We’ve done braised rabbit dishes several times on the blog, but we keep finding new variations on this versatile meat – and each is very different from the last.  The flavors in this dish are deliciously simple – morels, butter, veggies, thyme and rabbit.

Drink Pairing: Syrah

Ingredients:                         Makes 4 Servings
1 Rabbit Fryer
8 tbsp Unsalted Butter
¼ cup diced Leek
¼ cup diced Celery
¼ cup diced Carrot
¼ cup diced Onion
½ cup White Wine
1/2lb Fresh Morel Mushrooms (could substitute Dried Morels – no need to reconstitute ahead)
1 cup Chicken Stock
½ bunch Fresh Thyme
1 tbsp chopped Thyme leaves
1 tbsp chopped Flat Leaf Parsley Leaves
1/2lbPappardelle Pasta (we used Wheat Germ Pappardelle Pasta)
Sherry Vinegar

Directions:
1. Remove the legs from the rabbit (how to cut up a rabbit).  Reserve the saddle (or separated loins) for another rabbit recipe.

2. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

3. Melt four tablespoons of the butter in a Dutch oven or large pot.

4. Season the rabbit legs with salt & pepper and sear them on all sides in the melted butter.

5. Add the leek, celery, carrot and onion.  Brown them, then deglaze the pot with the white wine.

6. Cut any particularly large morels in half.  Check the morels for sand and briefly rinse them if necessary.  Add the morels to the pot along with the chicken stock and thyme.

7. Bring the chicken stock to a simmer, put a lid on the pot and move it to the oven to braise.  Braise until the rabbit is tender and the meat can be pulled apart (about 1 ½ hours).

8. Remove the pot from the oven and discard the thyme sprigs.  Remove the rabbit legs & reserve.

9. Put the pot on the stove and simmer to reduce the cooking liquid.  Once reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, add the chopped thyme and chopped parsley.

10. Boil the pasta until al dente.  Drain & toss it with 3 tablespoons of butter, salt & pepper.

11. Just before serving, add the remaining tablespoon of butter and a couple drops of sherry vinegar to the braising liquid sauce.  Stir to combine.

12. Serve the rabbit legs atop the pasta, topped with the braising liquid & vegetables.

________________
Browse More:
Rabbit Recipes
Morel Recipes
Pasta Recipes

It’s very good served hot, but also delicious cold and would make a great light meal served chilled in the summer.

Ingredients:                            Makes Four Appetizer Servings
¾ lb Large Shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 tbsp Minced Garlic
1 tbsp Minced Fresh Italian Parsley + Extra for Garnish
2 tbsp Olive Oil
¼ tsp Red Chile Flakes
3 tbsp White Wine
Juice of ½ Lemon
Fine Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
1. Sauté the garlic in the olive oil until it just starts to brown.

2. Add the shrimp, parsley, pepper flakes, and salt & pepper.  Sauté the shrimp until they have almost cooked through.

3. Add the white wine & lemon juice.  Cook briefly to reduce.

4. Add a drizzle of EV olive oil.

5. Toss the sauce with cooked pasta.  Serve hot or cold topped with more minced parsley & parmesan cheese.

__________
Browse More:
Pasta Sauce Recipes
Shrimp Recipes

The included technique for slicing, pounding, and then coating the geoduck meat in egg before briefly sautéing (steps 5 & 11) results in pieces that are particularly flavorful and tender.  It’s worth trying in other sautéed geoduck recipes.

Though we’ve included the ingredients for homemade fettuccini below, you could substitute store bought fresh fettuccini to save time.

Drink Pairings: Pinot Noir or Syrah

Ingredients:                                     Makes Four Servings
Body Meat of 1 Geoduck
1 Egg, beaten
All Purpose Flour, seasoned with Salt & Pepper

Brown Butter Sauce:
2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tbsp Chicken Stock or Broth
10 Green Olives, pitted & sliced (we used Castelvetrano Olives)
1 tbsp chopped Fresh Tarragon
1 tbsp Red Bell Pepper, Peeled & Small Diced
Heavy pinches of Salt & Pepper

Olive Cream:
1/2 cup Picholine Olives, pitted
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Leaves from 5 sprigs of Fresh Thyme

Pasta Dough:
1 3/4th cup All Purpose Flour
6 Egg Yolks
1 Large Egg
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsp Whole Milk
Big Pinch of Salt
Rice Flour for dusting

Directions:
1. Make the Pasta Dough – Mound the flour in a large bowl, make a well in the center, and add the eggs, olive oil, milk and salt to the well.  Make the pasta dough following the well method (how to make pasta).  Add more milk or olive oil as needed if the dough is too dry.

Knead until silky, wrap with plastic & rest 30 minutes.

2. In a large frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Continue to cook until it browns and starts to emit a nutty aroma.  Remove from the heat and immediately swirl in the lemon juice.  If the butter overcooks and turns black, discard it and start over.

3. Add the chicken stock to the browned butter and return it to the heat.  Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the fat emulsifies into the stock.

4. Prep your geoduck (how to clean geoduck clams). Reserve the siphon meat for another geoduck recipe, such as geoduck sashimi.

5. Thinly slice the body meat.  Rinse in cold water if necessary to wash out any embedded sand.

Place the slices between pieces of plastic wrap & pound with the flat end of a meat mallet to tenderize & flatten out (as you would meat or poultry cutlets).  Cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate.

6. Make the Olive Cream - In a blender combine the Picholine olives, thyme and heavy cream.  Blend to combine.

7. Roll out the pasta on your machine to setting # 7 (just until it is thin enough to be semi-translucent).

8. Dust the pasta with rice flour and roll it up into a tube-shape.  Slice thinly into noodles (as you would chiffonade herbs) & gently shake them apart.  Toss the pasta with more rice flour as needed to keep the strands from sticking to each other.

9. Add the diced red pepper, chopped tarragon and green olives to the browned butter.

10. Boil the fettuccini in salted water for five minutes.

11. Get a thin layer of oil hot in a frying pan.  Dip the geoduck slices into the seasoned flour, then the beaten egg. Lay the geoduck slices into the hot oil.

Saute the geoduck for about 25 seconds per side.  Remove to a towel or paper towel to drain.

12. Heat the olive cream in a large saucepan.  When the pasta has cooked, remove it from the boiling water and toss it in the olive cream.

13. Toss the sautéed geoduck in the brown butter sauce.

14. Arrange the pasta on your plates. Top with the sautéed geoduck & brown butter sauce.

____________
Browse More:
Geoduck Recipes
Pasta Recipes

We made this version using ground kobe beef, but you could easily substitute ground grass-fed beef, ground bison or even ground kangaroo.

Ingredients:   (Makes Enough for 4 Servings of Pasta)
1 cup chopped Onions
1/4 cup minced Carrot
1/4 cup minced Celery
1lb Ground Kobe Beef
1/2 cup White Wine
1/2 tsp Fennel Seed
3/4 cup Beef Stock
One 6oz can of Tomato Paste
1/2 tsp Salt
Generous cracking of Pepper
1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
1 Pinch of Dried Thyme
1 tbsp Fresh Basil, chiffonade (thinly sliced)

Directions:
1. Heat some oil in a large pan and sweat the carrots, onions, and celery until tender.

2. Remove & reserve the vegetables, then add the beef to the pan.

3. Brown the beef, then drain off most of the rendered fat.

4. Return the vegetables to the pan along with the white wine, oregano, thyme, fennel seed, tomato paste, beef stock and salt & pepper.

5. Simmer gently for an hour or longer, stirring occasionally.

6. Just before serving, stir in the basil.

7. Serve atop pasta finished with grated parmesan cheese (ideally parmigiano reggiano).

___________
Browse More:
Pasta & Pasta Sauce Recipes
Ground Meat Recipes
Kobe Beef Recipes

If not, consider that the above culinary delights are all tossed in a cognac butter sauce made with lobster stock and lobster roe butter (though you could substitute chicken stock & plain butter) for even more lobster flavor.

You’ll likely have extra agnolotti to freeze or serve with another dish.

Drink Pairing: oaky Chardonnay

Ingredients:                                     Makes Four Servings
1 Large Butter Poached Lobster Tail, Cubed (How to Butter Poach Lobster)
1lb Fresh Chanterelle Mushrooms
2tbsp + 1tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 tsp Shallots, minced
1 tbsp Cognac
2 tbsp Lobster Roe Compound Butter (could substitute more unsalted butter)
1/2 cup Lobster Stock (could substitute chicken stock)
Chopped Parsley for Garnish

Pasta Dough:
1 3/4th cup All Purpose Flour
6 Egg Yolks
1 Large Egg
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsp Whole Milk
Big Pinch of Salt
Rice Flour for dusting

Pasta Filling:
1lb Parsnips, peeled & each cut into three chunks
1″ by 1″ portion of Orange Zest (removed with a peeler)
1 cup Heavy Cream
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
Salt

Optional: Chive Oil & Lobster Claw Meat for Garnish

Directions:
1. Make the pasta dough – Mound the flour in a large bowl, make a well in the center, and add the eggs, milk, olive oil, and salt to the well.  Make the pasta dough following the well method (how to make pasta).  Add more milk or olive oil as needed if the dough is too dry.

Knead the dough until it develops a silky texture.  Wrap it in plastic wrap & let it rest for 30 minutes.

2. In a saucepan combine the parsnips, heavy cream, bay leaf, thyme, orange zest and salt.  Simmer until the parsnips are tender.

3. Remove the thyme and bay leaf, then move the mixture to a blender.  Puree until smooth yet stiff, stopping the blender and scraping down the sides or stirring as necessary.

Taste, then add salt & pepper as needed.

4. Lightly flour the pasta dough & roll it out using a pasta machine or mixer attachment.

5. Melt two tablespoons of butter in a large frying pan.  Tear the chanterelles down the stem into large strips.  Add to the melted butter.  Sauté the chanterelles until they’re caramelized & emit a nutty aroma. Reserve.

6. Roll out the pasta on your machine to setting # 7 (just until it is thin enough to be semi-translucent).

7. Dust your counter with rice flour and lay down a sheet of your pasta.  Fill a piping bag or zip top bag with the parsnip pasta filling.  If using a zip top bag, snip off one corner to be the nozzle.  Pipe a line of filling down the center of the sheet.

8.  Brush the pasta sheet with a line of water just below the filling and fold the water brushed side over the filling to make a tube with a large flap on one side.

9. Pinch gaps in the filling to form the individual pieces (fewer gaps = larger pieces).  Use a pizza cutter or pastry wheel to cut off most of the top flap.

10. Use the wheel to cut the pieces apart by rolling between the gaps.  Fold the filled portion over the remaining top flap, folding in the two cut sides to close each piece.

11. Add the agnolotti to boiling salted water & boil for 5-7 minutes.

12. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a large frying pan.

Add shallots to the melted butter, sweat until softened, then add the caramelized chanterelles.  Add the cognac, burn off the alcohol, then add the lobster or chicken stock.

13. Once the liquid in the pan has reduced, remove it from the heat and stir in the roe butter or substitute (if you’re using lobster roe butter, it’ll change color from green to orange).  Add the lobster meat, agnolotti & parsley.  Toss to combine.

14. Serve finished with chive oil and lobster claw meat if desired.

____________
Browse More:
Lobster Recipes
Pasta Recipes

Pasta with Sauteed Fresh Mushrooms, Sausage, and Truffle Butter
Serves 4-6

This recipe uses fresh fettuccini pasta as a bed for fresh porcini mushrooms (you could use any fresh  mushrooms) sautéed with game sausage and garlic, then topped with seasoned bread crumbs and black truffle butter at the last second for a truly decadent result.  If you don’t eat meat, you can simply cut the sausage from the recipe for a vegetarian version.

Ingredients:
3-4oz per person whatever fresh noodles or filled pasta you like (fresh fettuccini depicted)
3 links of Wild Boar Italian Sausage or Venison Sausage with Merlot & Blueberries
¼ lb Fresh Porcini Mushrooms (any fresh wild mushrooms or fresh organic mushrooms can be used)
1 large garlic clove
Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano to top
Bread crumbs to top.
2-3 sprigs of parsley
2 tbsp Black Truffle Butter
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Start a pot of salted water boiling for the pasta.

2.  Cut the porcinis into thin sticks.  As we did in the photo, you can also reserve some whole porcinis, slice them thinly and gently sauté them in a separate pan for use in the final presentation on top.

3.  Finely dice the parsley and toss it with the bread crumbs, salt & pepper.

4.  Finely dice the garlic clove. Remove the sausage from its casing, crumble the meat, and sauté it with the garlic in an oiled frying pan.

4.  When the sausage has cooked, remove it from the pan and sauté the porcinis in the remaining fat.  Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

6.  Toss the hot pasta with the sausage, garlic, and porcini mushrooms.  Plate and top  with a dollop of truffle butter, the seasoned bread crumbs and freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.

___________

Browse More:
Pasta Recipes
Mushroom Recipes
Sausage Recipes
Truffle Recipes

Ingredients:
Dried Spaghetti
1 clove Garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp Guajillo Chile Flakes
1 tsp Red Chile Flakes
5 Live Mahogany Clams or Littleneck Clams per serving
1 tbsp White Wine
Pecorino Cheese for garnish
Fresh Chervil leaves for garnish

Directions:

1. Toast the garlic slices in olive oil in a pan until golden.

2. Add the chile flakes, clams, and white wine.

3. Cover the pan and let steam to cook the clams.  Check occasionally and remove the clams as they open.  Discard any that refuse to open.

4. Simmer your spaghetti until al dente.

5. Toss the cooked spaghetti in the juices left in the clam pan.  Plate it, then top with the clams.

6. Grate some pecorino cheese over the top, sprinkle with chervil leaves & serve.

___________

Browse More:
Clam Recipes
Pasta Sauce Recipes

This lamb sausage bolognese is a quick yet classy version of the classic pasta sauce.

 
Ingredients
12 oz. lamb merguez sausage, removed from casing.
2 onions, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
24 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2/3 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated
½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
Olive oil

Cooking Instructions

1. In a sauté pan, sauté onions and garlic over medium heat until translucent. Be careful not to brown the onions and garlic.
2. Add carrots and celery. Saute for 5 minutes.
3. Add sausage and sauté until cooked, about 8 minutes.

4. Add can of crushed tomatoes and simmer for 25 minutes.

5. Remove from heat.

6. Add ½ cup chopped basil, ½ cup grated parmigiano reggiano. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Put over the pasta, ravioli or gnocchi of your choice and garnish with more parmigiano reggiano and some chopped parsley.

___________

Browse More:
Sausage Recipes
Pasta Sauce Recipes

Ingredients:
Dried Pasta (we used spaghetti)
Live Mussels, soaked in floured water (how to prep mussels)
Shallots
Olive Oil
1/4 cup White Wine
Pesto Sauce (use your favorite recipe or the one from our baked clams recipe)

Directions:
1. Sweat finely sliced shallots in olive oil until softened & translucent.

2. Deglaze with a quarter cup of white wine.

3. Add your mussels, cover the pot, and cook until they open.

4. Cook your pasta.

5. In a separate pan toss the freshly cooked & drained pasta with some of the broth from the mussel pot.  Add the pesto & toss to combine, then add the mussels, either tossed with the pasta or on top.

6. Serve

Variation:
Marinara sauce could be substituted for the pesto.  Check out our basic tomato sauce recipe for an example.

__________
Browse More:
Mussel Recipes
Pasta Sauce Recipes

This simple, but delicious fresh tomato pasta sauce recipe was originally designed for use with Nuovo’s heart-shaped Ricotta, Mozzarella & Asiago ravioli, but it could be used with most specialty pastas (particularly the cheese filled artisan raviolis).

Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce (makes enough to serve 4)

Ingredients:
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ cup finely chopped Onion
3 cloves fresh Garlic, minced or pressed
4 cups Ripe Tomatoes, cut into ½ inch dice
2 teaspoons Aged Balsamic Vinegar
½ cup Fresh Basil, cut into slender ribbons (chiffonade)
Salt and Pepper to taste (we recommend Portuguese sea salt and Tellicherry black pepper)
Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

Note: to make chiffonade, roll basil leaves lengthwise into tight cylinder. Slice cylinder crosswise into 1/8 inch ribbons.

Directions:
1.  Heat oil in large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until soft, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

2.  Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring to prevent browning.

3.  Add tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and bring to simmer. Lower heat and cook uncovered until softened, stirring frequently. For a fresher sauce with firmer tomatoes, simmer just 5 minutes. For a softer, smoother sauce, simmer longer—up to 15 minutes.

4.  Stir in basil during last minute of cooking; add salt and pepper to taste.

5.  Top freshly cooked and drained ravioli with sauce and finish with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Original recipe by Trina Kaufman.