Liguria — coniglio alla ligure is found throughout the Ligurian interior, where rabbit farming was traditional in households without space for larger livestock. The Taggiasca olive from the Imperia province gives the preparation its Ligurian identity.
Coniglio alla ligure is the Ligurian rabbit preparation — a braise in which the rabbit pieces are cooked slowly with dry white wine (Vermentino or Pigato), Taggiasca olives (the small, mild Ligurian olive), pine nuts, rosemary, thyme, and — in the full traditional version — dried mushrooms soaked in warm water. The combination of mild Taggiasca olive, pine nut, and Ligurian herb (marjoram is the defining Ligurian herb, less used elsewhere) produces a sauce that is specifically Mediterranean in character: olive-fruity, slightly sweet from the pine nuts, and deeply aromatic from the herbs. The rabbit braises until the meat begins to fall from the bone.
Coniglio alla ligure after its long braise has a sauce of Mediterranean fragrance — the Taggiasca olives have given their mild fruitiness; the pine nuts have become soft and slightly sweet; the marjoram and rosemary are assertively present; the wine has reduced to a clean acidity. The rabbit meat is tender and slightly sweet from the mild Ligurian olive. With Ligurian focaccia to absorb the sauce, it is the essential Ligurian secondo.
Joint the rabbit into 8-10 pieces; pat dry; season. Brown in olive oil in batches until golden. Remove. In same oil, soften shallot and garlic; add soaked dried porcini (squeezed and chopped) with their strained soaking water. Return rabbit; add Vermentino (generous glass); allow to evaporate. Add Taggiasca olives (unpitted — or pitted; either is traditional), pine nuts, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, and a scant amount of water. Braise covered at very low heat 1-1.5 hours until completely tender. Remove lid for final 15 minutes to concentrate the sauce. Adjust seasoning.
Taggiasca olives are the essential Ligurian marker — their small size, mild fruitiness, and low bitterness make them irreplaceable in this preparation. Oil-cured Nicoise olives are the closest French equivalent. Marjoram (origano delle vigne in Ligurian) is the herb that distinguishes Ligurian preparations from central Italian ones — it appears constantly in Ligurian cooking where other regions use oregano.
Browning at insufficient heat — the rabbit pieces must be deeply browned, not steamed; crowd the pan less rather than adding more pieces at once. Taggiasca olives pitted too early — the olives release bitter compounds when pitted and immediately added; add pitted olives in the last 30 minutes if pitless; whole olives can braise the full duration. Under-cooking — rabbit is completely done when the meat falls effortlessly from the bone; any resistance means more time.
Anna Gosetti della Salda, Le Ricette Regionali Italiane; Slow Food Editore, Liguria in Cucina