Coniglio in porchetta

Ingredients

Rabbit

• 1whole rabbit, about 1.5 kg
• with liver and kidneys if available
• salt and black pepper

Filling

• 150 gpancetta, chopped
• 100 gsausage meat, optional
• 6garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tablespoonswild fennel fronds, chopped
• or 2 tablespoons fennel seed, crushed
• the rabbit liver and kidneys, chopped
• a handful of parsley, chopped
• 2 sprigsrosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper

To roast

• 4 tablespoonsolive oil
• 200 mlwhite wine
• 2 sprigsrosemary
• 6garlic cloves, whole
• kitchen string

To serve

• roast potatoes
• the pan juices

Directions

1. Lay the rabbit out on its back. Work down each side of the backbone. Keep the knife against the bone throughout. The belly flesh is thin and tears easily. Work slowly and very patiently. Remove the leg bones the same way. Keep all of the bones for stock. Preparing the flat rabbit takes a moment.
2. Lay the boned rabbit skin side down. It should open out into a rough rectangle. Season it well with salt and black pepper. Use it more sparingly than fresh fronds. Chop all the pancetta up finely.
3. Chop the liver and kidneys if you have them. Mix them with the crushed garlic. Add the fennel, parsley and rosemary. Add the sausage meat if you are using it. Season it with salt and black pepper. Mix it all together thoroughly. Filling and rolling it takes care. Spread the filling over the flat rabbit.
4. Leave a clear border at the edges. Spread it out in an even layer. Roll it as tightly as you can manage. Keep the filling inside as you roll. Cut lengths of kitchen string. Tie the roll at three centimetre intervals. Start in the middle and work outward.
5. Tie each one firmly but not so tight it cuts in. The roll should hold its shape when lifted. Heat the olive oil in a roasting tin on the hob. Brown the roll well on all sides. Give it about eight minutes in total.
6. Turn it carefully so it does not unroll. Roasting it takes about ninety minutes. Heat the oven to 180C before roasting. Add the wine, rosemary and whole garlic. Set the tied roll down in the tin. Roast it for about ninety minutes. Baste it every twenty minutes. Use the pan juices to baste with.
7. Add a little water if the tin dries out. Judging when it is done takes a skewer. Cover it with foil if it browns too fast. Take it out and cover it loosely with foil.
8. Let it rest for at least fifteen minutes. Cut it into thick slices across. Use a sharp knife and cut confidently. Serving it is done hot with the juices. Spoon the pan juices over the slices. Roast potatoes go alongside them. It keeps three days refrigerated.

Technique

• In porchetta means done in the manner of roast pig, using the fennel, garlic and rosemary rub that seasons a whole boned porchetta.
• Rabbit is extremely lean with almost no fat of its own, so the pancetta inside the roll is not optional but the thing that keeps it juicy.
• Wild fennel fronds are stronger and more aniseedy than fennel bulb, and crushed fennel seed used sparingly is the usual substitute.

Substitutions

• Crushed fennel seed stands in for wild fennel fronds and should be used more sparingly.
• A butcher will bone the rabbit, which saves the most difficult part of the work.

Variations

• Some cooks add the rabbit liver and kidneys to the filling and some leave them out.
• A version with breadcrumbs in the filling is made in some households.
• Porchetta itself, made with a whole boned pig, is the dish this one imitates.

History

Romagnol and Sammarinese farm cooking that treats rabbit with the herb rub used for whole roast pig.

Frequently asked questions

What is Coniglio in porchetta?

Coniglio in porchetta is a main from San Marino: boned rabbit rolled with wild fennel, garlic and pancetta, then roasted. Romagnol and Sammarinese farm cooking that treats rabbit with the herb rub used for whole roast pig.

How long does Coniglio in porchetta take to make?

Coniglio in porchetta takes 1 hour of preparation and 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Coniglio in porchetta?

Yes, within limits. Crushed fennel seed stands in for wild fennel fronds and should be used more sparingly. A butcher will bone the rabbit, which saves the most difficult part of the work.

What is the most important thing to get right in Coniglio in porchetta?

Rabbit is extremely lean with almost no fat of its own, so the pancetta inside the roll is not optional but the thing that keeps it juicy.