Winter into Spring, a Braised Rabbit Dish
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
1 hr 30 mins
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Total Time
1 hr 50 mins
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Servings
6 people
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Calories
459 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
Winter into Spring, a Braised Rabbit Dish
Description
This dish begins by soaking dried mushrooms to rehydrate their deep umami character. Guanciale is rendered until crisp, adding a porky depth before browning the salted rabbit pieces in the rendered fat. Sautéed onions, fennel bulb, fresh and dried mushrooms, and whole peeled garlic cloves build a fragrant vegetable base that browns gently before being deglazed with Armagnac brandy. Returning the rabbit and guanciale, the dish is seasoned with bay leaves, oregano, and fennel seeds, then braised in white wine and stock to tenderize and meld flavors.
The resulting braise yields tender, juicy rabbit meat with complex layers of herbal, anise, and mushroom notes. The use of guanciale and brandy enriches the flavor, while residual vegetables and herbs form a textured, aromatic sauce. This dish suits seasonal transitions, representing flavors that bridge winter’s heartiness and spring freshness.
It is typically served with fresh herbs such as chopped oregano and fennel fronds, alongside spring onions or garlic shoots, adding bright, green notes. This dish benefits from slow cooking to develop depth and soften the garlic cloves used whole.
Ingredients
- 2 rabbit cut into serving pieces
- 1/4 pound Guanciale or pancetta or bacon
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion sliced into half-moons, medium
- 1 head garlic cloves peeled but not chopped
- fennel bulb chopped roughly, white part
- dried mushrooms about 1/2 cup, a handful
- 1/2 pound mushrooms fresh
- 3 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon oregano dried
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 2 cups white wine
- 3 cups stock duck, rabbit, chicken or vegetable, good quality
- 5 garlic shoot optional, green shoots
- 5 spring onions
- 1 cup fennel frond finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons oregano fresh chopped
- salt
Instructions
- Reconstitute the dried mushrooms in 2 cups of hot water. Let them sit, covered, for at least 1 hour.
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or other lidded, heavy pot and slowly cook the guanciale, pancetta or bacon until crispy. (Guanciale is cured hog jowl (the Romans use it like bacon), and pancetta is unsmoked, Italian-style bacon.) Remove the guanciale and turn the heat up to medium-high. Salt the rabbit pieces and brown them well. Take your time and do it in batches if need be. Remove and set aside when nicely browned.
- Add the chopped onion, fennel bulb and the dried mushrooms and saute until they begin to brown. Add the fresh mushrooms and garlic and saute until they begin to brown. Add some salt.
- Add the Armagnac and stir well to combine. It should cook away quickly.
- Turn the heat all the way up and add back the rabbit, the guanciale, and add the bay leaves, fennel seeds and dried oregano and mix well. Add the white wine and bring to a raging boil. Let this cook down, stirring occasionally, until the wine is reduced by half. Pour in just enough stock just to cover the rabbit. Do not totally submerge it. Bring to a simmer, taste for salt (add more if need be), cover and set over low heat for an hour, or 45 minutes if you are using chicken or domestic rabbit.
- After an hour, test to see if the meat is tender. You want it to be practically falling off the bone. If it’s not there yet, cover and continue to cook. If it is, you have two choices: Finish the dish as-is, or remove the rabbit and pull the meat from the bones. I typically do the latter. If you pull the meat, return it to the pot.
- Add the green onions, green garlic and fennel fronds and stir to combine. Simmer uncovered for 3 minutes. You want them all to remain bright green. Serve with crusty bread and a heady white wine, such as a California Chardonnay or Rhone blend.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 459 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 459kcal | 23% |
| Carbohydrates | 11g | 4% |
| Protein | 41g | 82% |
| Fat | 19g | 29% |
| Saturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Cholesterol | 147mg | 49% |
| Sodium | 689mg | 29% |
| Potassium | 949mg | 20% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 393IU | 8% |
| Vitamin C | 5mg | 6% |
| Calcium | 91mg | 9% |
| Iron | 7mg | 39% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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