Coniglio Al Forno O Cacciatore Recipes

CONIGLIO AL FORNO O CACCIATORE

Steps:

• Pour half of oil into a shallow baking dish. Add rabbit, rosemary, and garlic. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and remaining oil. Bake in preheated oven at 350° about 30 minutes. Turn pieces, add wine and bake for another 30 - 45 minutes until meat is tender. Serve with sauce poured over meat. For cacciatore, leave out rosemary and bake with whole crushed tomatoes, parsley and oregano. (Also see Grandpa's "Coniglio Cacciatore.")

CONCHIGLIE AL FORNO WITH MUSHROOMS AND RADICCHIO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil in a stockpot.
• Remove the stems from the mushrooms and reserve for another use. Slice the mushroom caps about 1/4-inch thick. Heat 6 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet; add the mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Saute over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they are cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the mushrooms, radicchio, cream, cheeses, sage, and remaining salt.
• Parboil the pasta shells for 4 minutes; drain and add to the ingredients in the mixing bowl. Toss to combine.
• Divide the pasta mixture among 6 to 8 individual, shallow, ceramic gratin dishes (1 1/2 to 2 cup capacity). Dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and bake until bubbly and brown on top, about 7 to 10 minutes.

POLLO ALLA CACCIATORA (CHICKEN CACCIATORE)

Steps:

• Warm the olive oil in a large saute pan set over medium-high heat. Stir in the peppers and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Stir the mushrooms into the pan and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 8 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to the pan and brown lightly on both sides, about 15 minutes in all. Remove the chicken from the pan to a platter and set aside. Pour the wine into the pan and stir to incorporate any cooking juices. Add the garlic, onions, and rosemary and cook until the onions are slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, crushing them with your hand or the back of a slotted spoon as you add them to the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Stir the peppers and mushrooms into the chicken. Return to a simmer, cover, and cook to blend in the flavor of these ingredients, about 10 minutes. The stew may be set aside at this point for several hours before reheating and serving with bread to dip into the sauce. Variation: Rabbit cut into serving portions may be substituted for the chicken. Omit the peppers. Quarter rather than slice the mushrooms. To the basic recipe add 2 all purpose potatoes, peeled, halved and each half quartered. Stir these into the stew at the same time the rabbit is returned to the pot. stir 6 kalamata olives into the stew along with the mushrooms during the last 10 minutes of cooking.;

RABBIT, HUNTER-STYLE: CONIGLIO ALLA CACCIATORA

Steps:

• In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the rabbit and cook until brown. Turn the rabbit over and cook the other side. Remove the browned rabbit to a plate and hold aside.
• When all rabbit is removed, add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute until the onion is tender. Add in the browned rabbit and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Add the tomatoes, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until rabbit is done. Remove the rabbit from the sauce and keep warm. Remove the cover and simmer for another 10 minutes on high heat to concentrate the sauce. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Pour sauce on top of rabbit and sprinkle with parsley.