Ciao a Tutti!
I'd like to welcome you to the very first day of Rabbit Season here on Cooking with Nonna! Incidentally, it is also the last day of Rabbit Season on Cooking with Nonna (where does the time go?) So to celebrate the hearty beginning and sudden end, we're going to be making Coniglio alla Ligure (Ligurian-style Rabbit). Leading the way through the enchanted forest is the wonderfully articulate Nonna Marisa (welcome back!)
Now I know many of you may not like the idea of eating rabbit because of the "gamey" taste the meat can sometimes have. One of Nonna Marisa's secrets to removing that flavor is to use a little white wine when first putting the rabbit in the pot. This will not only tenderize the meat, but it will remove any trace of unwanted flavor, so if you've been holding off on rabbit, hold no more.
What's especially great about this recipe is the accompaniment. Playing Daffy Duck to our Bugs Bunny is a hearty Genovese soffritto. For those who haven't made Italian soffritto before, it basically serves as a base for the meal, comprised of chopped onion, celery, carrots and seasonings. Because the Genovese are well known for their use of herbs, our soffritto will be made with fresh rosemary, garlic, sage, and parsley. Of course, as always, dried herbs will more than suffice.
In this recipe, Nonna Marisa was nice enough to bring her double "mezza luna" to help chop the soffritto quicker than the traditional method. If you'd like to get rid of your automatic chopper, or never got around to buying one in the first place, you'll find the mezza luna not only a fun way to chop, but a faster way as well.
Thank you very much again, Nonna Marisa, for all the wonderful tips -- and of course, the wonderful Coniglio alla Ligure!
Tanti Baci,
Rossella