English
Saddle of rabbit with San Daniele prosciutto
…chanterelle mushrooms and rosemary on a potato purée. A recipe from Chef Antonino Venica of the Castello di Spessa Wine Resort to be paired with Casanova 2012 Collio Pinot Noir DOC Castello di Spessa.
Ingredients for 4 people:
For the meat : 2 whole rabbit saddles, 200g lean pork meat, 4 thins slices of San Daniele prosciutto and butter as needed.
For the rabbit jus : extra-virgin olive oil and butter, thyme, peppercorns, salt as needed, 1 glass white wine and rosemary.
For the mushrooms : 600g chanterelle mushrooms, 50g chopped shallots, 100g butter and salt as needed.
For the potato purée: 400g peeled potatoes, 1 knob of butter and salt as needed.
Directions:
Debone the rabbit saddles leaving the ribs and the flanks together with the loins.
Prepare a rabbit jus using the bones and the trimmings of the loins: cut the onion into four and brown with the bones and trimmings in olive oil and then add the knob of butter, thyme and peppercorns.
Lower the heat once the mixture begins to brown and let it simmer before adding the wine and letting it evaporate. Salt to taste and simmer for around an hour adding water to keep the mix covered. Filter finely when done.
After filtering and reducing the jus remove any remaining fat and season with ground rosemary.
Grind the pork meat and then stuff the rabbit loins after first covering the flanks with a slice of prosciutto before putting in the ground pork and wrapping the saddles and securing the loins with kitchen twine.
Sauté the loins well in butter on both sides for about 6 minutes each side then add the jus and continue to cook at a medium heat. Once cooked let the rabbit sit for 3 minutes wrapped in aluminum foil.
Melt the butter in a pan and add the mushrooms whole then salt and cover and stew for 10 minutes.
Boil the potatoes in salted water, drain and mash in the butter. Should the potatoes be too dry add some of the water used for boiling. Salt to taste.
Place a quenelle of potato purée at the center of each plate and put the rabbit on top and cover it with mushrooms before spooning over the remaining jus. Garnish with the rosemary.
Wine to pair:
(by Stefania VInciguerra)
Casanova 2012 Collio Pinot Nero Doc Castello di Spessa
A bright ruby red in color with granite red hues. On the nose notes of strawberries, plums, withered roses and geranium flowers. Tertiary aromas produced during ageing in wooden barrels, more specifically include vanilla, liquorice, tobacco, chocolate and mace. On the palate it is fresh and well-balanced, with dine tannins.
Production area: Capriva del Friuli, with flysch (locally called “Ponca”) consisting in marls and sandstones.
Grape variety: Pinot Nero, trained with Guyot system, monitored cover cropping with row working with planting density of 6,000 plants per hectare and grape yield of 5 tons per hectare.
Wine making: very ripe grapes are hand-picked over the first ten days of October. Fermentation without grape stalks and grape seeds at about 28°C. Maceration for a period of 15-20 days and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks. The wine is transferred to barrique (Nevers, Allier and Troncais with medium toast levels) and left to rest in the 15-metre-deep bunker of the Castle of Spessa for 24 months. Assemblage of the final blend takes place in stainless steel tanks. Bottled without filtration, so as to preserve the flavor, it is then given a further 12 month bottle ageing before being released.
Alcoholic content: 14% vol.
