A Life, Lived: Baked Rabbit with Fennel (Coniglio al Forno con Finoccio)

It was Palma's turn to select the recipe for the Sunday Slow Suppers group on slowtravel to play with. Her category was roast and she posted this recipe which while calling for rabbit could also be made with chicken thingh or even breasts. The recipe is from The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food by Lynn Rossetto Kasper.

I was going to do the chicken version and then I remembered the hunt for goat and how much I enjoyed being pushed out of my food comfort zone. I've eaten rabbit while on trips to Italy but never cooked with it. I LOVE the taste of rabbit. So if I went to that much effort to try a meat I had never eaten and didn't know if I would even like the taste then why the heck wouldn't I cook with Thumper?

Of course it made no sense at all - which is often the case with most food phobias.

Palma wrote:

The first time I made this I used a rabbit, and it was amazing. The scent in the kitchen was heavenly. Using chicken thighs, it has become a standard at our house. It is also a great company dish, as it requires very little last minute effort once it is in the oven. It's great with chicken, but if you can find/deal with eating a rabbit, it is worth the expense.

Yesterday we got to experience just what she spoke of.

I was able to find rabbit at my regular grocery store. The butcher kindly chopped it into eight pieces for me. While he was doing that he removed something from inside the carcass - I presume it was similar to the gizzards in a turkey or chicken. He seemed quite put out when I said that I didn't want to have them. No doubt thye taste wonderful but to me it was just 'EWW'!

In fact, the most challenging part of the recipe was the fennel. I never have trouble finding fennel. We love the stuff - either in a dish or chopped up in a salad. MMM I can sniff it out easily but for some reason the fennel this week was TINY. There was no way I was going to pay $ 3 for a bulb of fennel that was smaller than my fist. Even this food obsessed fool has his limits. Finally, after three stops, I was able to find 2 bulbs of fennel that wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen out in public.

Yesterday was one of those days that seemed to get away from us. Lots of work. Some visiting fun. A long nap. The next thing I knew it was 5 and this hadn't gone in the oven! I had seasoned the rabbit the night before and left it in the fridge overnight so as tempted as I was to order a pizza I really had to cook that bunny.

ARGH

Anyway, it came together quickly and soon the entire house was filled with the intoxicating aroma. OH WOW. I could NOT wait to dig in. Sadly it was to be delayed gratification because this bunny had to roast for a good long time.

The recipe itself was easy to follow and I made no changes at all to it - unusual for me. 'Why mess with perfection,' I say.

We sat down to eat at 8:30 - apparently we're on Italy time - perfect for an Italian themed dinner. We both loved this dish. The rabbit was 'fall-off-of-the-bone tender' and the amazing caramelized fennel was the perfect thing to go with it. The great thing about this recipe is that it also works with chicken so now I shall have to try that as well. MMMM

Coniglio al Forno con Finoccio

2 1/2-2 3/4 lb rabbit, cut into 8 pieces
or 8 chicken thighs

Seasoning the Rabbit
1 large clove of garlic (I used 4)
1 1/2 inch sprig of rosemary (I used 4)
1/2 t. salt (I'm sure I used a t. of sea salt)
1/8 t. pepper (you got it)

Cooking the Rabbit
2 bulbs fennel cut into 1 1/2 " wedges
1 large onion, cut into 1 1/2 " wedges
3 oz. pancetta, minced
3 cloves of garlic, split
1 t. fennel seeds
1/2 c. coarsely chopped fennel leaves
4 T. extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 c. white wine

Pan Sauce
1/4 c. white wine
1/2 c. chicken stock

The rabbit or chicken tastes best when seasoned one day ahead. I blended the first four ingredients in the food processor with a drizzle of olive oil to make a paste. Rub on the rabbit pieces, and refrigerate overnight in a zip lock.

Two hours and 15 minutes before you would like to eat, preheat the oven to 350. Use a roasting pan or baking dish large enough to hold the rabbit pieces and onions and fennel. Scatter fennel, onion, pancetta, garlic, and fennel seeds around and between the pieces, and put half the fennel leaves on top. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast 30 minutes.

Add wine, and roast for another hour. Baste every 15 minutes with pan juices. If pan becomes too dry, add a little more wine or water. (Mine was nice and juicy.)

Raise the heat to 450. Cook 15 more minutes until rabbit becomes golden brown. Turn rabbit pieces, and roast another 15 minutes, basting once more. Veggies should be caramelized.

Transfer rabbit and vegetables to a heated platter and keep warm in the oven while you make a quick pan sauce. Set the roasting pan over two burners on high heat, and de-glaze with the wine and stock. Scrape any brown pieces from pan and boil down liquid to about half. (Be careful of heat level if you are using a pyrex pan). De-glaze for 3-5 minutes. Scatter remaining fennel leaves over rabbit and serve sauce in gravy boat or bowl alongside rabbit.

Comments

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Oh, my that looks delicious. I grew up eating rabbit, I just tried not to think about it too much, but I do love it. The protein in it is more than chicken, and it is very lean, so it has a lot going for it. If I just didn't think about Thumper every time. What a great looking dish...chicken will be a good sub...or maybe I will go outside the box once in awhile.

Posted by: Kayte | May 02, 2010 at 10:49 AM

Great recipe! We love rabbit - but I prefer to buy it from the butcher, too. Although, with the 100 or so making a disaster in my garden this spring I may change my mind.... The local farmer says they're really easy to skin (eww)

Posted by: katie | May 02, 2010 at 03:35 PM