Pappardelle with Rabbit Ragu

This is a deep and decadent ragu that is a perfect accompaniment to big fat pappardelle noodles. Video of the process below.

Ingredients:

1 whole rabbit

¼ cup chopped bacon or pancetta

1 onion (diced)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

½ cup thinly chopped celery

½ cup thinly chopped carrots

8 oz tomato paste

12 oz canned tomatoes (crushed)

½ cup red wine

2 cups hot broth

1 tbsp herbs de provence

Break down the rabbit into 6 pieces. Hind legs, forelegs, and split the body into two. Season with salt and pepper.
Brown the meat on all sides in a deep pot. Set aside.
Cook the bacon for a few minutes to begin rendering the fat.
Add the garlic, onions, celery, and carrots and cook on medium/low for another few minutes until softened.
Add the tomato paste, herbs de provence, and mix together until well incorporated.
Pour in your red wine and cook for another few minutes.
Add the hot broth, and tomatoes and bring up to a low simmer.
Add the browned rabbit back into the pot, partially cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours - turning the meat every 15 minutes and stirring the sauce so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. If the sauce feels like it’s getting too thick add a little more hot broth to thin it out.
Remove the meat when tender and allow to cool. Turn off the heat.
Shred the meat from the bones and pull apart into small pieces. Add the shredded meat back into the ragu and stir together.
Serve right away or refrigerate the sauce until mealtime. Can be kept in the fridge for a few days.
When serving, generously coat the noodles with the ragu by tossing in a bowl. Top each plate with a generous amount of freshly grated parmesan cheese.

The pappardelle recipe was straight from Evan Funke of Felix. I highly recommend his book American Sfoglino: A Master Class in Homemade Pasta.

Video below.