Please try this recipe. Nothing would make me happier than to see more dedicated home cooks in this country cooking rabbit. And for those of you just starting to cook, you really should make use of this delicious and healthful meat. It’s always been an important food on our family table. When I was a child, in our town of Busoler, every family had a pen of rabbits—including my namesake Aunt Lidia, my mother’s sister—and even as I gathered grass to feed them and played with them, I understood how important it was to nourish them, so they would nourish us. Today, though, while rabbit dishes are popular in my restaurants, especially as a pasta condiment, I notice that customers still regard rabbit as a fancy and different food, especially the saddle (the loin section) of rabbit. The truth is, rabbit is easy to cook and is as versatile and tasty as chicken. Here, then, is a typical rabbit dish from my kitchen, which I still prepare often for family dinners. I always buy whole rabbits and cut them up myself, as I demonstrate in the photos alongside. Like poultry, rabbit is easy to divide. Let the joints show you where to cut off the meaty leg pieces. The back pieces are easy to chop with a sturdy chef’s knife or a small cleaver. If you prefer, though, ask your butcher to cut up the rabbit into eight or ten pieces for you. I am sure you’ll love this cacciatore (hunter’s-style) rabbit. During the first 40 minutes, the cooking is purposely slow and relaxed, as the meat gradually caramelizes with herbs, fresh peppers, and other vegetables and seasonings. Add these as you prepare them—you don’t need to rush. Once you’ve developed many layers of flavor, you pour in some broth, cover the pan, and let the rabbit braise for another 20 minutes.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4 with leftovers

　　1 rabbit, about 3 1/2 pounds

　　1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt, plus more to taste

　　1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　5 or 6 plump garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

　　8 or 9 large fresh sage leaves

　　3 sprigs fresh rosemary

　　1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, halved, drained, and dried

　　4 large shallots, peeled and sliced in half (about 4 ounces)

　　1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste

　　2 or 3 pickled hot cherry peppers, drained, seeded, and quartered, or an equivalent amount of Tuscan preserved peppers plus 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon peperoncini (hot red pepper flakes)

　　1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

　　3/4 cup white wine

　　3 large bell peppers, red and yellow (1 1/2 pounds), cored, seeded, and cut in 1-inch pieces

　　1 cup or more hot Turkey Broth (page 80) or Simple Vegetable Broth (page 288) or other light stock

　　

Recommended Equipment

A cleaver or heavy chef’s knife, for cutting up the rabbit

　　A 12- or 14-inch deep skillet or braising pan with a tight cover

　　

Cutting Up the Rabbit

Step 1

Following the photographs, lay the rabbit on its side; lift up the thigh of the meaty hind leg, then twist it around and bend it back to expose the joint. Cut into the flesh there and through the joint to separate the leg-thigh piece. Turn the rabbit over and separate the other hind leg in the same way.

　　

Step 2

Lift the foreleg on one side, find and sever the shoulder joint, and pull off the leg from the backbone.

　　

Step 3

Clean all the fat from the cavity. Cut off the neck, slicing crosswise through the backbone just above the rib cage. Cut off the tail end of the backbone, slicing crosswise just below the meaty flaps of the saddle—chop the backbone here with a cleaver or a sturdy kitchen knife.

　　

Step 4

Cut crosswise through the meat flaps and backbone where the saddle meets the rib cage; make an initial cut with your knife, then chop with the cleaver to separate the rib piece from the saddle.

　　

Step 5

Cut and chop the saddle in half, crosswise. Spread open the two sides of the rib cage and split them apart down the middle.

　　

Step 6

You now have eight good serving pieces plus the two small pieces of neck and tail.

　　

Cooking the Meat and Seasonings

Step 7

Toss the rabbit pieces with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt to season them on all sides.

　　

Step 8

Pour the 1/3 cup olive oil into the braising pan, swirling it around, and set over medium heat. As the pan heats, lay in the meatiest rabbit pieces, close together in one layer, tucking the remaining pieces (like the rib pieces) on top.

　　

Step 9

Cook, without turning, to let the meat caramelize slowly, and scatter the garlic, sage leaves, and rosemary sprigs on top. After 6 or 7 minutes, or whenever the undersides of the rabbit pieces are opaque and just lightly browned, turn them over and move them around. Brown gently now for 10 minutes or so, turning again once to let the seasonings tumble in between.

　　

Step 10

Scatter the sun-dried tomato halves over the rabbit pieces, turning them again so the tomatoes fall to the bottom. Clear a space and drop in the shallots; cook them in the hot spot for a minute or two, then tumble them in with the rabbit pieces. Clear another spot, drop in the tomato paste, toast it for a minute, then turn and move the pieces around in the pan, distributing the tomato paste.

　　

Step 11

The rabbit should be browned all over by now; if not, turn any pale sides to the pan bottom. Drop in the cherry-pepper pieces in hot spots and toast them for a minute.

　　

Step 12

Turn the heat up a bit, and pour the vinegar into the pan in several clear places; let it steam and sizzle, then pour the white wine all around. Turn the rabbit pieces as the wine heats and starts to cook off.

　　

Step 13

Now scatter the bell-pepper pieces into the pan and continue to cook, turning occasionally and maintaining the heat so the juices in the pan are gently sizzling and evaporating and light browning continues.

　　

Step 14

After 12 minutes or so, when the pepper pieces have softened and the rabbit has caramelized more and the pan bottom is nearly dry, drizzle over another tablespoon or two of the olive oil and turn the pieces. Pour in the cup of hot broth and stir it with the seasonings, scraping the bottom to dissolve any glaze.

　　

Covered Cooking and Serving

Step 15

When the broth is simmering, cover and cook about 15 minutes, then sprinkle on another 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt (taste to determine how much). Turn everything again, stirring to deglaze the bottom of the pan; the liquid should be reducing and thickening gradually; adjust the heat if necessary.

　　

Step 16

Cover and cook a final 10 to 15 minutes, or until broth and juices have concentrated into a small amount of thick sauce, enough to coat the rabbit, and the meat is tender. If there’s not enough liquid, pour in broth, a few tablespoons at a time, heat, and stir to blend.

　　

Step 17

Remove the pan from the heat. Serve right away, or cover the pan to keep the rabbit warm. If it has cooled or the sauce thickens, reheat the rabbit gently with small amounts of broth to refresh and moisten it. Taste for seasoning before serving.

　　

Serving Ideas . . .

Step 18

Rabbit cacciatore is delightful served as is with some piping polenta or a good crusty bread to mop up the silky sauce.

　　

Step 19

You can also use the sauce to dress pasta and serve it with the rabbit, especially Whole Wheat Pasta (page 148) or Poor Man’s Pasta shaped into boccoli (page 133), or garganelli (page 143).

　　

Step 20

Potato Gnocchi (page 210) and Whole Wheat Gnocchi (page 211) are also good companions for this dish.

　　

Step 21

If you have any leftovers, pick the meat off the bones and mix with what sauce you may have left. Add this to the Basic Risotto (page 224), halfway through the cooking.

　　From Lidia's Family table by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright (c) 2004 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Published by Knopf.Lidia Bastianich hosts the hugely popular PBS show, "Lidia's Italian-American kitchen" and owns restaurants in New York City, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Also the author of Lidia's Italian Table and Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, she lives in Douglaston, New York. Jay Jacob's journalism has appeared in many national magazines.From the Trade Paperback edition.