quart saucepan, using a slotted spoon.
• Pour off all but 3 tablespoonfuls fat from skillet.
• Add pancetta to skillet and stir over medium heat 2 minutes;pour in marinade.
• Simmer until reduced to thick syrup, scraping up any browned bits, about 25 minutes.
• Pour over rabbit meat (keep loin refrigerated).
• Stir in tomato sauce;cover partially and simmer gently until rabbit meat is tender, about 25 minutes;cool.
• Refrigerate tomato mixture overnight(can be prepared 2 days ahead).
• Bring tomato mixture to a simmer;stir in loin pieces and simmer until tender, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes.
• Discard bay leaves and fresh rosemary.
• Transfer rabbit mixture to platter.
• Serve immediately with polenta or pasta.