
1. The night
before cooking, rinse and dry the rabbit
pieces. Use a mortar
and pestle or a
knife on a cutting board to make a paste
of 2 garlic
cloves, the
rosemary, salt and pepper. Rub the paste
over the rabbit
pieces. Put them
on a plate, cover lightly with plastic
wrap and
refrigerate.
2. Heat the oven
to 350 degrees. Have ready a shallow
roasting pan large
enough to hold
the rabbit in a single layer, with space
for the vegetables.
Arrange the
rabbit pieces in the pan. Dab the rabbit
pieces with any
seasoning rub
that may have been left on the plate.
Scatter the fennel,
onion, pancetta,
remaining 2 cloves garlic, fennel seed
and half the fennel
tops over the
rabbit. Sprinkle with the olive oil and
a bit of salt and
pepper. Roast 30
minutes, basting often with the pan
juices. Pour in 1/2
the broth and
roast another 1 hour. Baste often,
turning the pieces
occasionally.
Add a little water to the pan if the pan
is dry.
3. Increase the
heat to 450 degrees, cook until the
rabbit is golden brown,
about 10
minutes. Turn the rabbit and vegetable
pieces and roast until
golden on the
other side, basting once with the pan
juices, about 10
minutes.
4. Transfer the
rabbit and vegetables to a heated
platter and keep them
warm in the
turned off oven with the door open.
Quickly make a pan sauce by
setting the
roasting pan over two stove burners
turned to high. Add
remaining 1/4
cup broth and the stock. Scrape up the
brown glaze from the
bottom of the
roasting pan as the liquids boil down by
about half, 3 to 5
minutes. Scatter
the remaining fennel leaves over the
rabbit. Pass the
sauce with the
rabbit at the table. |