Rialto Restaurant & Bar

Sweet and Sour Braised Rabbit with Chocolate

Makes 4 entrée servings

The use of chocolate in savory cooking almost always calls to mind Mexican mole, but southern Italians have also used chocolate and spicy chilies to flavor meat dishes. Chocolate thickens and enriches the sauce without sweetening it. My recipe combines the best of the New World—chocolate and chili flakes—with the Old—juniper berries and pancetta. Serve with wide noodles, spaetzle or rice.

When purchasing the rabbits, ask your butcher to cut each of them into 6 pieces, as described in step 1. The rabbit is wonderful on the day it’s made, but if you refrigerate the rabbit pieces in the braising liquid for a day before serving the meat will absorb more of the flavor of chocolate and chili. Reheat, covered, on top of the stove, over low heat.

 

2 rabbits (about 3 pounds each)

¼ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon allspice

⅛ teaspoon mace

About ½ cup all-purpose flour for dredging

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed

¼ pound thickly sliced pancetta, chopped into ¼-inch dice

1 small onion, cut into ½-inch dice

12 shallots, peeled

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon tomato paste

2½ cups homemade chicken stock or 5 cups high-quality low-sodium canned chicken broth reduced to 2½ cups

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 cup Marsala

¼ cup red wine vinegar, or more to taste

¼ tablespoon crushed fennel seeds

¼ tablespoon crushed juniper berries

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf

1½ ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

 

You can ask the butcher to cut up the rabbits for you when you purchase them; otherwise, it’s no more difficult than cutting up a chicken. Remove the front and rear legs of one of the rabbits where the joints meet the body. A thin-bladed boning knife is the ideal tool for this task, but you can use just about any sharp knife. Remove the neck and discard or use for stock. Using a cleaver or heavy chef’s knife to cut the body in half crosswise. You should now have 6 pieces—two hind legs, two forelegs and two halves of the body. Repeat with the remaining rabbit.

Combine the hot red pepper flakes, cinnamon, allspice, mace and flour in large bowl. Sprinkle the rabbit pieces liberally with salt and pepper, then toss them in the seasoned flour. Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Brown the rabbit pieces. You will have to do this in a couple of batches – don’t crowd the pan. Place the browned rabbit in a large Dutch oven or cast iron casserole. If the sauté pan is covered with blackened bits of flour wipe it out and add a tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Add the pancetta to the sauté pan and cook over medium heat until the fat turns translucent, about a minute and a half. Add the onion, shallots and garlic and stir them until they start to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook 1 more minute. Transfer the to pot with the rabbit.

Deglaze the sauté pan with the chicken stock: bring the stock to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan with a spoon to dissolve any crispy bits in the hot liquid. Pour over the rabbit.

Melt the sugar in a nonreactive small saucepan over medium heat. Watch the sugar closely, and remove from the heat as soon as it caramelizes. Stir in the Marsala and 2 tablespoons of the red wine vinegar in a slow stream (if you add the wine too fast it will splatter). As soon as the liquid is blended with the caramelized sugar pour the mixture into the pot with the rabbit.

Add the fennel seeds, juniper berries, cayenne pepper and bay leaf to the pot and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the rabbit is tender but not falling off the bone, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°F.

Transfer the rabbit to a heatproof platter and place in the oven. Reduce the braising liquid over high heat until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Lower the heat to medium, add the chocolate and the remaining 2 tablespoons of vinegar, and stir until the chocolate dissolves completely. Taste – the flavor should be a balance of sweet and sour. Add more vinegar, if necessary. Discard the bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper.

Ladle a light coating of sauce over the rabbit. Present the platter to the table and offer additional sauce on the side.