Coniglio all'ischitana (Ischia-style rabbit)

Coniglio all'ischitana is a simple, tasty main course, one of the island's signature recipes made with local ingredients. Thanks to the characteristics of the island's landscape, rabbits have in fact always been farmed on Ischia.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 kg rabbit, cut into pieces
• 15 pizzutello tomatoes (a long, pointed variety)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 250 ml white wine

• fresh basil
• 200 ml extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper
  
  This is a simple recipe that guarantees a delicious dish and soft meat, never dry. The pieces of rabbit are steeped in white wine, then browned in a pan and finally cooked slowly and gently together with fresh cherry tomatoes. The dish is enriched with classic Mediterranean aromatic herbs, especially basil, but also parsley, wild thyme and marjoram. The recipe for coniglio all'ischitana is therefore easy to recreate, and the secret to a really tasty main course, perfect for a family Sunday lunch, is to start with a high-quality rabbit. If you have a terracotta pot at home, this recipe is a great opportunity to use it. Rabbit meat is a prized ingredient: lean and easy to digest, it lends itself to many delicious preparations, from the simplest and most traditional, like roast rabbit, to more creative dishes such as rabbit morsels with speck and leeks.
  
  HOW TO MAKE: CONIGLIO ALL'ISCHITANA1To make coniglio all'ischitana, you'll first need to marinate the meat. Place the pieces of rabbit in a bowl, cover with the white wine and leave to rest for about 2 hours. Meanwhile, cut the cherry tomatoes in half or into quarters depending on their size. 2In a fairly large saucepan, heat the oil and brown the crushed but unpeeled garlic cloves. Add the rabbit pieces, drained from the marinade, and let each piece brown evenly over a lively flame. Then splash in half the wine used for the marinade and let it evaporate. 3Now add the tomatoes, season lightly with salt, add pepper and mix well. Cook over a medium-low flame, with the pan covered, for 30-40 minutes. Check often and add, if necessary, a little hot water at a time, so the meat doesn't dry out. 4At the end of cooking, add a handful of basil leaves. Let the coniglio all'ischitana rest for a few minutes, then serve at the table.