Ligurian Rabbit

Name: Ligurian Rabbit
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 100 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Rabbit 4.4 lbs; Taggiasca olives 3.5 oz; Pine nuts 0.3 cup; Onions 1; Garlic 1 clove; Meat broth 1 ¾ cup; Rossese di Dolceacqua wine 1 glass; Thyme 2 sprigs; Rosemary 1 sprig; Bay leaves 2 leaves; Extra virgin olive oil approximately 7 ½ tbsp; Fine salt to taste

Gluten Free
Lactose Free

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Serving: 6 persone
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

Ligurian rabbit is a second course that's simple yet rich in flavor, thanks to the addition of typical local ingredients such as Taggiasca olives, pine nuts, and aromatic herbs. The slow cooking of the rabbit results in succulent meat with a soft and delicate texture, and the use of Rossese di Dolceacqua, a typical red wine from the Riviera di Ponente, helps create a delicious sauce that ties all the elements together and envelops every bite. However, the recipe can vary from region to region or from family to family, and in Ligurian cuisine, there are alternatives with white wine and walnuts, for example. Try our version of Ligurian rabbit and serve it with a side of potatoes or seasonal vegetables... but most importantly, don't forget some slices of good homemade bread to soak up the sauce!

If you're looking for more rabbit recipes, also try:

Rabbit in a pan
Baked rabbit
Stewed rabbit
Hunter's rabbit
Rolled rabbit

INGREDIENTS: Rabbit 4.4 lbs (1.5 kg); Taggiasca olives 3.5 oz (100 g); Pine nuts 0.3 cup (40 g); Onions 1; Garlic 1 clove; Meat broth 1 ¾ cup (400 g); Rossese di Dolceacqua wine 1 glass; Thyme 2 sprigs; Rosemary 1 sprig; Bay leaves 2 leaves; Extra virgin olive oil 7 ½ tbsp (100 g) - approximately; Fine salt to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Ligurian Rabbit

To prepare Ligurian rabbit, first make the meat broth with our recipe and keep it warm. Cut the whole rabbit into a dozen pieces 1. In a pan, add the oil, garlic 2, and chopped onion 3, then let it brown over low heat for a few minutes.

Remove the sauté from the pan and set it aside. Place the pieces of meat in the same pan 4 and brown over medium heat for 5-6 minutes per side 5, until the meat turns a nice golden color. Meanwhile, chop the rosemary needles 6.

Add the sauté back to the pan 7, along with the bay leaves 8 and thyme 9.

Add the chopped rosemary 10 and deglaze with the red wine 11. Once all the alcohol has evaporated, add the Taggiasca olives 12.

Finally, add the pine nuts 13 and pour in the broth 14. Cover with a lid 15 and cook over low heat for an hour or until the rabbit becomes tender.

Turn the meat occasionally 16 and salt halfway through cooking 17. You can add more broth if needed. Your Ligurian rabbit is ready to be served 18!

Storage

Ligurian rabbit can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Before serving it again, reheat it gently in a pan, adding a bit of broth or water to keep the meat tender and the sauce creamy.

Advice

Nothing of the rabbit goes to waste! If you've bought a whole one, you can use the head (by boiling it with a few bay leaves, a carrot, and a stalk of celery) to make the broth with which you'll moisten the rabbit during cooking. The cooking liquid will be even more precious, especially if you've enriched it with a good glass of Rossese di Dolceacqua. In any case, don't throw it away because if you've prepared this dish in advance, you can simply reheat it when serving, allowing the sauce to thicken.

Curiosity

A tidbit about Rossese di Dolceacqua: it's said that even Napoleon was so impressed by the goodness and delicacy of this red wine that he granted the Ligurians the "favor" of naming it after himself, but the people of Dolceacqua, proud and stubborn, refused the general's kind offer and continued to call it by its original name.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.