RABBIT CACCIATORE (Coniglio alla Cacciatora) Northern-Italian style (2024)

Jump to Recipe

The Rabbit Cacciatore is one of the most popular ways to make an authentic rabbit stew. In Italy, the Cacciatore technique, is present in almost all the regional cuisines, with different variations depending on the traditions and the most used ingredients region by region. Here a typical Northern-Italian Rabbit Cacciatore, pan-roasted and braised along with red wine, mushrooms, tomato sauce, and juniper berries: delicious!

INGREDIENTS

1 (3.5 lb)rabbit
1 Lb (450 g)Baby Bella mushrooms
2 oz (55 g)dried Porcini mushrooms
1.5 cups (350 g)tomatoes puree
2 clovesgarlic
1 smallyellow onion
½ cupred wine
6 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
1 sprigrosemary
2 bayleaves
4juniper berries
2cloves
½ tspblack pepper
to tastetable salt

If you like this recipe, please click here, leave a comment and vote 5 stars!
This simple actionhelps the growth of this blog and make me very happy🙂

ORIGIN OF THE CACCIATORE COOKING TECHNIQUE

The culinary technique "alla cacciatora" (commonly translated in English as "cacciatore"), is one of the most popular Italian ways to cook wild game and poultry.

Indeed, the "alla cacciatora" cooking way is generally considered a technique created by the hunters to mitigate the strong taste of the game just hunted. For this reason, the critical ingredients have bold flavors like rosemary, or garlic, or juniper berries.

In Italy, often the hunters use to be also farmers: for this, along with the herbs and the other ingredients easy to find in the forest, like mushrooms, wild herbs, and berries, the Cacciatore recipe includes ingredients that commonly come from the vegetable gardens.

From the garden, the most common ingredients are onions, garlic, and tomatoes, that compose the ingredient list of the basic recipe of Cacciatore.

CACCIATORE RECIPE: DIFFERENCES REGION BY REGION

As I said, the vegetables and some forest products are strongly influenced by the lovcal availability of the products in the past times.

The Northern-Italian Cacciatore recipes are rich in mushrooms and juniper berries.

In Tuscany, the meat is braised along with fresh tomatoes and black olives, then basted with 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar.

The Roman recipe alla Cacciatora requires anchovies and often is prepared without tomato sauce.

In Sicily, it is common to cook the meat with tomato sauce, bell peppers, capers, and anchovies.

Besides these examples, the Italian Cacciatore recipe has tons of regional variations and family recipes!

NORTHERN ITALIAN RABBIT CACCIATORE: TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS

WET BRINE - this step is optional, but I strongly suggest you make it in order to increase the tenderness and the flavor of the meat.

First, dissolve 7.5 tbsp of table salt into 3 quarts of room temperature water. Once reduced into pieces, soak the rabbit into the brine and store in the fridge at least 4 hours (best if 12 hours).

RABBIT CACCIATORE (Coniglio alla Cacciatora) Northern-Italian style

The Rabbit Cacciatore is one of the most popular ways to make an authentic rabbit stew. In Italy, the Cacciatore technique, is present in almost all the regional cuisines, with different variations depending on the traditions and the most used ingredients region by region. Here a typical Northern-Italian Rabbit Cacciatore, pan-roasted and braised along with red wine, mushrooms, tomato sauce, and juniper berries: delicious!

Cook Time1 hour 45 minutes

Total Time1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 (3.5 lb) rabbit
1 Lb (450 g) Baby Bella mushrooms
2 oz (55 g) dried Porcini mushrooms
1.5 cups (350 g) tomatoes puree
2 cloves garlic
1 small yellow onion
½ cup red wine
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 sprig rosemary
2 bay leaves
4 juniper berries
2 cloves
½ tsp black pepper
to taste table salt

Instructions

PREPARING THE RABBIT

First of all, reduce the rabbit into pieces.
With a sharped knife, separate the forelegs and the hind legs. Finally, quarter the saddle.

WET BRINE (OPTIONAL)

As I said, I strongly suggest you take this step! Pour 3 quarts of room temperature water into a bowl. Then, add 7.5 tbsp of table salt stirring until completely dissolved.
Finally, soak the rabbit pieces into the brine, cover, and store in the fridge at least 4 hours (best if 12 hours).

MUSHROOMS

First, soak the dried porcini mushrooms into a bowl filled with lukewarm water for at least 15 minutes (best 30 mins).
Then, clean the Baby Bella mushrooms, discard the stems and cut the caps into halves.
Now, sautè the garlic, crushed and peeled, in a skillet (best if cast iron) along with 3 tbsp of olive oil until pale golden.
Then, add bay leaf and the Baby Bella mushrooms, and stir-fry until nicely brown and seared salting as needed.
Finally, pour the mushroom in a bowl and put it aside.

SEARING THE MEAT

Now, raise the rabbit pieces from the wet brine, and dry them as much as possible with paper towels.
Then, season the meat with 1 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil.
After that, sear the rabbit In the same skillet, a few pieces at a time until obtaining a nice crust in some parts of the meat pieces.
Finally, pour the meat aside, covered.

BASTING AND BRAISING

At this point, peel and mince the onion, then sautè until soft and golden along with the rosemary, crushed juniper berries, and cloves.
After that, add the rabbit, raise the flame and baste with the red wine. Cook 5 minutes more, then add the tomatoes puree.
Now, drain the Porcini mushrooms saving their liquid, and place them in a bowl.
Eventually, add the porcini liquid in the skillet, set the flame in order to let the sauce very gently simmering, then braise and cook 45 minutes.
In case you prefer do not use Porcini, add a ladle of vegetable broth instead of the Porcini liquid.

FINISHING RABBIT CACCIATORE

Finally, add the seared mushrooms and the Porcini, then simmer the Rabbit Cacciatore 30 minutes more, uncovered.
Serve Rabbit Cacciatore, along with grits, or Italian Polenta, or bread slices.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per ServingCalories 485Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 0mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 7gSugar 10gProtein 2g

The writers and publishers of this blog are not nutritionists or registered dietitians.All information presented and written within our blog are intended for informational purposes only. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators.You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other health-care professional.The writers and publishers of this blog are not responsible for adverse reactions, effects, or consequences resulting from the use of any recipes or suggestions herein or hereafter.Under no circ*mstances will this blog or its owners be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from your reliance on nutritional information given by this site. By using this blog and its content, you agree to these terms.

Did you like this recipe? please click here, leave a comment and vote 5 stars!
This simple actionhelp the growth of this blog and make me very happy🙂