Coniglio in Porchetta con Finocchio Selvatico Marchigiano

Ingredients

• 1 (approx. 1.5 kg) whole rabbit, deboned except hindleg bones, skin left fully intact
• 80 g rendered lard, at room temperature, spreadable
• 20 g wild fennel fronds (finocchio selvatico), fresh, coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp wild fennel seeds
• 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
• 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more for the skin surface
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Method

1. 1
   Set the deboned rabbit flat, skin-side down, on a clean work surface. Inspect every centimetre of the skin: any tear or puncture must be identified now. Punctured skin loses rendered fat and moisture during roasting. Trim away any ragged membrane on the flesh side but leave the skin continuous.
2. 2
   Combine the wild fennel fronds, wild fennel seeds, sliced garlic, chopped rosemary, salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Spread the rendered lard generously and evenly over the entire flesh surface of the rabbit. Distribute the herb and seed mixture uniformly over the lard. The interior must be thoroughly coated — rabbit is extremely lean and dries out rapidly without fat.
3. 3
   Roll the rabbit tightly from one long edge to the other to form a uniform cylinder, enclosing all filling. Tie the roll with butcher's twine at 2 cm intervals along its entire length. Each loop must be firm and even. The roll should yield no gaps and hold its cylindrical form when released — gaps cause uneven cooking and the filling falls out when sliced. This is where the dish lives or dies: a loose or irregular roll cannot be corrected once in the oven.
4. 4
   Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Place a roasting rack inside a roasting tin. Set the tied roll on the rack — the roll must not rest in the tin itself. Season the skin surface with a little additional salt. Place in the oven and roast for 90 minutes. The flesh should register as firm to a gentle press through the skin, and the lard will be audibly rendered and dripping into the tin.
5. 5
   Raise the oven temperature to 200 °C. Continue roasting for a further 15 minutes. Without this step the skin remains pale and flaccid. The skin is ready when it is uniformly deep golden, visibly tightened over the roll, and blistered in places.
6. 6
   Remove the roll from the oven and transfer to a board. Rest uncovered for 20 minutes before slicing. The roll needs this period to redistribute its juices and to hold its shape when cut. At the end of the rest, pressing the roll lightly will feel resilient rather than slack, and the juices will have ceased running from the cut end.
7. 7
   Remove all twine. Slice into rounds approximately 2 cm thick with a sharp carving knife. The interior should show an even spiral of herb-flecked, lard-moistened rabbit flesh surrounded by a crisp, salty skin. Serve immediately.