Now for a little Italian Cooking - Coniglio Pizzaiola

We had French for lunch now it is Italian for dinner. Rabbit in a spicy tomato sauce. I have never made rabbit before so when the recipe I based this on said it was the perfect recipe of "those who've never cooked rabbit before", I knew it was where I should begin. The rabbit was served over spaghetti with a side of roasted kohlrabi - again using the vegetables from the farm share.

Coniglio Pizzaiola
adapted from Bon Appetit December 2011 
1 2 1/2–3-pound rabbit, quartered
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
2 sprigs basil
1 cup white wine
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with rosemary and oregano
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Season rabbit with salt and pepper. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large ovenproof pot  and working in batches, cook rabbit until golden brown, about 2–3 minutes per side. Transfer rabbit to a plate. 

Add remaining 2 Tbsp. oil to pot. Add onion and shallot; sauté until just beginning to soften. Add garlic, oregano, basil and cook until soft. Add wine; simmer until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes.
Crush tomatoes by hand and add to pot with juices.. Add the water; bring to a boil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Return rabbit to pot; cover. 

Place the pot in the oven and braise until meat is tender and almost falling off the bone, about 1 1/4 hours. Transfer meat to a platter. 

Reduce sauce in pot over medium-high heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over rabbit to serve.

Roasted Kohlrabi
adapted from http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/2007/01/roasted-vegetables-roasted-kohlrabi.html

3 bulbs fresh kohlrabi, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon garlic flavored olive oil
Salt
Good vinegar

Preheat the oven to 450F. Toss the diced kohlrabi with olive oil, garlic and salt on a baking sheet lined with foil. Spread out evenly the sheet and roast for about 30 - 35 minutes, until tender.