Rabbit with porcini on polenta

1.Rinse porcini mushrooms then soak in hot water for 30 minutes. Reserving the soaking liquid, remove the mushrooms, rinse them under running water, shake off excess water and chop coarsely. Strain liquid into a bowl through a sieve lined with a coffee filter or a piece of kitchen paper.

2.Rinse rabbit and pat dry. Remove any lumps of fat and the kidneys (these can be cooked and eaten as a separate dish, if desired). Chop rabbit into 10 pieces with a cleaver.

3.Preheat oven to 150°C. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Dust rabbit pieces with flour; reserve any unused flour. Once oil is hot, add 2 tablespoons butter and, when it is sizzling, drop in the rabbit. Cook the rabbit until golden, then transfer to a large casserole.

4.Pour wine into frying pan, bubble up, then pour this over rabbit. Add remaining 1½ tablespoons butter to frying pan, then the onion, carrot, celery and bacon. Lower heat and cook gently for about 12 minutes, until tender but not browned. Stir in reserved flour, then blend in 1½ cups stock and strained porcini liquid. Add chopped porcini, bay leaves and tomatoes. Bring to a bubble, stirring, then season with the salt and plenty of black pepper. Pour over rabbit in casserole. Cover casserole with a lid and transfer to oven. Cook for 50–60 minutes, just until the rabbit is tender enough to slip off the bones. Remove casserole from oven and leave to cool.

5.As soon as the rabbit is cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones. Return to casserole. The rabbit can be prepared up to a day in advance to this point. Keep covered and refrigerated. If the liquid is very thick, thin it with a little stock or water.

6.Just before serving, you’ll need to co-ordinate reheating the rabbit, preparing the pine nut topping, if using, and cooking the polenta – it’s easier with a helper. Reheat the rabbit gently but don’t let it boil. Thin it with more stock if it is too thick to spoon over the polenta.

7.To make the pine nut topping, heat a small frying pan, drop in butter, let it sizzle, add remaining ingredients, cook for a few minutes until golden, then pour over top of rabbit and polenta.

8.For the polenta, have everything ready to go, and the rabbit nice and hot. Bring the water and milk to the boil in a wide (not tall and narrow) saucepan. Add salt, then sprinkle in the polenta a fistful at a time, letting it fall through your fingers from a height. Stir continuously, using a long-handled wooden spoon. If you add the polenta too fast, it will form lumps (if this happens, fish them out, as they rarely break down during cooking). Once all the polenta is added, turn the heat to low and cook, giving 3–4 good stirs every 20 seconds or so, for 4–5 minutes. It is wise to protect your hand from the ‘plopping’ polenta as it cooks, either with an oven glove or tea towel.

9.When polenta is cooked, beat in butter, parmesan and cream, then grate in nutmeg to taste. Immediately tip it into a large bowl or into individual bowls, spoon on the rabbit and juices, top with pine nuts, if using, sprinkle with parmesan and parsley and serve.