Ligurian rabbit – Coniglio alla ligure

As the name suggests, “Il coniglio alla ligure” the “ligurian rabbit”is a typical ligurian recipe. Today this dish is known not only in the ligurian region, but it is cooked also in other Italian regions.

The delicacy of this dish comes from the juxtaposition of the soft flesh and mild rabbit, and the bitter taste of the taggiasche olives, local wine, and of the pine nuts.

Ingredients for 3-4 servings:

1 rabbit,
1 garlic clove,
1 rib of celery,
1 carrot,
1 onion,
handful rosemary,
handful fresh thyme,
1 glass of white wine (Vermentino wine – ligurian white wine),
taggiasche olives,
handful pine nuts,
olive oil

Chop up the rabbit (or ask your butcher to chop it into about 8 pieces), wash the pieces and dry them. Put them into a frying pan and brown the rabbit with a garlic clove over high heat for about 10 minutes. Then add a mince of onion, celery and a carrot.

Then, turn up heat and add the rosemary, the thyme, some dry white wine, the taggiasche olives and a hanful of pine nuts. Add some salt and pepper, cover the pan and keep it simmering for about 1 hour and half, slowly turning the meat sometimes.

During the cook you should add some home made vegetable broth.

Buon appetito!