Non-VegetarianEmiliana-Romagnola cuisine Main Course

Coniglio in Porchetta

Name: Coniglio in Porchetta
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Emiliana-Romagnola
Ingredients: 1 kg whole rabbit; 120 g pancetta; 20 g wild fennel; 3 cloves Garlic; 2 sprigs Rosemary; 150 ml Dry white wine; 30 ml Extra virgin olive oil; 6 g Fine sea salt; 2 g Black pepper

Boned whole rabbit rolled with wild fennel, garlic, and pancetta, then roasted in the classic porchetta style until tender.

🇮🇹Italy· Emilia-Romagna

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 60 min
Total: 85 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 480 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 9 gathered

Servings

1 kg whole rabbit — boned and opened flat
120 g pancetta — thinly sliced cured pork belly
20 g wild fennel — fresh fronds, or 1 tsp wild fennel seeds
3 cloves Garlic — peeled and finely chopped
2 sprigs Rosemary — leaves stripped and chopped
150 ml Dry white wine — such as Trebbiano Romagnolo
30 ml Extra virgin olive oil — for roasting
6 g Fine sea salt — to season
2 g Black pepper — freshly cracked

Equipment

•Kitchen twine
•Roasting tin
•Chef's knife
•Basting brush

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 480 kcal
fat: 32 g
carbs: 1 g
fibre: 1 g
protein: 42 g
calories: 480 kcal

Instructions

1
Lay the boned rabbit flat on a board with the inside facing upward.
2
Season the meat evenly with fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
3
Scatter the chopped garlic, rosemary, and wild fennel across the meat.
4
Arrange the sliced pancetta in an even layer over the aromatic herbs.
5
Roll the rabbit tightly lengthwise into a firm, neat cylinder.
6
Tie the roll securely with kitchen twine at two-centimetre intervals.
7
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C.
8
Transfer the roll to a roasting tin and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
9
Roast for 30 minutes until the exterior turns lightly golden.
10
Pour the white wine over the meat and roast for another 30 minutes, basting often.
11
Rest the roast for 10 minutes before removing the string and carving into thick rounds.

Chef's tips

Ask your butcher to bone the whole rabbit flat to save preparation time at home. Wild fennel fronds and pollen give the most authentic fragrance, but lightly crushed wild fennel seeds are an excellent alternative.

Ingredient substitutions

wild fennel → dried fennel seeds ground coarsely with a few fresh dill fronds
pancetta → lardo or unsmoked streaky bacon slices

Storage

Keep leftover sliced rabbit in an airtight container in the fridge with its cooking juices for up to 3 days.

Reheating

Reheat gently in a covered baking dish with a splash of white wine at 160 degrees C until warm.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Rolling the meat too loosely, which causes the herb filling to spill out during slicing.
•Letting the pan dry out entirely while roasting; add a splash of water if the wine evaporates too quickly.
•Carving immediately without resting, which causes the juices to run out.