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Active Time
30 min
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Total Time
1 hr
We were surprised to learn that a lean meat could produce such a delicious ragù. The nice thing about this dish is that it cooks quickly and is substantial without being heavy, making it the perfect dinner as we head into spring. It's also delicious when prepared with veal.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
Heat oil and butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet (2 inches deep) over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then add pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Add sage and rosemary and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add rabbit and cook, stirring occasionally, until rabbit is no longer pink on outside, 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add wine and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about 1 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Add tomatoes, sea salt, and pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, 5 to 10 minutes.
·Ragù can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. ·Ragù can be made with 1 1/2 pounds boneless veal shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces, in a 6-quart wide heavy pot. Add veal to pot in place of rabbit and, after cooking until no longer pink on outside, add 4 cups water and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about 1 cup and veal is very tender, about 1 1/4 hours. Proceed with recipe.
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Reviews (25)
Back to TopOh my goodness, I served this on top of a bed of Parsnip mashed potatoes and what a wonderful dinner.
Ali
NH
6/27/2022
First time cooking a rabbit but being Cajun I was excited. Whole frozen rabbit from farmer's market. I thawed then boned it myself using an electric filet knife. Not hard to do, just carefully trim along the bones. I made the recipe exactly as is using a Mark West Pinot Noir The first night I served it over Pappardelle pasta. The rabbit bits were not tough but a little firm. Personally, I did not like it over pasta. For me everything slides off the noodle. The next day I served over Polenta. Two things: I much prefer this dish over Polenta for the texture and way everything comes together. Two: I think it was better on day 2 as the flavors seemed to marry over night. Definitely a great dish!
Jamieperu
Central Texas
7/8/2021
Excellent - rich, silky sauce with nice texture. Only variation was that I simmered the rabbit on the bone, covered for about 30 minutes after adding the tomatoes, then carefully removed the meat from the bones to serve. This would be good with either veal and chicken thighs, but the rabbit is really nice. Served over homemade egg pappardelle.
mbranco
Toronto ON
5/13/2020
Pretty tasty recipe--the wine, herbs, and tomatoes provide the main flavor since the rabbit is so mild. I started from a whole rabbit, and breaking it down was quite time-consuming, though the ragu itself was fairly quick for a sauce of this type. I served it over homemade pappardelle because my husband dislikes polenta.
sitagaki
2/5/2018
Surprisingly good. Could only find whole frozen rabbit - so couldn't have the butcher debone it. Managed to break it down once thawed, but not debone it. Had to tweak the preparation a bit. Browned the pieces with the pancetta and returned them to the pan with the other ingredients. Adjusted the veg/liquid amounts (about 1.5x) so the sauce covered the pieces and braised semi-covered in a 325 oven for about an hour. Removed meat - took it off the bone, shredded it and returned to sauce. Reduced oven to 300 and left it in for another 45 minutes. I think it somewhat kept the integrity of the recipe. Family was initially skeptical of rabbit, but everyone cleaned their plate. I'm sure the buttered polenta helped!
Anonymous
10/17/2016
Absolutely delicious, and even better the next day. Having never made rabbit before, I did a good bit of research before starting this dish. I deboned the rabbit myself, which wasn't as difficult as it might seem, and I followed the recipe up to the last step, when I put it in the oven for about an hour and a half at 325. Came out perfect, it's going into rotation as often as possible.
KSHunter
Atlanta, GA
11/17/2014
小牛肉而不是兔子。更多的olive oil and butter than needed and ended up with a somewhat greasy end-product. Was tasty and will make again but wasn't out of this world. Served with mashed potatoes.
tochefs
Toronto, ON
2/6/2014
This was spectacular! I will definitely make this again. I made a few minor adjustments. I had a whole bone in rabbit so I braised it instead. Added 1/2 c more wine, cooked in Dutch oven closed on cook top for 30min and then transferred to oven at 350 degrees for about an hour and a half. Meat fell off the bone. Added the meat back to the sauce and added the salt and pepper. Served over homemade parpadelle pasta. Delicious!
tess0102
Atlanta, GA
12/29/2013
I made the ragu as specified here. The rabbit, which we bought whole, was not tender by the time I was complete with this recipe, so I put a lid on the dutch oven I was using and braised it a while. Due to the amount of liquid and the time at which I noticed it, I was only able to braise it for about 30 minutes, but will do so longer when I make this again. It was really quite good with the polenta.
French792
Tallahassee, FL
8/18/2013
这样一个简单的菜,一切都是超级容易ke. I basically just added the tomatoes, red wine and stock into a pot, mixed everything, and bung the vegetables in with the rabbit and slow cook it for 4 hours. Afterward I shred the meat of the bone, place it back in the ragu mix it and served with pappardelle pasta
ktvb
9/2/2012
Bought a whole rabbit at the farmer's market today, and so used an entire bottle of three-buck chuck to cook it down, rather than the 1 cup. Pulled the meat off the bone at the end, and bang. Dang good meal. Served with Bittman's polenta with more sage and rosemary and his Brussels sprouts with pancetta, walnuts and balsamic. Food coma.
manderpants
Portland, OR
10/22/2011
I had a wild rabbit that was very lean, so I first did a slow braise at 275 degrees in red wine with the mirepoix. Then I made a ragu with garlic, tomatoes, carrots, celery, and fresh herbs, and then added the rabbit meat, which I shredded off the bone, along with the reduced wine from the braise and as much of the braising vegetables as I could force through a fine sieve. The wild rabbit is slightly gamey and the ragu is exceptionally flavrful. Great recipe! Will serve with polenta or fresh pasta tonight.
susuchef
London
8/15/2010
This made a delicious Easter Buffet item. Good luck getting a butcher to bone a rabbit! I just cooked the meat on the bone and pulled the meat off after it was cooked and shredded it, alot of work but my guests were ecstatic. Went well with the Polenta.
vikingdandy
Brooklyn, NY
7/13/2010
Fabulous recipe. Our rabbit was whole and we cut it up the best we could and then decided to put the rest of the pieces in on the bone. I think it added more flavor. I cooked it longer until the meat fell off the bone and served it over creamy polenta and with brussel sprout with pine nuts and marjoram from this site. A wonderful meal. Would be great in a crock pot!
sorcwhippets
Lock Haven, PA
7/19/2009
Exceptional. I didn't have bacon, so used a smoked paprika to give it the smokiness it needed. Wonderful recipe and versatile (I didn't have sage or rosemary), but still delicious. Easy way to impress. Went wonderfully over thin spaghetti and pared with a light pinot noir.
Anonymous
Germany
4/12/2008
