Easy Italian Recipes

 MAKES 4 SERVINGS

- 1 rabbit, 3 Ib (1.5 kg), cut into 12 serving pieces
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 tablespoons (2 fl oz/60 ml) olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, halved and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 1 large celery stalk, diced
- 1/2 cup (4 fI oz/125 ml) dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio
- 1 can (28 oz/875 g) plum (Roma) tomatoes, crushed, with juice
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup (5 oz/155 g) pitted brine-cured black olives

Cacciatora means "hunter's style," and this dish, found on tables throughout Tuscany, is an old-fashioned preparation that once relied on the hunter bringing home a rabbit for his wife to cook. Nowadays, of course, rabbits are more often bought at the local butcher shop, though hunting remains popular in rural Tuscany. Creamy polenta the typical accompaniment in the region's mountain areas. A cut-up chicken can be substituted and prepared in the same way.

Pat the rabbit pieces dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt. In a large frying pan over medium heat, warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the rabbit pieces and cook, turning as needed, until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the same pan over medium heat, add the onion, and sauté until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, and celery and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes.

Raise the heat to high, pour in the wine, bring to a boil, and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the pan bottom. Cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, rosemary, sage, and bay leaf and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and return the rabbit pieces to the pan. Spoon the sauce over the rabbit, cover the pan, and cook gently, stirring and turning the pieces occasionally, until the meat is tender when tested with a knife, about 45 minutes longer.

Transfer the meat to a warmed serving platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Cook the sauce in the pan over high heat until it thickens, 5-7 minutes.
Remove and discard the bay leaf and rosemary sprig, then stir in the olives. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the rabbit and serve at once.