Olde Towne Daphne's "Team Alloro" recipe for the SEEDS' fourth annual

                                                                   Mamma Mia! Cook-off

Coniglio alla Cacciatora….A cacciatore means ‘made in the style of the hunter’s wife’ and any small game or chicken can be cooked in this sytle. There are as many ways of making this Tuscan favorite as there are cooks.  It is delicious made a day ahead of serving. Serve with crusty baguette, grilled baguette brushed with olive oil or on polenta. Have fresh chopped rosemary, Italian flat leaf parsley or Gremolata available at the table to sprinkle on top of the cacciatora.

3-4 lbs rabbit  (2 commercially raised rabbits*) cut into 8 pieces or chicken**

6 T Olive Oil

3 red or yellow bell peppers, roasted, skins removed, thinly sliced

1 large onion, thinly sliced into long julienne

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 celery rib, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves

2 T fresh Rosemary, finely chopped

1 T Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

zest of 1/2 lemon

4 Roma tomatoes, quartered, seeded and coarsely chopped

½ cup dry white wine or vermouth

1 tsp sea salt

Gremolata or freshly chopped Rosemary or Italian flat leaf parsley at serving time

    Assemble and prepare all ingredients ahead of time and have ready to cook.

Roast the peppers under the broiler, cool, remove seeds and skin and slice thinly.  Set aside.

Peel the onion and slice thinly from top to tail to make a fine julienne.  Set aside.

Make a 'battuto' by combining the carrot, celery, garlic, rosemary, parsley and lemon zest in a food processor and pulse to chop fine.

Seed and chop tomatoes and set aside.

Cut the rabbit into 8 pieces.  Rinse and pat dry and set aside.

    To cook and Assemble:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot with lid, add 4 T olive oil, the 'battuto'  and sliced onion and slowly cook over medium heat to soften the vegetables but do not allow to get golden color.

While the 'battuto' slowly cooks, add 2 T olive oil to a frying pan and heat until hot. Add the rabbit pieces in a single layer and sauté on medium high heat until browned on all sides.  Put the browned pieces into the finished 'battuto'.

Deglaze the frying pan with wine or vermouth and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen crusty bits.  Cook over high heat to reduce to half and then pour over the rabbit pieces.  Add the peppers, tomatoes and salt.  Gently turn the mixture to mix, cover and gently braise in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.  Check occasionally to turn the rabbit and prevent from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees if necessary. The rabbit will be very tender when pierced with a fork when done and the peppers will almost melt into the sauce. 

If the sauce is very thin, remove the rabbit and vegetables from the pot and boil the sauce over high heat until reduced to a slightly thick consistency.

Serve or cover and refrigerate overnight.  Gently reheat to serve. Serve with a bowl of chopped fresh Rosemary, Italian parsley or Gremolata.

Gremolata:

2 T chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley

1 T fresh lemon zest

1 tsp finely chopped garlic

For the best results, chop the parsley, lemon zest and garlic separately into uniform cut.  Mix and use the same day prepared. 

Note:

*If using wild rabbit the gaminess can be removed by soaking the pieces overnight. Place the cut pieces of rabbit in a small bowl, add ½ cup white wine vinegar, 2-3 T sea salt and enough water to cover the pieces.  Cover and refrigerate overnight. Another method is to rub with lemon juice and let soak overnight.

**Chicken is delicious prepared in this manner.  Use thighs and drumsticks for a meatier flavor. If using a whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces and reserve the back and wings for another use. Cook chicken 1 hour and check for tenderness.  Chicken breasts will take slightly less time to cook.