Rabbit cacciatore
Eat Game has commissioned a rabbit cacciatore recipe from acclaimed Michelin-starred Italian chef Francesco Mazzei.Franceso, chef patron at Sartoria, in London, frequently appears on popular television cookery shows – including the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen and MasterChef – and is considered one of London’s leading chefs.Annette Cole, Taste of Game development manager, said: “‘It is great to see accomplished chefs working with game and cuts that people often don’t know how to cook.“This recipe is easy to cook at home. But it will impress, it is absolutely delicious.”Rich and hearty, this 'hunter-style' Italian stew is often made with chicken, but Francesco celebrates the wonderful taste of British game meat by choosing the subtle flavour of rabbit. Cooked with earthy wild mushrooms and salty pancetta, Francesco adds a little extra Italian flair with capers and juicy olives scattered over the top.Francesco features on the Great British Chefs website (www.greatbritishchefs), which is described as a go-to destination for food-lovers in search of recipe inspiration, technical expertise and restaurant news and reviews.Recipe courtesy of www.greatbritishchefs.com
Ingredients
- 600 grams rabbit legs bones removed from the thighs but left in the legs
- 15 grams plain flour
- 15 ml extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 60 grams pancetta chopped into lardons
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 onion diced
- 1 stick celery diced
- 2 clove garlic finely chopped
- 5 grams fresh rosemary chopped
- 200 grams mixed wild mushrooms sliced
- 75 ml white wine
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 3 dried chillies
- 1 handful handful of black olives, pitted
- 1 tbsp baby capers
- sprigs of chervil to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 195°C/gas mark 5½
- Season the rabbit legs with salt and pepper and dust with the plain flour. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat and colour the legs lightly on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside
- Place a separate ovenproof pan or casserole dish over a medium heat and add the pancetta, carrot, onion, celery, garlic and rosemary. Fry together gently, allowing the vegetables to soften in the fat released from the pancetta. Add the mushrooms and wine to the pan and stir, cooking for 5 minutes until the liquid evaporates
- In a separate jug, mix the tomato paste into the chicken stock until dissolved and combined. Pour the stock over the vegetables, adding the rabbit, dried chillies, capers and olives to the pan. Put the lid on the dish and transfer to the preheated oven, cooking for 45–50 minutes until the rabbit is cooked through
- To serve, place the dish in the centre of the table and serve hot, garnished with a few sprigs of fresh chervil
