Name: Coniglio in agrodolce (Sweet-and-Sour Braised Rabbit)
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: ½ cup golden or dark raisins, plumped in hot water and drained; 2 rabbits, 2½ to 3 pounds each, cut into serving pieces; ¼ pound pancetta, diced; 2 tablespoons olive oil; ½ cup pine nuts; 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed; 24 full-flavored green olives, pitted; 3 or 4 fresh sage leaves (optional); 2 yellow onions, sliced; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup dry red wine, or as needed; 1 large yellow onion, sliced; 2 carrots, peeled and chopped; 2 celery stalks, chopped; 2 bay leaves; 4 juniper berries, crushed; Sugar and red wine vinegar as needed to balance sauce; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 cup red wine vinegar

Preparation info

Serves
6 to 8

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Italian Slow and Savory

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 2004

About

Coniglio in agrodolce, or sweet-and-sour sauce, is sometimes called coniglio alla stemperata, a term used for dishes that include the addition of vinegar at the end of cooking to temper the sauce. In Calabria, such a preparation would be relatively simple, with the rabbit braised in wine and/or wine vinegar. But in the Sicilian city of Syracuse, cooks prepare dishes to satisfy the local sweet tooth, which means that raisins, pine nuts, and a</