Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [165]
2. Choose a saute pan that can contain all the rabbit pieces without overlapping. Put in the oil, celery, garlic, and the rabbit, cover tightly, and turn the heat on to low. Turn the meat occasionally, but do not leave it uncovered.
3. You will find that at the end of 2 hours, the rabbit has shed a considerable amount of liquid. Uncover the pan, turn the heat up to medium, and cook until all the liquid has simmered away, turning the rabbit from time to time. Add the wine, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Allow the wine to simmer briskly until it has evaporated, then pour the dissolved bouillon cube and tomato paste mixture over the meat. Cook at a steady, gentle simmer for another 15 minutes or more, until the juices in the pan have formed a dense little sauce, turning the rabbit pieces over from time to time. Transfer the entire contents of the pan to a warm platter and serve promptly.
Ahead-of-time note You can finish cooking the rabbit several hours or a day in advance. Reheat in a covered pan over low heat, adding 2 or 3 tablespoons of water. Turn the rabbit pieces from time to time until they are warmed all the way through.
VEAL
Pan–Roasted Veal with Garlic,
Rosemary, and White Wine
FOR ITALIAN FAMILIES, this exquisitely simple dish is the classic way to cook a roast. It is a perfect illustration of the basic pan-roasting method used by home cooks in Italy, conducted entirely over a burner. Its secret lies in slow, watchful cooking, in a partly covered pot, carefully monitoring the amount of liquid so that there is just enough to keep the meat from sticking to the pan, but not so much that it dilutes its flavor. No other technique produces a more savory or succulent roast, and it is as successful with birds and lamb as it is with veal.
For 6 servings
3 medium garlic cloves
2 pounds boned veal roast (see note below)
A sprig of rosemary OR 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
⅔ cup dry white wine
Note A juicy, flavorful, and not expensive cut for this roast would be boned, rolled shoulder of veal.
1. Lightly mash the garlic with a knife handle, hitting it just hard enough to split the skin, which you will remove and discard.
2. If the meat is to be rolled up, put the garlic, rosemary, and a few grindings of pepper on it while it is flat, then roll it, and tie it securely. If it is a solid piece from the round, pierce it at several points with a sharp, narrow-bladed knife and insert the garlic and distribute here and there the sprig of rosemary, divided into several pieces, or the dried leaves.
3. Choose a heavy-bottomed or enameled cast-iron pot, possibly oval-shaped, just large enough to hold the meat. Put in the oil and butter, turn on the heat to medium high, and when the butter foam begins to subside, put in the meat and brown it deeply all over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Add the wine and, using a wooden spoon, loosen the browning residues sticking to bottom and sides of the pot. Adjust heat so that the wine barely simmers, set the cover on slightly ajar, and cook for 1½ to 2 hours, until the meat feels very tender when prodded with a fork. Turn the roast from time to time while it is cooking and, if there is no liquid in the pot, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of water as often as needed.
5. When done, transfer the roast to a cutting board. Should there be no juices left in the pan, put in ¼ cup of water, turn the heat up to high, and boil the water away while loosening the cooking residues stuck to the bottom and sides. If on the other hand, you have ended up with too much liquid in the pan—there should be about a spoonful or slightly less of juice per serving—reduce it over high heat. Turn off the heat.
6. Cut the roast into slices about ¼ inch thick. Arrange them on a warm platter, spoon the cooking juices over them, and serve at once.
Ahead-of-time note The cooking can be completed up to this point several hours in advance. Reheat gently in a covered pan with 1 or 2 tablespoons