Italian · Liguria · main
Coniglio con Olive Taggiasche
Coniglio con Olive Taggiasche reads umami 8.1, salinity 6.5 and richness 6.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Italian · Liguria main, about 1 hr 16 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.
The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10
- Umami & Savory — 9.2 / 10
- Sweet & Fruity — 1.4 / 10
- Sour & Bright — 2.1 / 10
- Bitter & Earthy — 2.1 / 10
- Rich & Fat — 7.4 / 10
- Aromatic & Spice — 4.3 / 10
The measured notes (of 18)
Umami 8.1 · Salinity 6.5 · Richness 6.1 · Nutty 4.3 · Allium 3.7 · Herbaceous 3.3 · Funk & Ferment 3.1 · Bitterness 1.9 · Sourness 1.8 · Marine & Briny 1.8 · Warm Spice 1.7 · Floral 1.6 · Earthy 1.6 · Sweetness 1.2 · Fruity 0.8 · Citrus 0.8 · Heat 0.6
What's in it (12)
- rabbit — 1400 g
- nicoise olives — 100 g
- pine nuts — 30 g
- rosemary — 2 g
- thyme — 2 g
- bay leaf — 1 g
- garlic — 9 g
- rossese wine — 250 g
- extra virgin olive oil — 55 g
- chicken stock — 150 g
- salt — 7 g
- freshly ground black pepper — 4 g
Time & effort: about 1 hr 16 min (1 hr 14 min active) · effort: involved
Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 20.7 kcal, 0.5 g protein, 1.8 g fat, 1 g carbs
Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.
How it's cooked (8 steps)
- Taggiasca olives are small, brown-purple, sweet and low in bitterness, grown along the Riviera di Ponente, and they are the flavour of this dish; Kalamata or Spanish green olives will bully it. Buy them in brine with the stones still in, which keeps them intact through the cooking, and warn whoever is eating.
- Dry the rabbit pieces thoroughly and season with the salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a wide heavy pan and brown the rabbit in two batches over medium-high heat, 8 minutes a batch, until every piece is a good even gold. Rabbit browns fast and dries out faster; do not push past colour.
- Lower the heat, add the crushed garlic, rosemary, thyme and bay to the pan and cook 2 minutes, until the herbs crackle and perfume the oil.
- Return all the rabbit, pour in the wine and let it bubble 5 minutes until the raw alcohol has burnt off and the pan smells of wine rather than spirit.
- Add the stock, olives and pine nuts, cover, and cook at a bare simmer for 40 to 45 minutes, turning the pieces twice. The saddle pieces will be done first, at about 30 minutes; lift them out and keep them warm if the legs need longer. The meat is ready when it pulls from the bone but still holds together.
- Chop the reserved liver and kidneys finely and stir them into the sauce for the last 3 minutes. They dissolve and thicken it, which is the old Ligurian way of binding the sauce without flour.
- Uncover, raise the heat and reduce for 4 to 5 minutes until the sauce is glossy and just coats the rabbit. Fish out the woody herb stalks and serve with bread or plain boiled potatoes.
- Substitutions: Vermentino white wine can stand in for the Rossese wine.
Dishes with a similar flavor shape
- Potstickers (锅贴) — Chinese
- Chicken Fried Rice — Chinese-American
- Spinach and Four-Cheese Stuffed Shells — Italian-American
- Torta Pasqualina — Italian · Liguria
- Chicken Parmesan Skillet with Garlic Bread Croutons — Italian-American
Keep reading: what umami, salinity, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.
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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.