Orecchiette With Rabbit Ragù Recipes

ORECCHIETTE WITH LAMB AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season well with salt. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than listed on the box, about 8 minutes. Drain well, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the garlic and sweat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it apart with the back of a spoon, until cooked through and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the peas, asparagus and tomatoes and toss well to coat. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add 1/2 cup pasta water and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the pasta to the sauce and sprinkle 1 1/2 cups Parmesan on the bare pasta. Toss it with the sauce, adding the remaining 1/2 cup pasta water as needed to create a light tomato sauce. Stir in the thyme. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.

RABBIT RAGU WITH PAPPARDELLE

Steps:

• Pat the rabbit pieces dry and season with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the oil and brown the pieces, working in batches if needed to avoid crowding. Transfer to a plate.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the anchovy (if you choose) and mash it until it dissolves into the oil. Add the onion, carrots and celery, stirring until soft, about 5 minutes. Then add the red-pepper flakes, garlic and tomato paste, stirring for another minute. Deglaze the pan with the wine, turn the heat to high and boil to burn off the alcohol, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, broth, bay leaves and thyme. Return the rabbit pieces to the pot, spacing them evenly so they are partly covered by the liquid. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rabbit is falling off the bone, about 2 hours. Turn the pieces at least once.
• Turn off the heat and discard the thyme and bay leaves. Remove the rabbit from the sauce and let cool; then pull the meat from the bones. Shred some pieces and leave others large. Return the meat to the pan and simmer the sauce until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the butter, piece by piece. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pappardelle until al dente. Before draining, save a cup of the pasta water. Toss the pappardelle with the sauce over low heat, adding pasta water as necessary if the sauce is too thick. Divide among pasta bowls and top with the grated cheese.

ORECCHIETTE WITH RABBIT RAGù

Steps:

• Pat rabbit dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown rabbit in 2 batches, turning over once, about 7 minutes per batch. Transfer to a platter, reserving fat in skillet.
• Add remaining 3 tablespoons oil to fat in skillet and heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaves, rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add wine and boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, until most of liquid is evaporated, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, broth, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Return rabbit along with any juices accumulated on platter to skillet and nestle rabbit into sauce. Cover skillet and simmer, stirring and turning rabbit over occasionally, until both saddle pieces are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer saddle pieces to a plate, then continue to simmer leg pieces 10 minutes more.
• Remove from heat and transfer remaining rabbit pieces to plate. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones, discarding bones and gristle, and shred. Return meat along with any juices to sauce in skillet, then add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring sauce to a boil. Discard bay leaves.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until al dente. Drain in a colander.
• Transfer pasta to a large serving dish and top with sauce, stirring to combine.

ORECCHIETTE AL RAGU DI BRACIOLE (PASTA WITH BEEF RAGU AND BRACIOLE)

Steps:

• Pound the beef cutlets 1/4-inch thin. Add the cheese, parsley and garlic to a small bowl and toss. Divide evenly over each cutlet. Roll up each cutlet and tie with butcher's twine to secure and to make a roll. Sprinkle each roll with salt and pepper.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef rolls and the cubed beef and brown on all sides. Remove to a plate once browned. Add a touch more olive oil to the pan and add the carrots and onions and saute until tender. Add the wine and simmer for a minute or so, and then scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the passata and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, add the beef back into the pot and cover with a lid. Cook on low until thick and the meat begins to fall apart, flipping the rolls occasionally, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. (If too dry, add a half cup of water; if too loose, remove the lid to finish thickening).
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orecchiette, cook until al dente and drain.
• Remove the bay leaves and discard from the sauce. Carefully remove the braciole to a cutting board and cut off the butcher's twine. Slice the beef rolls into rounds. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss all together. Serve on a large platter and top with the braciole rounds and sprinkle with lots of pecorino cheese.

ORECCHIETTE WITH RABBIT, TOMATO, AND BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender and golden, about 5 minutes. Add chopped rabbit; sauté until light brown, about 4 minutes. Add wine and boil until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Stir in chopped tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, 1 cup basil, crushed red pepper, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Season sauce generously with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Return pasta to pot. Add sauce; toss to coat. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup basil and Parmesan cheese.