Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021
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ISCHIA-STYLE RABBIT
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
2 rabbits cut into pieces (or one chicken leg and thigh per person)
1 bulb of garlic, cut in half
1 ¾ cup of shallots, sliced
1 chili, cut in half length-ways (I used ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes)
2 cups + 3 tablespoons of white wine
2 cups + 3 tablespoons of chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup of tomatoes (about 3-4 plumb tomatoes quartered)
2 bay leaves
1 bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
1 bunch of basil, roughly chopped (reserve a few leaves whole for garnish)
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
1. Using a cleaver or heavy butcher knife, cut the rabbits into pieces: the shoulders, ribs, loins, and hind legs. Discard the liver, heart, and other organs or save them for another use. Season all of the pieces with salt and pepper and dust lightly with a little flour.
2. Working in batches, sauté the rabbit pieces with a little olive oil in a skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, adding more oil as necessary until all the pieces are golden brown. When all the pieces are browned, tent and set the rabbit to one side and discard the oil from the pan.
3. Add another tablespoon of olive oil and add the garlic, shallots, and chili (red pepper flakes). Cook, stirring occasionally for a few minutes over medium-high heat until the shallots are golden. Don’t burn the pan.
4. Deglaze the pan with the white wine scraping up the browned pieces in the pan. After about 2-3 minutes, add the tomatoes and the chicken/vegetable stock. Bring to a boil over medium to high heat.
5. Add the chopped parsley and basil and continue to cook over med-high heat for 10 minutes.
6. Add the reserved pieces of rabbit in a single layer to a roasting pan, pour the sauce over the rabbit, and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes. The sauce will thicken and the rabbit will turn golden brown.
7. Adjust the salt and pepper to your taste and serve garnished with fresh basil leaves.
Note: this dish pairs well with buttered potatoes and parsley and green beans sauteed with garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest.