Fresh tagliatelle with rabbit ragu’

tagliatelle_rabbit_ragu

This is a Piedmontese speciality, and I made it on a cold autumn night just before leaving for a trip to Argentina, almost as a reminder of where I come from, before uprooting myself onto the other side of the world.

I marinated the wild rabbit in equal parts of water, apple cider vinegar and red wine for a couple of hours, adding some bay to the marinade. In Italy we normally use farmed rabbit, in which case it is not necessary to marinade the meat beforehand, but with wild rabbit it is mandatory.

I washed the rabbit under running water, then stripped as much flesh as I could off the legs, the saddle and front. I then put the carcass in a pot with carrot, celery, onion and bay, and I used it to make some stock. I used a small part of the stock for this recipe, the rest I froze for future use.

In a pan I fried some carrot, onion and a crushed clove of garlic, then added the rabbit and sautéed it for a bit together with a bouquet garni of sage, bay and rosemary. I then added two tablespoons of tomato puree dissolved in 10ml rabbit stock. I seasoned it with salt and pepper, then covered and let it simmer for 15-20 mins, until the rabbit was cooked and tender, infused with the rest of the sauce.

I then cooked some fresh egg tagliatelle (since I was leaving the next day, this time I opted for shop bought, but watch this space for some home made pasta recipes!) spooned the sauce over, scattered some freshly grated parmesan, et voila, Piedmont on a plate!

Serves 2:

  • 1 wild rabbit, in chunks
  • 100ml water
  • 100ml red wine
  • 100ml apple cider vinegar
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 onion
  • 1 stick of celery
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 sage leaves
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 2 tablespoons tomato puree
  • Salt and pepper as needed

Health score: 6

180g fresh egg tagliatelle.

Carolina Stupino

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