Tuscan Rabbit Ragù
- Total Time
- 3 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 3tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1red onion, finely chopped
- 1carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1stalk celery, finely chopped
- ¼pound pancetta, bacon or prosciutto, diced
- One 3- to 4-pound rabbit, cut into 6 or 8 pieces
- 1cup white wine
- A Parmesan cheese rind, optional
- 2tablespoons tomato paste
- 2bay leaves
- 2 to 3cups chicken stock or water
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 1teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
603 calories; 31 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 61 grams protein; 1114 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Place a large, heavy-bottomed, nonreactive pot over medium-low heat. Add olive oil and when it shimmers, add onion, carrot, celery and pancetta. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and caramelized (about 25 minutes).
- Step 2
Raise heat to medium-high. Add rabbit. Brown lightly on all sides. Add wine and stir, scraping bottom of pan. Add cheese rind if using, tomato paste, bay leaves and stock or water. Stir well, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, stir, and reduce heat to low.
- Step 3
Simmer, lid slightly ajar, until meat is tender and nearly falling off the bone, about 2 hours.
- Step 4
Remove rabbit from sauce. When cool enough to handle, shred rabbit. Return meat to pot. Add thyme and rosemary, and season with salt and pepper. Reheat gently before serving. Ragù may be spooned over warm polenta or tossed with pasta, butter, more fresh herbs and grated Parmesan or pecorino Toscano.
Private Notes
Comments
I've been a fan of rabbit all my life. I love braising it and the slower it cools the better it is. This reciepe is exactly how my Nana taught me to do it. She loved to do it with dry vermouth, it gives it a bit of a sherry style taste. One note, when you sautee the aromatics, don't raise the heat. Keep it low to caramelize properly.
Following this recipe definitely produced fall-off-the-bone tender meat. The overall flavour felt like it was missing something though, maybe sweetness? Acid? Couldn’t quite figure it out but enjoyed this dish nonetheless!
Would it be feasible to substitute a boneless rabbit loin for the whole beast?
Don’t change a thing, except perhaps during breaking down of the meat. Enjoy the tiny rib-bone meats while they are still warm; call it your pay for cooking a delicious meal Having never cut up a rabbit I cut out the back bone (for stock) and just cut up the rest where it looked obvious leaving the leg-thigh combo intact. Couldn’t figure out where the split was so I moved on