RABBITS FROM TUSCANY
Coelho, conejo, coniglio, iepure, kanin, kaninchen, konijn, kouneli, lapin or liebre – no matter how you say it, I have found recipes for preparing rabbit wherever I have travelled.Those who know their rabbits will tell you that flavour depends on age and diet – a young bark-eating rabbit eaten in winter being the most delicious. Wild rabbit is at its best when shot rather than snared. Tame rabbits reared in hutches are larger and fatter than wild rabbit and have a milder flavour. It's well worth remembering.
The Portuguese favour rabbit (coelho) stewed simply with onion, garlic, pimentos and white wine, while some time ago in Spain I came across a more complicated recipe from Navarre that calls for baking the rabbit (conejo) in a potato pastry. An unusual Rumanian rabbit dish (iepure) that I once enjoyed in Timisoara included black olives and a sweetish red wine in its preparation and was eaten cold with a hot maize porridge called mamaliga. In Oslo I have enjoyed roast rabbit (kanin) served with red cabbage, while in Munich I found kaninchen simmered with prunes in a local beer to be a mouth watering dish.
Two of the best rabbit meals I have had, however, were made with Italian recipes: coniglio in tegame from Florence, which relies on a mixture of herbs to bring out the best of a simple Tuscan stew, and coniglio alla’aullese, another Tuscan dish prepared by cooking the rabbit with capsicums.
With both of these recipes, rabbit can be substituted with chicken. If so, disregard the stage of overnight soaking in vinegar for the Roman rabbit with peppers
TUSCAN STEWED RABBIT
4 large rabbit joints
7 tablespoons olive oil
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped finely or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
6 fresh sage leaves, chopped finely or ½ teaspoon dried sage
6 juniper berries, crushed lightly
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
Cut each rabbit joint into 3 pieces. Lay them in a deep saucepan. Mix all the other ingredients, season with salt and pepper and pour over rabbit. Cover and marinate overnight.
Place the pan over a medium heat and bring the contents to a slow boil. Mix carefully and add more oil, or a little water, if necessary. Turn down the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve immediately. This dish goes well with boiled potatoes.
Serves 4
TUSCAN RABBIT WITH PEPPERS
4 large rabbit joints
2 tablespoons of olive oil
75 g streaky bacon (Italian pancetta is preferred if available), chopped finely
2 sticks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, diced
400 g onions, sliced finely
500 g yellow capsicums, de-seeded and sliced into strips
400 g canned tomatoes, roughly chopped
salta and pepper
Soak the rabbit joints overnight in an even mixture of cold water and vinegar. Drain the rabbit, rinse and dry carefully. Cut each joint into 3 pieces.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the bacon (or pancetta) celery and carrots on a moderate heat until the celery is transparent and soft. Add the onions and capsicums and cook for 5 minutes. Add the rabbit pieces and brown them all over. Add the tomatoes and the wine and stir while the alcohol burns off. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cover the pan. Simmer gently for 1 hour.
Serves 4
The Portuguese favour rabbit (coelho) stewed simply with onion, garlic, pimentos and white wine, while some time ago in Spain I came across a more complicated recipe from Navarre that calls for baking the rabbit (conejo) in a potato pastry. An unusual Rumanian rabbit dish (iepure) that I once enjoyed in Timisoara included black olives and a sweetish red wine in its preparation and was eaten cold with a hot maize porridge called mamaliga. In Oslo I have enjoyed roast rabbit (kanin) served with red cabbage, while in Munich I found kaninchen simmered with prunes in a local beer to be a mouth watering dish.
Two of the best rabbit meals I have had, however, were made with Italian recipes: coniglio in tegame from Florence, which relies on a mixture of herbs to bring out the best of a simple Tuscan stew, and coniglio alla’aullese, another Tuscan dish prepared by cooking the rabbit with capsicums.
With both of these recipes, rabbit can be substituted with chicken. If so, disregard the stage of overnight soaking in vinegar for the Roman rabbit with peppers
TUSCAN STEWED RABBIT
4 large rabbit joints
7 tablespoons olive oil
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped finely or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
6 fresh sage leaves, chopped finely or ½ teaspoon dried sage
6 juniper berries, crushed lightly
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
Cut each rabbit joint into 3 pieces. Lay them in a deep saucepan. Mix all the other ingredients, season with salt and pepper and pour over rabbit. Cover and marinate overnight.
Place the pan over a medium heat and bring the contents to a slow boil. Mix carefully and add more oil, or a little water, if necessary. Turn down the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve immediately. This dish goes well with boiled potatoes.
Serves 4
TUSCAN RABBIT WITH PEPPERS
4 large rabbit joints
2 tablespoons of olive oil
75 g streaky bacon (Italian pancetta is preferred if available), chopped finely
2 sticks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, diced
400 g onions, sliced finely
500 g yellow capsicums, de-seeded and sliced into strips
400 g canned tomatoes, roughly chopped
salta and pepper
Soak the rabbit joints overnight in an even mixture of cold water and vinegar. Drain the rabbit, rinse and dry carefully. Cut each joint into 3 pieces.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the bacon (or pancetta) celery and carrots on a moderate heat until the celery is transparent and soft. Add the onions and capsicums and cook for 5 minutes. Add the rabbit pieces and brown them all over. Add the tomatoes and the wine and stir while the alcohol burns off. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cover the pan. Simmer gently for 1 hour.
Serves 4
posted by antwerpalan | 18:32
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