Rabbit and fettuccine recipe

By Tom Norrington-Davies

Serves 4
Ready in 1½ hours
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This sauce for pasta is, in essence, a light ragù and would also work with poultry such as pheasant or partridge. A whole rabbit will give you more than enough for four servings, so you might like to freeze some for later. This sauce is also good with gnocchi.

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
1 rabbit, jointed (ask your butcher to cut the saddle into 2 or 3 pieces and include the liver)
3 garlic cloves
1 onion, finely chopped
400g can plum tomatoes
100ml (1 small glass) white wine
1/2 tsp sugar
300g fettuccine or similar egg pasta
1 generous tbsp butter
A fresh tarragon sprig or, even better, chervil
Grated Parmesan, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large casserole and brown the rabbit pieces all over. Remove them and set aside. Fry the garlic and onion gently in the same pan, until translucent and tender but not browned. The best way to do this is to stir in a pinch of salt, pop on a lid and sweat for 10-15 minutes.
2. Drain the tomatoes in a colander, then squish them so you have a pulp and no juice. Return the rabbit to the pot. Add the tomatoes, wine, sugar and just enough water (about 100ml) to almost cover the meat. Cook for 30-40 minutes until the meat can be pushed off the bone with the back of a spoon. Remove the rabbit from the juices and set both aside to cool.
3. Once the rabbit has cooled, pick the meat free of any bones, and return to the sauce. Discard the bones.
4. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain, then add as much of the sauce as you fancy. Add the butter and tarragon or chervil, plus some grated Parmesan, if you like. Season to taste and serve.