Braised Rabbit Paws with Radiatore

Name: Braised Rabbit Paws with Radiatore
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling; 4 rabbit legs; Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper; 2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped; 1 onion, peeled and coarsely chopped; 6 cloves garlic, smashed with the flat side of a chef’s knife; 2 cups white wine; 2 cups chicken stock; 3 fresh bay leaves; 5 sprigs fresh thyme; 3/4 pound radiatore; 8 small sage leaves; Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

December 14, 2011

Americans don’t eat as much rabbit as they should, and it’s a shame. Rabbit meat is light and clean tasting, and the legs make a delicate braise without the heaviness of beef or pork. I like to pair this braise with radiatore, a squat, square pasta with ruffles that really catch and hold the meat and the sauce. Ask your butcher to piece out the rabbit for you, then save the more delicate loin—the strips that run along the back—for a quick-cooking preparation, such as the salad on page 112. As with chickens, rabbits are sold as both fryers and roasters, the fryers being smaller and younger with more tender flesh. That’s the bunny you want.

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