Coniglio alla Ligure con Olive e Pinoli

Ingredients

• 1.4–1.6 kg rabbit, fresh, jointed into 8 pieces
• 80 g plain flour, for dusting
• 120 g Taggiasca olives, unpitted, in brine
• 50 g pine nuts
• 200 ml dry Ligurian white wine, Pigato or Vermentino
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 4 leaves sage
• 1 sprig marjoram, maggiorana
• 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• to taste fine sea salt, assess after olive brine is released before adding

Method

1. 1
   Pat the rabbit pieces thoroughly dry. Spread the flour on a flat tray and dredge each piece lightly, shaking off any excess. Every surface should carry only a thin, even coat — not a heavy crust. The pieces are ready when they feel dry to the touch and no loose flour remains.
2. 2
   Warm the olive oil in a wide, heavy braising pan over a medium-high flame. Place the floured rabbit pieces in a single layer without crowding. Brown on all sides until each surface is a deep golden colour and the pieces release cleanly from the pan without tearing. The sound of steady sizzling should be maintained throughout; a drop in sound indicates the pan has cooled and steaming has begun rather than browning.
3. 3
   This is where the dish lives or dies. Pour in the white wine and allow it to reduce by half over a brisk flame, scraping up the browned flour and caramelised juices from the base of the pan. The wine must not merely warm but must actively boil and reduce: the braising liquid's final body, its mineral acidity, and the degree to which the flour binds the sauce all depend on this reduction. The liquid is ready when the sharp alcohol smell has left the steam and the aroma turns clean and fruity.
4. 4
   Add the rosemary, sage, and marjoram. Nestle the Taggiasca olives among the rabbit pieces. Reduce the flame to a gentle simmer, place a lid on the pan leaving a gap of roughly 2–3 cm at one side, and braise: saddle and back pieces for 45–60 minutes, legs for up to 90 minutes. Taste the sauce before adding any salt — the olive brine released during braising contributes significant seasoning. The rabbit is done when the meat at the thickest part of a leg piece yields without resistance to the tip of a small knife but still holds its shape and has not begun to fall from the bone.
5. 5
   Fifteen minutes before the braise is complete, scatter the pine nuts over the surface of the pan. Do not stir them under the liquid. They should sit proud of the sauce and warm through in the residual steam and heat, retaining their texture and a faint crunch. At the point of serving they should yield to the tooth with a distinct resistance, neither soft nor raw.
6. 6
   Uncover the pan fully for the final 5 minutes of braising. The sauce should reduce to a thin but slightly viscous consistency — the flour and olive brine will have bound it. It should coat a spoon lightly and appear glossy, not watery. If the sauce remains too loose, remove the rabbit pieces and reduce the liquid briefly over a high flame before returning them.