Coniglio in Porchetta
A Marchigiano classic of boned rabbit rolled with pancetta, garlic, and aromatic wild fennel, roasted until crisp and tender.
- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 95 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 480 kcal
Equipment
- •Boning knife
- •Kitchen string
- •Roasting tin
- •Skillet
- •Chopping board
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- fat
- 32 g
- carbs
- 2 g
- fibre
- 1 g
- protein
- 42 g
- calories
- 480 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Preheat your oven to 190 degrees C.
- 2
Lay the boned rabbit flat on a board, skin-side down, and flatten gently with a meat mallet.
- 3
Season the meat evenly with half of the salt and cracked black pepper.
- 4
Arrange the pancetta slices over the rabbit in an even layer.
- 5
Scatter the minced garlic, chopped wild fennel, fennel seeds, rosemary, and chopped rabbit offal evenly across the top.
- 6
Roll the rabbit tightly into a neat log starting from one long side.
- 7
Tie the roll securely with kitchen string at 2-centimetre intervals.
- 8
Rub the outside of the rolled rabbit with remaining salt, pepper, and 15 ml of olive oil.
- 9
Heat the remaining oil in a roasting tin over medium-high heat and sear the roll until golden on all sides.
- 10
Pour the white wine into the tin and transfer immediately to the preheated oven.
- 11
Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, basting every 15 minutes with the pan juices until tender and browned.
- 12
Rest the meat for 10 minutes, remove the string, and carve into 1.5-centimetre thick slices.
Chef's tips
Wild fennel is fundamental to the Marchigiano flavour profile. If you buy a whole rabbit, ask your butcher to bone it out flat while keeping the skin intact. Basting regularly with the wine juices prevents the lean rabbit meat from drying out during roasting.
Ingredient substitutions
- wild fennel fronds → cultivated dill or fennel tops combined with an extra teaspoon of crushed fennel seeds
- pancetta → thin slices of lardo or unsmoked streaky bacon
Storage
Store cooled rabbit slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Reheating
Reheat slices gently in a covered pan over low heat with a splash of white wine or meat stock.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Tying the roll too loosely, causing the aromatics and stuffing to fall out into the pan.
- •Overcooking the rabbit, which makes the lean meat dry and fibrous.
- •Omitting wild fennel, which strips the dish of its authentic Marchigiano character.
Serving suggestions
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