Rabbit con Salsiccia, Roasted Garlic, Lemon, and Rosemary

Name: Rabbit con Salsiccia, Roasted Garlic, Lemon, and Rosemary
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients: Bones of 2 whole rabbits, quartered; 1 leek, roughly chopped (about 1-inch pieces); 1 large Spanish onion, roughly chopped (about 1-inch pieces); 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped (about 1-inch pieces); 2 quarts Basic Chicken Stock (page 27); 2 whole rabbits, legs separated from the carcass (you will have 4 rabbit hind legs and 4 rabbit front legs; loins and bellies reserved for making the sausage); 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 3 cups whole milk, plus more as needed; Loins and bellies from 2 rabbits (about 3/4 pound); 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning; 1/4 teaspoon sugar; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 6 ounces pancetta; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 1/2 cup minced Spanish onion (about 1/4 large onion); 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic; 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary needles; 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; 1/4 cup ice water; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed; 1 celery rib, roughly chopped (about 1-inch pieces); 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped (about 1-inch pieces); 1 leek, rinsed and roughly chopped (about 1-inch pieces); 1 large Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced; 2 large garlic cloves; 1 quart white wine; 1 long, fresh rosemary sprig (about 6 inches); 1 dried arbol chile; 3 cups reserved rabbit stock or Basic Chicken Stock (page 27), or as needed; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

January 26, 2012

In Italy you see “coniglio,” or rabbit, offered in even the humblest trattoria or osteria, and I can almost never resist ordering it. The flavor of rabbit meat is so subtle that my favorite preparations are those that really coax the flavor out, such as this one. We braise the legs in white wine and serve them with a rabbit and pancetta sausage. When you buy rabbit, ask your butcher to separate the legs from the body of the animal, to fillet the saddles, and to reserve the carcass. And if you don’t have a meat grinder, ask your butcher to grind the loin and belly meat for the sausage as well. We got the method for curing the rabbits from the Zuni Café Cookbook, a constant, inspiring resource for us. While nothing in this recipe is difficult, I won’t lie to you: it is time consuming. But when it’s all done and you serve and bite into the finished dish, I think you’ll find it was worth it. If you want to spare yourself a little effort, skip the step of making the rabbit stock and use chicken stock in its place.

Recipe notes