Angela's Italian Recipe for Rabbit with Almond Sauce





Ingredients: 1 large rabbit quartered (a skinless quartered chicken may be substituted if you don't favor eating rabbit) One-half bottle (about two cups) dry white wine Sprig of fresh laurel (bay leaves) Sprig of fresh rosemary Few small leaves of sage 3.5 oz (100 grams) of shelled toasted blanched ("white") almonds 2.5 tbs (50 grams) of pine nuts 2.5 tbs (50 grams) white or golden raisins 1 white or yellow onion 2 anchovy fillets (may be canned) 2.5 tbs (50 grams) capers 2 tablespoons low-alcohol almond extract (the kind used in baking) Extra virgin olive oil White pepper and salt

Directions: If it's not already quartered, cut the rabbit (or chicken) into pieces. Remove the herb leaves from the stalks. If you're preparing this recipe with rabbit, marinade the meat in the white wine with the rosemary, bay leaves and sage for 3-4 hours before cooking. Then chop the onion into thin slices and place it in the bottom of a roasting pan with a tablespoon of virgin olive oil.

Add the rabbit and other ingredients, including the wine and herbs. Roast the rabbit in the oven for an hour or more as you would roast a chicken, occasionally basting it with the wine and olive oil mixture. The rabbit should be covered during half of the baking time, and turned over when it is about half cooked. Add wine if necessary if the liquid sauce seems as if it will evaporate. Meanwhile, chop the almonds and pine nuts into a fine granular consistency, almost powdery if possible. Chop the anchovy fillets into a paste. In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the almond-pine nut mixture with the anchovy paste, almond extract, the juice of one lemon, the capers and raisins. When the rabbit is completely cooked, remove it from the oven and quickly stir in this combined paste before serving, adding a little olive oil and water if it seems too liquid. You may wish to remove the bay leaves. Salt and pepper lightly to taste.

Italian arborio rice, prepared as risotto, makes a nice complement to the dish. Serves 4.