Rabbit Ragu With Pappardelle Recipes

BRAISED RABBIT PAPPARDELLE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan. When hot, add the rabbit, brown on all sides, then remove from the pan and set aside.
• Add the bacon, onion and carrot to the pan and cook for 10 mins until soft. Add the garlic, rosemary and tomato purée, stir for 1-2 mins, then pour in the wine and chicken stock.
• Return the rabbit to the pan, season, cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for 1 hr until the rabbit is really tender.
• Remove the rabbit from the pan and shred the meat using 2 forks. Be careful to remove all small bones. Meanwhile, increase the heat under the pan and boil the liquid for 5 mins until reduced by half. Add the shredded meat and reduce the heat to low. Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted water following pack instructions. Drain, reserving a little pasta water to thin the sauce if necessary.
• Stir half the orange zest, mustard, cream and parsley into the rabbit sauce. Add the cooked pasta to the pan, toss everything well to coat and heat through for 1-2 mins. Serve in bowls with grated Parmesan, parsley leaves and the remaining orange zest.

PAPPARDELLE WITH RABBIT & CHESTNUT RAGU

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large, wide pan or flameproof casserole dish with a lid. Season the rabbit and toss in the flour. Add to the hot oil and brown on all sides - you may have to do this in batches. When it is a deep golden brown all over, transfer to a plate. Add the remaining oil and the lardons to the pan and cook for 10 mins until crisp and golden. Add the onion, carrot and celery, and stir for 10 mins, scraping up any crispy bits from the bottom, until the veg has softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min more.
• Next, stir in the cinnamon, juniper, bay leaves and rosemary. After 1 min, pour in the wine and crumble in the stock cube. Simmer for 5 mins, then add the tomatoes and return the rabbit to the pan. Nestle the rabbit into the sauce, cover with a lid and simmer gently for 2 hrs, stirring once or twice.
• Remove the rabbit, give the sauce a good stir, then cover again. Continue simmering the sauce while you shred the meat from the bones using 2 forks. Discard the bones and add the meat back to the pan, along with half the chestnuts. Cook, uncovered, for another 30 mins until reduced to a thick, rich sauce. Add the remaining chestnuts. Can now be cooled and chilled overnight, or frozen for up to 2 months.
• Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Stir the milk, orange zest and parsley into the sauce and reheat, if chilled. When the pasta is cooked, add it to the sauce and cook together for 1 min more. Serve with Parmesan, if you like.

RABBIT RAGU WITH PAPPARDELLE

Steps:

• Pat the rabbit pieces dry and season with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the oil and brown the pieces, working in batches if needed to avoid crowding. Transfer to a plate.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the anchovy (if you choose) and mash it until it dissolves into the oil. Add the onion, carrots and celery, stirring until soft, about 5 minutes. Then add the red-pepper flakes, garlic and tomato paste, stirring for another minute. Deglaze the pan with the wine, turn the heat to high and boil to burn off the alcohol, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, broth, bay leaves and thyme. Return the rabbit pieces to the pot, spacing them evenly so they are partly covered by the liquid. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rabbit is falling off the bone, about 2 hours. Turn the pieces at least once.
• Turn off the heat and discard the thyme and bay leaves. Remove the rabbit from the sauce and let cool; then pull the meat from the bones. Shred some pieces and leave others large. Return the meat to the pan and simmer the sauce until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the butter, piece by piece. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pappardelle until al dente. Before draining, save a cup of the pasta water. Toss the pappardelle with the sauce over low heat, adding pasta water as necessary if the sauce is too thick. Divide among pasta bowls and top with the grated cheese.