Whole Roasted Rabbit With Guanciale Wilted Greens And Pan Drippings Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
• Season rabbits on all sides and inside the cavity with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
• Trim the watercress and dandelion greens, removing the woodiest stems. Cut the Treviso into halves the long way, then cut each half into thirds, and trim away any especially tough white stalky interior core.
• Lay sliced guanciale on a sheet pan large enough to hold the rabbits. (You can use 2 separate pans if necessary.) Scatter the dandelion greens, watercress and Treviso on top of the guanciale, and then place the rabbit on top, back side facing up. Drizzle the rabbit and greens with the wine and extra-virgin olive oil.
• Roast rabbits for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, check rabbits, and rotate the pans to ensure that they are cooking and browning evenly. Return to the oven to continue roasting until rabbit legs are just cooked through, about 15 more minutes.
• Let rabbit rest for 10 minutes, then cut into 8 pieces each; two hindquarters, two forequarters and four loin pieces. Transfer the guanciale and greens to a serving platter. Place the rabbit pieces on top and drizzle with the pan-drippings left on the sheet tray and a healthy drizzle of olive oil.

Steps:

• Bring a stainless-steel pot of water to a boil. (It should be large enough to hold the oranges submerged.)
• Wash and dry the oranges, and channel from stem to navel at 1/2-inch intervals, removing strips of peel while leaving the pith intact, until the oranges resemble those onion domes on Russian churches. (You need a good, sharp channeler, not a tiny-toothed zester for this one.)
• Place the oranges and their long, fat threads of channeled peel into the boiling water, and reduce to a simmer. Cover the oranges with a lid one size too small for the pot, to keep them submerged. Let them blanch for about 25 minutes to remove the harshest edge of their bitter nature. They should swell and soften but not collapse or split.
• Remove the oranges and zest from the simmering water with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Dump out the blanching water, and return the dry pot to the stove.
• In that same pot, combine the sugar with 6 cups water; bring the sugar water to a boil over medium-high, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then allow to gently boil, and reduce for 10 minutes, uncovered. You want some water to evaporate and for the syrup to take on a little body.
• Carefully place blanched oranges and zest into the sugar syrup, and reduce heat to a very slow, lethargic simmer. Cover oranges with a parchment circle cut slightly larger than the circumference of the pot (by 1 inch is enough), then place the too-small lid on top of the parchment on top of the oranges, to keep them fully submerged (and sealed under the parchment) in the sluggishly simmering syrup.
• Cook the oranges in the syrup for about 45 minutes, checking on them frequently to keep the temperature quite slow and stable, until they take on a high gloss and appear vaguely translucent and jewel-like. (We have several induction burners that come with features that can hold a temperature, and I leave the oranges at around 170 degrees for most of the candying, sometimes with a little bump up to 180. But without a thermometer or an induction burner, just a visual slow, slow, slow bubble is a good cue.)
• Cool oranges and peels in their syrup for a full 24 hours before serving. This kind of "cures" them. They get even better after 48 hours. First, you'll want to let them cool at room temperature until no longer warm to the touch, at least 4 hours, then refrigerate them until thoroughly chilled. The oranges last refrigerated for 1 month as long as they are submerged in that syrup.
• Serve very cold. Eat the whole thing, skin and all, with a knife and fork. It's like a half glacéed fruit and half fresh fruit - refreshing, tonic, digestive and so great after dinner.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Strip the chard leaves from the stems using a knife, scissors or simply your hands. Reserve the leaves for another use.
• Trim the bottom 1/8 inch of the chard stem, to remove the dry, discolored bit. Clean the stems by submerging in cold water and rinsing thoroughly.
• Aggressively season your boiling water with kosher salt.
• Working in batches, blanch the chard stems until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well, and let cool on a baker's rack or in a colander to continue draining.
• Grill blanched, dry chard stems evenly on both sides until charred and blistered here and there, like perfect pizza crust looks from a wood oven.
• Cut the stems into batons, and thoroughly dress the stems with roasted garlic oil (see recipe), a few drops of lemon juice and a few flakes of Maldon salt.

Steps:

• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Spread rabbit out as flat as possible and place it on prepared pan.
• Season both sides with salt and pepper.
• Combine oil, garlic, rosemary, coriander, peppercorns and chili powder in a small bowl.
• Rub mixture over both sides of rabbit.
• Cover and refrigerate 2-3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 475°F.
• Uncover rabbit.
• Roast until tender and cooked through, 30-35 minutes.