Delicate and unique
I realize that many of you have never eaten rabbit before, let alone cooked it but if you’ve ever wanted to try it, you’ll want to keep reading. I am going to go out on a limb and say it is one of my favourite meats. Delicate and unique, rabbit can be cooked in a variety of ways and it contains the same omega 3s as salmon for an added bonus. I would say that it is the high bone to meat ratio that lends to its abundance in flavour since rabbit stock made with just the bones is incredible in itself.
For this recipe cook the rabbit in pieces on the bone until tender, remove the meat and reduce the stock to make the filling for the agnolotti, getting the best of both worlds. In some Italian pasta dishes you will see whole animals like rabbit or duck cooked on the bone. The cooking liquid or sauce, tomato mostly, will then be used to dress pasta for the first course (primi) and then the cooked meat may be served as the second course (secondi) with accompaniments. In this case all of the goodness will go into the agnolotti and then it will be dressed super simply with butter and sage. No need for any sauce really because the filling is packed with an amazing amount of flavour.
If you have wanted to cook and eat rabbit I would definitely give this recipe a try. I have converted many who have never tried it and are now great fans. This agnolotti showcases the best that rabbit has to offer, wrapped in a beautiful package of pasta.
- 400 grams of semolina flour (approx 3 cups)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 whole rabbit cut into pieces, on the bone
- 1/4 cup carrot, diced
- 1/4 cup celery, diced
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 4" branches of fresh rosemary
- 6 fresh sage leaves
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 cup dry white wine like Orvieto
- 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1/3 cup fresh ricotta
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1/2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup butter and 8 or 10 sage leaves (chopped) to serve plus more Parmigiano
- Make a pile with the flour and then a well in the middle.
- Pour the beaten egg and salt into the well
- With a fork, slowly mix in the sides of the well into the egg
- As soon as you can handle the dough, knead it on a well floured board until it is smooth and firm about 3 or 4 minutes
- Wrap the dough in plastic and put it in the fridge to rest for at least 20 minutes.
- Season the rabbit pieces on all sides with salt and pepper
- In a large heavy bottomed pot, brown each piece in olive oil
- Brown the meat in batches to avoid overcrowding and then remove to a plate
- Add the carrot, onion and celery to the pot and sauté in a touch more oil if needed until they are very soft and just starting to colour
- Add the garlic to the veg and cook for a minute or so and then return the rabbit to the pot along with any accumulated juices
- Add the fresh herbs and then the wine along with just enough water to come about half way up the sides of the rabbit pieces
- Put a lid on the pot and cook over a low flame until the rabbit is very tender and the vegetables will crush easily with the back of a spoon, about an hour and a half
- When the rabbit is noticeably tender and falling off the bone, remove it all from the pot and let it cool on a plate
- Continue cooking the sauce over medium heat, reducing it down to a syrup, almost dry
- While the sauce is reducing, remove all the meat from the bones and chop it finely with a knife
- Place the cool meat in a bowl and add the Parmigiano, ricotta, egg and chopped herbs, mix until well combined.
- Let your reduced sauce cool before pushing it through a fine sieve, vegetables and all, scraping the strained vegetables off the back of the sieve and adding them to the filling with the reduction.
- Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Refrigerate until needed.
- Roll out a small piece of pasta dough using a pasta maker or rolling pin, with plenty of flour, until it is very thin (less than an 1/8 of an inch) in the shape of a long rectangle about 3 inches wide by however long.
- Place a good 2 teaspoon lump of cold filling about an inch apart along the length of the agnolotti. Brush a little water on the dough around the filling to help it stick and then fold the dough in half over the filling.
- Using your fingers, squeeze out the air around the filling and then cut out your agnolotti using a pasta cutter of your choice or just a knife, making sure the edges are crimped shut and sealed. Repeat until all the agnolotti are made.
- Remove the agnolotti to a well floured baking sheet lined with wax paper and refrigerate until you are ready to eat (they also freeze well).
- To finish the dish, drop the agnolotti in a large pot of boiling water well-seasoned with salt.
- In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat and when it stops sizzling, add the chopped sage.
- When the agnolotti floats to the top of the water, let it cook for two minutes and then remove it with a slotted spoon to the waiting hot sage butter.
- Toss to coat the agnolotti and then hit it with another good sprinkling of Parmigiano.
- Serve in a hot bowl.
This looks so delicious and fairly easy too. And I love rabbit!