Coniglio alla
Ligure
Ligurian rabbit with olives & pine nuts
Rabbit pieces braise with wine, herbs, small dark olives and pine nuts, leaving tender meat and a savory pan sauce.
Rabbit, dark olives, pine nuts & rosemaryRabbit and olives,
a Ligurian braise.
Coniglio alla ligure is rabbit braised with olives, pine nuts and aromatic herbs. These ingredients connect the dish with Ligurian cooking beyond its seafood and pesto. Small Taggiasca olives bring a briny contrast to the mild meat, while the nuts soften in the cooking juices.
Recipes use both red and white wine, with changes to the herbs and aromatics from kitchen to kitchen. The home version below chooses a light dry red and a jointed rabbit, cooked gently until tender. It is a main course served in bone-in pieces, so expect to work around small bones as you eat.
Explore by food: Meat
Let’s make coniglio alla ligure.
Start with a butcher-jointed rabbit. This red-wine version uses ready-pitted olives and prepared broth.
Four main portions from one 1.4 kg rabbit, butcher-jointed into 8–10 bone-in pieces.
What you’ll need
- 1.4 kgrabbit, butcher-jointed, without offal
- 150 gonion, finely chopped
- 2garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 45 mlextra-virgin olive oil
- 200 mllight dry red wine
- 300 mllow-sodium vegetable broth, as needed
- 100 gpitted Taggiasca olives, drained
- 30 gpine nuts
- 1rosemary sprig
- 1bay leaf
- 3thyme sprigs
- ½ tspfine salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tspblack pepper
The timer assumes fresh or fully refrigerator-thawed, butcher-jointed rabbit; thawing and cutting a whole carcass are separate tasks. Look for tenderness as well as the thermometer endpoint. Use small pitted dark olives if Taggiasca are unavailable.
How to make it
- 01
Brown the rabbit
Pat the pieces dry and season with the measured salt and pepper. Heat oil in a heavy casserole and brown rabbit over medium heat in two batches, about 12–15 minutes in all. Transfer to a plate.
- 02
Soften the aromatics
Lower the heat, add onion and cook for 8 minutes until soft, stirring through the pan juices. Add garlic for 1 minute. Return rabbit and any juices to the pot.
- 03
Braise gently
Add wine and simmer uncovered for 3 minutes. Add rosemary, bay, thyme and 150 ml broth. Cover and cook at a bare simmer for 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Add olives and pine nuts, then cover and continue for another 30 minutes. Add more of the measured broth in small amounts if the pan begins to dry.
- 04
Check the meat
Check that the thickest meat reaches at least 71°C/160°F and is tender when pierced. Continue the gentle covered braise if needed; the thermometer endpoint alone does not guarantee tenderness.
- 05
Reduce and serve
Remove the herb stems and bay. If the juices are thin, lift out the rabbit and reduce the liquid uncovered for 5 minutes, then return the meat. Taste for salt and spoon the olives, nuts and sauce over each serving.
More to discover…
SecondiAbbacchio alla Romana
Lamb braises with garlic, rosemary and white wine, then takes on a savory, lightly sharp sauce from anchovies and vinegar.
PrimiAgnolotti del Plin
Small pinched pasta parcels hold a fine filling of braised veal, pork and spinach, dressed simply with butter and sage.
AntipastiAntipasto Misto
Cured meats, cheeses, olives and preserved vegetables make a shared Italian starter, with bread for assembling small bites.