It's one of the classic main courses of Ligurian tradition: Ligurian-style rabbit has been a staple on the tables of the region bordering France for so many years, so much so that its regional identity has even been codified in the PAT (Traditional Agri-food Products) of the Liguria region, an acronym that denotes dishes "obtained with time-tested processing, preservation, and curing methods, consistent throughout the affected territory, according to traditional rules, for a period of no less than twenty-five years."
A dish with humble origins that has had the honor of rising to the honors of international cinema, cited in Paolo Sorrentino's Oscar-winning "The Great Beauty" during a dinner of the "Roman elite", where Cardinal Bellucci reveals in great detail to Jep Gambardella, aka Toni Servillo, the recipe for Ligurian-style rabbit, managing to unleash the hunger of the spectators.
In the original version, it's prepared by braising and sautéing chopped animal meat, deglazed with traditional red or white wine (primarily Vermentino or Rossese di Dolceacqua), olives, pine nuts, onions, and herbs (thyme, rosemary, marjoram, bay leaves, and/or sage). The liver and head are pounded and cooked separately to extract the juice. The dish is then served with a side of boiled or roasted potatoes.
However, there are several small variations throughout the region. Examples include those with capers and rabbit alla Sanremo or alla Sanremasca, typical of western Liguria, where walnuts are prominent.
Enrico Marmo, until last October the Michelin-starred chef of Balzi Rossi, a restaurant in Ventimiglia just 300 meters from the border dividing the two countries, received the Gambero Rosso 2023 "Tradizione Futura" award for "contemporary Ligurian cuisine rooted in the products of the West." Today, on the eve of a new professional adventure, he prepares a personal version of Ligurian-style rabbit. "In the kitchen," he says, "we marinate the legs for 24 hours in a brine of sugar, coarse salt, Vermentino, and Sarawak black pepper. Separately, we create a stock from the bones with yellow onion and local Vessalico garlic. We then complete the dish with the recipe's traditional ingredients—toasted Ligurian pine nuts, dried Taggiasca olives, and an aromatic wild mixed salad." The main course is complemented by four other satellite recipes, which aim to pay homage to the rabbit in its entirety, highlighting the chop, the shank and alternative cuts, such as the giblets and the brain.
Ligurian-Style Rabbit Recipe
Ingredients for people 4
Marinated rabbit legs
• 4 rabbit legs
• 500 g Vermentino
• 80 g coarse salt
• 20 g Sarawak black pepper
Prepare the brine by mixing all the ingredients. Debone the rabbit legs,
Reserving the bones. Marinate them for 24 hours in brine. Drain and pat dry with a cloth.
Ligurian-style rabbit stock
• 100 g blond onion
• 10 g Vessalico garlic
• 2 L cold water
• Qb extra virgin olive oil, Vermentino, salt
In a 24 cm diameter copper saucepan, toast the rabbit bones with a little oil and salt.
When they are lightly colored, blend with the Vermentino. Once evaporated,
Add the onion and garlic. Cover with cold water. Bake for 2 hours at 170°C.
during cooking, filter with a sieve and reduce very slowly.
Rabbit's head
• 2 rabbit heads
• 20 g green part of the spring onion
• 20 g butter
Cut the head in half. Remove the brain and season it with the green part of the spring onion and the
butter. Return the ingredients to the cavity and grill them in a salamander until golden brown.
Onion molasses
• 8 yellow onions
• To taste coarse salt
Cook the onions in coarse salt for 1 hour at 200°C. Peel and blend. Reduce the liquid until
in consistency.
Rabbit skewer
• Qb marigold petals
Place all the innards (sweetbread, kidney, tongue, heart, liver) of a rabbit on a
Skewer. Brush them with baked onion molasses and cook them on the barbecue. Serve with rose petals.
of marigold.
Rabbit shank
• 4 rabbit shanks
• 12 Taggiasca olives
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 sprig of rosemary, thyme, marjoram
• 50 g extra virgin olive oil
• 50 g Vermentino wine
• 15 g pine nuts
In a high-sided saucepan, brown the rabbit shanks until golden brown. Deglaze with the white wine. Once it has evaporated completely, add the herbs and bake at 160°C for 15 minutes.
