Rustic Italian Rabbit Cacciatore Recipe

Directions

• Roast the bell peppers: Cut peppers in half, remove seeds & membrane. Place cut-side down on parchment lined baking sheet. Roast for 30-40 minutes at 450 degrees until skin is charred. Cover peppers with bowl or plastic wrap for 30 minutes. Remove skin, and slice into thin strips.
• Season rabbit thighs with salt & pepper. Then lightly dust in flour. Heat a couple Tablespoons of olive oil in Dutch oven or large, deep skillet over medium-high. Brown the meat on both sides until a light crust has developed. Remove meat from pan and set aside.
• Put the quartered mushrooms into the hot skillet (adding a little more olive oil if the pan seems dry). Saute the mushrooms until softened, but not mushy. Then remove the mushrooms and wipe any excess water from the mushrooms with paper towel.
• Add a little more olive oil to pan, and saute the onions until softened. Then add in the bell pepper strips, garlic, tomato paste, and crushed red pepper. Cook for 2 minutes.
• Deglaze with the white wine, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Let everything cook for a few minutes, until most of the wine has cooked off. Then add the mushrooms back in.
• Stir in the crushed tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, and chicken stock.
• Place rabbit thighs into the sauce, nestling them into it. They should be almost submerged in the sauce. If you don’t have enough sauce in the pan, you can add some more chicken stock.
• Cover the pot and reduce heat to very low. Let the rabbit thighs cook in the sauce for 60 minutes, or until the meat is very tender.
• Serve meat and sauce atop a bed of pasta, mashed potatoes, or creamy polenta. Optionally garnish with chopped parsley.