This dish is traditionally served with chicken, but it just so happens that it's also delicious prepared with rabbit. After all, cacciatore does mean "hunter" in Italian. Plan on 2.5 hours of preparation time. Recipe makes four servings.
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R3 CLEARINGHOUSE/CAHSS
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds of rabbit
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 T olive oil, separated
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup chardonnay or Chianti wine
- 3 cups diced ripe tomatoes
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- Pinch saffron
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 T capers
- Chopped parsley
- 1 box orzo pasta
- Basil pesto, prepared or homemade
Directions
- Cut rabbit in serving-size pieces. Pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Lightly dredge seasoned rabbit in flour, shaking off excess.
- In oven-safe skillet on stove, heat a tablespoon of oil to medium high. Brown rabbit pieces on both sides. Set aside.
- Lower heat to medium. Add onion and a pinch of salt to skillet; add more oil if necessary. Cook onion 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add mushrooms with a pinch of salt. Brown mushrooms on both sides, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf, and cook for 30 seconds. Do not allow garlic to brown.
- Pour wine into skillet with saffron. Allow wine to simmer until mostly evaporated.
- Add diced tomatoes to skillet then top with rabbit pieces. Add enough chicken broth to submerge the rabbit halfway.
- Cover skillet with aluminum foil and fit lid onto skillet as tightly as possible. Place skillet in 325-degree oven for about 2 hours, or until rabbit is tender. Check halfway through to ensure sufficient liquid remains; add more broth if needed. After baking 1.5 hours, remove foil to allow steam to escape to thicken sauce.
- Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and return to pan. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and pesto to taste.
- Spoon rabbit cacciatore over orzo, garnish with parsley and capers, and serve.
