Rosemary Rabbit Food

ROSEMARY RABBIT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread the thinly sliced onion onto the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan.
• Rub the rabbit with lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkle inside and out with a mixture of rosemary, parsley, and cumin. Place rabbit into the roasting pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, then sprinkle almonds over the onions. Continue baking until the meat has turned opaque, about 15 minutes.

GRILLED RABBIT WITH ROSEMARY AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Cut the rabbit in 8 pieces; the legs, 2 pieces from the loin, and 2 from the ribs.
• place them in a bowl or Ziploc bag, and add oil.
• mince the garlic and chop the rosemary; add the rabbit, mix to coat well.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Allow to marinate for at least 2 hrs, or overnight.
• Prepare to grill.
• Grill for 8-10 min per side.
• time indicated is chill and grill time.

WHOLE ROASTED RABBIT WITH GARLIC, ROSEMARY AND CORIANDER

Steps:

• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Spread rabbit out as flat as possible and place it on prepared pan.
• Season both sides with salt and pepper.
• Combine oil, garlic, rosemary, coriander, peppercorns and chili powder in a small bowl.
• Rub mixture over both sides of rabbit.
• Cover and refrigerate 2-3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 475°F.
• Uncover rabbit.
• Roast until tender and cooked through, 30-35 minutes.

RABBIT CON SALSICCIA, ROASTED GARLIC, LEMON, AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• If you are making the stock, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Place the rabbit bones and the leek, onion, and carrot on a baking sheet and roast, shaking the pan occasionally for even cooking, until they're evenly browned, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the bones and vegetables to a large stockpot. Add the chicken stock to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off the foam that rises to the top. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, skimming as needed. Remove the stock from the heat, pour it through a fine-mesh strainer, and discard the contents of the strainer. Use the stock, or set it aside to cool to room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to three days.
• To prepare the rabbit legs, place the legs in a nonreactive baking dish large enough to fit them in a single layer and season them all over with the salt. Set the legs aside at room temperature to cure for 1 1/2 hours. Rinse the rabbit legs and the baking dish, wipe the legs and the dish dry, and return the legs to the dish. Pour the milk in the dish, adding more if necessary to cover the rabbit legs. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place the legs in the refrigerator for 1 hour. (Soaking the rabbits in milk desalinates them.) Remove the legs from the refrigerator, and remove them from the milk. Discard the milk, rinse the rabbit legs under water, and pat them dry with paper towels.
• To make the sausage, place the rabbit loins and bellies in a nonreactive baking dish or a sealable plastic bag and season with the pepper, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cover the dish with plastic wrap or seal the plastic bag and place the rabbit in the refrigerator to cure, at least 3 hours or overnight.
• One hour before you are ready to complete the sausage, place the rabbit loins and bellies and the pancetta in the freezer to chill. (This makes the meats easier to pass through the meat grinder.) Fill a large bowl with ice water and have a small bowl ready to set inside. Fit a meat grinder with a small die. Remove the rabbit and pancetta from the freezer and pass them together through the grinder into the smaller bowl. Place the bowl with the meat inside the bowl of ice and set aside to chill while you prepare the rest of the ingredients for the sausage.
• Combine the oil, minced onion, garlic, and rosemary needles in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat and sauté until the onion and garlic are soft and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly and adding a splash of water to the pan from time to time to prevent the onion and garlic from browning. Remove the bowl with the rabbit and pancetta from the ice water, reserving the ice water for dipping your hands into, and add the contents of the sauté pan to the smaller bowl. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, and nutmeg and stir gently until the ingredients are combined. Add 2 tablespoons of the ice water and mix the meats and vegetables with your hands, adding more ice water, if necessary, to make the mixture sticky and tacky. Dip your hands in the bowl of ice water to prevent the meat from sticking to your fingers. Pick up a 1 1/2-ounce portion and mold it into a 1-inch-thick patty. Place the patty on a baking sheet or plate and repeat with the remaining meat. (The sausages can be prepared to this point up to five days in advance. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the sausages until you are ready to braise them, or freeze for up to several months.)
• To cook the rabbit legs, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or high-sided, ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat until the oil is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rabbit legs to the pan in a single layer, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes on the first side, until they are golden brown. (If you do not have a pan large enough to fit all of the legs, cook them in two batches, cooking all of the hind legs in one batch and the forelegs in another batch and adding more olive oil to the pan in between batches, if necessary.) Turn the rabbit legs and cook them for 2 minutes on the other side. Remove the legs to a plate and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the celery, carrot, leek, and sliced onion and sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic cloves and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and softened. Add the wine, increase the heat to high, and cook until it reduces by half, about 10 minutes. Return the rabbit legs, nestling them in a single layer in the pan and place the rosemary and chile on top. Alternatively, if your pan is not large enough to hold all of the legs, pour the contents of the pan into a baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer. Gradually add the stock to just cover the rabbit. If you have industrial-strength plastic wrap, which won't melt in the oven, cover the pan or baking dish tightly with plastic wrap. In either case cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and put the lid on the pot if it has one. Place the rabbit in the oven to braise for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is fork- tender and the joints move easily, checking for doneness after 1 hour. Remove the rabbit legs from the oven, remove the lid, and remove and discard the foil and plastic, if you used it, being careful not to burn yourself with the steam that will rise from the pan. Set the rabbit aside to cool in the braising liquid for at least 30 minutes. You can prepare the rabbit to this point up to five days in advance. Cool the rabbit in the braising liquid to room temperature. Cover the pot with plastic wrap or transfer the rabbit with the liquid to an airtight container and refrigerate until you are ready to serve it.
• To finish the rabbit, if it is still warm from the braising liquid, heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high until the oil is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sausages and cook them about 1 minute on each side, until they are golden brown. Remove the sausage to a plate lined with paper towels and drain the oil from the pan, leaving just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic, rosemary sprig, and red pepper flakes, and sauté for about 2 minutes, until the garlic is golden brown and slightly caramelized. Add the rabbit legs and 1 cup of the reserved rabbit stock or chicken stock. Increase the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon zest strips, and place the pan in the oven, uncovered, until the meat is heated through, about 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and remove the sausage from the pan. Place the pan over high heat, spooning the sauce over the rabbit as it cooks, until the sauce is thick and gravy-like and has reduced by about half, 7 to 9 minutes. Add the sausage back to the sauce to warm it from the residual heat in the pan.
• If you have prepared the rabbit in advance and are rewarming it, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the rabbit in the braising liquid in the oven about for 20 minutes, basting it with the sauce occasionally, until it is warmed through. Cook the sausage and sauce as directed above.
• To serve, pile the cavolo nero in the center of each plate, dividing it evenly. Nestle one rabbit leg on each mound of the cavolo and rest the other leg against the first at a perpendicular angle. Place one sausage patty on either side of each serving of rabbit and lay the garlic cloves and rosemary sprig on top. Spoon the sauce over the rabbit, dividing it evenly.
• suggested wine pairing
• Chianti Classico (Tuscany)

SICILIAN BRAISED RABBIT, ROSEMARY POTATOES, FIERY PILACCA SAUCE

Steps:

• Add the rabbit to a mixing bowl that's easily big enough to hold all the pieces. Pour the white wine vinegar over the rabbit and use your fingers to give the pieces a thorough coating of vinegar. Let the rabbit sit for ten minutes with an occasional mix in the vinegar. Then drain the rabbit in a colander and keep as much of the vinegar as you can - it's going to join the rabbit a little later when you start to braise it.
• Once the rabbit has drained, use some kitchen towel to pat the pieces dry.
• Time now for some gentle frying of the rabbit. For that, I used a big cast-iron Dutch oven, and fried the rabbit in two batches. It makes sense to use a big pot like that right from the start because that's where all the rest of the ingredients are going to braise the rabbit.
• Set your big pot on a medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Let it heat for a minute or so and then add your first batch of rabbit in an evenly spaced single layer. Drop the heat to low-medium and fry the pieces to give them a pale gold color on both sides. That'll take about 5 minutes at a slow sizzle on each side.
• Use a slotted spoon to remove the rabbit and set it aside on a big plate. Try to leave as much oil as you can in the pot and repeat the gentle frying process for the second batch of rabbit.
• Now add the onions, carrots, bay leaves, and salt to the pot and set the heat to medium-low. You're aiming to fry the mix so that the onions soften, and the carrots pick up a little browning color. That will take about 7 minutes with a few watchful stirs on medium-low.
• Turn the heat to medium, and stir in the serrano peppers, garlic, celery, bell peppers, oregano, and thyme. Let the mix fry for 3 minutes with a couple of stirs. You want the peppers and celery to soften a little, but not to start picking up any color. That's important because you want the peppers to keep their bright colors, and, along with the celery, to retain a fair amount of their body.
• Stir in the vinegar you kept from the rabbit and turn the heat to high. As soon as the vinegar starts to bubble, drop the heat to medium and add the water, sugar, capers, olives, and black pepper. Give the lot a good stir and then carefully add your rabbit and all the juices from its plate. Don't stir the pieces of rabbit into the pot, but rather set them on top of your braising mix.
• Keep the pot on that medium heat and let it come up to a slowly bubbling simmer. As soon as that happens, drop the heat to low, cover the pot and let it simmer away gently for 25 minutes.
• Now carefully - and I mean carefully - stir the pot so that the rabbit gets covered as much as possible by its braising mix. Good. This is a good time to check for saltiness and adjust to suit your taste. Cover the pot and give it another 20 minutes of that slowly bubbling simmer on its low heat.
• Turn off the heat and let your covered pot sit and cool for a few hours. Once that time's up, all you have to do is stir in the lemon juice and warm the pot for a few minutes over a medium heat - so that it's all nicely hot for serving.
• Start to finish, these take about 45 minutes to cook. So, it's a good idea to get them underway about an hour before you want to serve the rabbit.
• Set your oven to 350F / 180C. Add the olive oil to a baking dish that's big enough to hold all the potatoes in a single layer, and set the dish in the oven while it's heating.
• Put the potatoes in a saucepan with a level teaspoon of ground sea salt and just enough cold water to cover them.
• Set the pan on a high heat and bring it to the boil. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan, and allow the potatoes to simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, drain the potatoes and return them to their pan. Cover the pan and let the potatoes steam there for 5 minutes.
• Remove the baking dish from the oven, and quickly add the potatoes, red onions, garlic, 2 heaped teaspoons salt, and black pepper. Stir the dish so that everything gets well coated in the sizzling oil.
• Now slide in the sprigs of rosemary so that they sit underneath the potatoes on the bottom of the dish.
• Cover the dish with a sealing sheet of silver foil. Return the dish to the oven on a high shelf and increase the heat to 425F / 220C. Roast for 15 minutes. (That tight foil covering matters because it ensures the potatoes become infused with the wonderful flavors of the rosemary, garlic, and onion.)
• After that first 15 minutes' roasting, remove the dish and give all the potatoes a quick turn in the oil. Return them to the oven - uncovered - so they can roast to a fine golden color for 15 minutes or so. Done.
• I'd make this while the braised rabbit is resting in its big pot. Once all the pilacca's ingredients are mixed together, it certainly pays to let the sauce stand for a couple of occasionally stirred hours and allow its flavors to really meld together.
• Start by heating half the olive oil in a heavy skillet over a high heat. Once the oil just begins smoking. stir in the whole chilies. You now want to give them a scorching, blistering char by stir frying them over that high heat for about 3 minutes. Take a bit of care here - as the whole chilies expand in that very hot oil, they can burst and cause the oil to spit, so it's wise to bear that in mind as you're charring them.
• As soon as the chilies are darkly scorched, remove them from the heat and lift them out of the skillet with a slotted spoon. Let the oil cool and then turn it all into a pretty serving jug that will hold all the rest of your sauce's ingredients.
• Once the chilies have cooled enough for you to handle them, chop them very finely, seeds and all.
• In your serving jug, thoroughly stir the chilies together with the other ingredients - that's all the olive oil, garlic, vinegar, sugar, and orange zest. Make sure to stir thoroughly so the sugar dissolves completely. And give it few more stirs as it sits and waits to be served alongside the braised rabbit and rosemary roasted potatoes.