Coniglio in Agrodolce

Ingredients
1 or 2 Rabbits cut into pieces
6 chat potatoes, halved
8 shallots, leave whole
1 large carrot, diced
2 sticks celery, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 leek, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbl spn sugar
¼ cup pine nuts
½ cup sultanas
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 cup dry white wine
2-4 cups chicken stock
2 tbl spn extra virgin olive oil

Marinade
4-5 sprigs thyme, remove leaves from stems
¼ cup sage roughly chopped
4 sprigs rosemary
¼ cup flat leaf parsley
3 bay leaves
2 red chilli, thinly sliced
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and cracked pepper

Method
• Cut rabbit/s into pieces and place in large bowl, with all the herbs, the sliced chilli and the oil, massage meat with oil and herbs, season with salt and pepper, set aside whilst you prepare vegetables.
• Preheat oven to 180C, heat oil in heavy based oven proof pan, add rabbit pieces and seal all sides until browned all over, remove from pan and set aside with the cooking oil and herbs.
• Add remaining oil to the pan with the onion, garlic and leeks cook for a few minutes or until onions soften.
• Add the celery, carrots, potatoes and shallots, combine with other ingredients ensuring they are well covered in oil, cook for a few minutes
• Sprinkle the sugar all over, then the vinegar cook for a minute
• Add the wine, sultanas and pine nuts, stir to combine and cook one minute
• Return the rabbit, herbs and oil to pan and mix into sauce
• Top up with chicken stock, just enough to almost cover the meat, adjust the seasoning
• Cover pan and bring to the boil, then transfer to the oven, cook for 1 hour


Polenta
Ingredients
350g polenta
1.5 litres chicken stock
1 tsp salt
50g butter
75g parmesan

Bring stock to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, slowly rain in the polenta, use a whisk to stir in, as the polenta combines with the stock it will start to thicken up, once all the polenta is combined switch to a wooden spoon and stir regularly until polenta is cooked, it should be nice and creamy, depending on the type of polenta you have it can take 20-40 minutes to cook. Once polenta is cooked remove from the heat, add butter and stir through to combine, than add the parmesan and stir that in, cover the saucepan with the lid and let it stand until ready to serve.

Polenta really holds the heat in so it will still be hot enough when served and I find the flavours are richer when prepared like this.