Piacentina Rabbit original recipe: grandma’s recipe that will make you fall in love!
Hello everyone, lovers of tradition and authentic flavors! Today I bring you the discovery of a dish that smells like home, family Sundays, unforgettable memories: Piacentina rabbit. A recipe passed down from generation to generation, a culinary treasure that I was lucky to learn from my grandma, keeper of ancient secrets and genuine flavors. Get ready for a journey into the heart of Piacenza tradition, where the rabbit is dressed in intense aromas and enveloping flavors.
Grandma’s secret: simple ingredients and love
The Piacentina rabbit is a dish that speaks of simplicity and love for the land. The ingredients are few, but of the highest quality: a free-range rabbit, Piacenza DOP pancetta, golden onions, fresh rosemary, fragrant sage, dry white wine, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Grandma always recommended choosing a young rabbit, with tender and flavorful meat, and not skimping on the pancetta, which with its intense flavor and melt-in-the-mouth texture, is the soul of the dish. Slow cooking over low heat is essential to allow the flavors to blend and the meat to become very tender. The aroma released during cooking is indescribable, an irresistible call that makes your mouth water.
Here are other rabbit recipes:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
- Energy 413.79 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 3.94 (g) of which sugars 1.43 (g)
- Proteins 38.14 (g)
- Fat 24.61 (g) of which saturated 6.23 (g)of which unsaturated 7.15 (g)
- Fibers 1.17 (g)
- Sodium 615.22 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 224 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs whole rabbit, raw
- 4 tomatoes
- 3.5 oz pancetta
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 glass dry white wine
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- 1 bunch chopped parsley
- 10 walnuts (kernels)
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1/2 lemon (grated peel)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
Tools
- Pan The Piacentina rabbit is a dish that speaks of simplicity and love for the land
- Cutting Board IPEA Rectangular Wooden Cutting Board for Vegetables, Fruit, Salami – Multipurpose Kitchen Board for Cutting and Serving Appetizers, Bread, Vegetables, Cheeses – Bamboo Tray with Eyelet
Steps
Let’s start by washing the rabbit, if whole cut it into pieces, and dry it well. Let’s blanch the tomatoes, then remove the skin and seeds, chop them finely.
Cut the pancetta into cubes and brown it in a saucepan with a drizzle of oil, add the rabbit pieces, and brown them on every side. Then add the wine and let it evaporate, adjust the salt and pepper, and add the tomatoes, cover the container. Let it cook over low heat for 45 minutes.
Ten minutes before the end of cooking, let’s prepare a sauce: chop the parsley with rosemary, break up the walnut kernels, and grate the lemon peel. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, pour a little oil, and season with salt and pepper. Serve the rabbit on a serving platter and accompany with the sauce and slices of grilled polenta.
Green sauce
Tips, variations, notes of the traditional Piacentina rabbit recipe
Every Piacenza family has its version of Piacentina rabbit, with small secrets and variations that make it unique. Some add dried porcini mushrooms, others artichokes or potatoes, others a pinch of chili for a touch of vivacity. Grandma taught me to respect tradition, but also to experiment and personalize the recipe according to tastes and the availability of ingredients.
A tip I feel like giving is to accompany the Piacentina rabbit with steaming polenta or mashed potatoes, to collect the tasty sauce and fully enjoy every bite.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What wine can I pair with the original Piacentina rabbit recipe?
You can pair a good glass of Gutturnio, the quintessential Piacenza red wine, which with its fruity aromas and intense flavor, perfectly enhances the flavor of the rabbit.
