P
Italian · Rome, Lazio
Coniglio alla Cacciatora Romana con Olive e Rosmarino
The Roman hunter's rabbit: jointed rabbit browned in olive oil, then braised in white wine with Gaeta olives, rosemary, garlic, and a single whole dried chilli. The name 'alla cacciatora' (hunter's style) in Rome specifically means rabbit with olives, rosemary, and white wine — distinct from the Milanese version (with tomato) or the Marchigiano version (with vinegar). The Gaeta olives' mild brine and the rosemary's resin create the distinctive Roman flavour profile.
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I
The Market List
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1 (about 1.4 kg)
rabbit
jointed into 8–10 pieces, dried thoroughly
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
60 ml
extra-virgin olive oil
Your own market
375 ml
dry white wine
half a bottle
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
150 g
Gaeta olives
whole, unpitted
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 large sprig
fresh rosemary
Your own market
3 cloves
garlic
whole, unpeeled
Your own market
1
whole dried chilli
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 splash
white wine vinegar
added in the last 5 minutes
Your own market
to taste
fine sea salt
Your own market
to taste
black pepper
freshly ground
Your own market
II
The Method
1
Dry each rabbit piece thoroughly with a cloth or paper. Season well with salt and black pepper on all sides. Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy braising pan over high heat. Brown the rabbit in batches — do not crowd the pan. Each piece must develop a deep golden crust on all sides before it is turned. The pan should sizzle loudly; if it steams, the temperature has fallen too low. The dish is done at this stage when each piece is firmly crusted and a rich brown fond has built on the pan floor.
2
Return all the browned rabbit pieces to the pan. Pour in the white wine. Allow it to bubble hard, scraping up the fond, and reduce by half. The sharp alcohol smell will soften and the wine will take on a rounded, slightly sweet character — that change of smell marks the point at which to proceed.
3
Add the Gaeta olives, the rosemary sprig, the whole garlic cloves, and the dried chilli. Stir once to distribute. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and braise for 40–50 minutes. Lift the lid occasionally: the rabbit is ready when the thigh meat yields to gentle pressure with a finger and begins to pull away from the bone.
4
Remove the lid. Add a splash of white wine vinegar. Raise the heat to medium and cook uncovered for a further 10 minutes, turning the rabbit in the sauce. The sauce is done when it has reduced to a glossy consistency that coats and clings to the pieces rather than pooling in the pan — confirmed by sight.
5
Remove the rosemary sprig and the dried chilli. Taste for salt. Serve directly from the pan, accompanied by crusty bread or polenta bianca for mopping the olive-rosemary sauce.
From the canon — Polenta is the principal cooked grain preparation of northern Italy — from the Veneto through Lombardy, Piedmont, Trentino, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Polenta — The Correct Technique and Regional Variations →
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Wild-caught Roman-campagna rabbit, jointed to order with liver and kidneys retained; Gaeta olives pressed and cured by a single producer; estate-bottled Frascati Superiore for the braising wine.
02
Estate — Free-range farm rabbit, jointed whole; authentic Gaeta olives from a named Lazio producer; a clean, dry Verdicchio or Trebbiano d'Abruzzo for the wine.
03
Market — Good-quality farmed rabbit jointed by the butcher; Gaeta or Taggiasca olives from a reliable importer; any dry Italian white wine with no residual sweetness.
04
House — Supermarket jointed rabbit pieces; Taggiasca olives in brine (drained); a standard dry white wine. Green or kalamata olives must not be substituted — the mild brine of Gaeta or Taggiasca is the defining character of the Roman version.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sound. A loud, sustained sizzle when rabbit meets the oil; any drop toward a wet, steaming sound means the pan is overcrowded or insufficiently hot.
◇Smell. The sharp alcohol edge of the white wine softens to a rounded, fruity warmth — the signal that the wine has reduced by half and the braise may begin.
◇Touch. The thigh meat yields to light finger pressure and begins to separate from the bone after 40–50 minutes of covered braising.
◇Sight. The uncovered sauce reduces to a glossy, clinging consistency that coats the rabbit pieces without pooling beneath them.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies in the browning: rabbit jointed and dried, seared in batches over high heat until a firm, deep crust forms — without this Maillard foundation the braise has no flavour base.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Whisky
From British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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