Rabbit Baldina Style

A few words about the title. I know that lots of people consider rabbit a pet, but before judging the people who ate (and eat) this animal please consider that in the past there was no room and money for pets. Cats were kept at home because they got rid of mice, and dogs were used as guards and shephards. You do not need too much space to raise rabbits and they grow fast and mate continuously: in a few word they were a cheap source of protein intake for our poor peasants! Especially in Tuscany! But do not think that in the past peasants were eating rabbit every day! My grandfather recalled eating rabbit on Sundays, his whole family, made of 18 people, shared a single rabbit!
Baldina is my grandma. As you probably know, she was born in Emilia, in the small village of Scandiano. Her name is highly unusual, if not unique, and I think it was invented by her father in honour of her grandfather. The official story is that it is a shorten version of “Garibaldina”, which means follower of Garibaldi, the Italian hero of the 19th Century that lead to Italy union. Her grandfather was probably one of the 1000 that formed the original nucleus of Garibaldi expedition and she remembers him as an old man with the red shirt! Her father was a painter, he liked painting oil canvas, however, got all his income from painting walls in rich people houses, sometimes adding some frescos landscapes or hunting scenes. In my family there were several paintings by him, and the majority got destroyed during the Florence flood in 1966. Just three are left, two views of Venice and a flower vase. My grandma family was not rich, and at the age of 12 she moved with her sister to Rome to become a servant. So she started to learn how to cook, and over the years some recipes have become very famous, also outside our family circle. I want to share the all time classic of my grandma, the rabbit!
For 4 people:
1 whole rabbit (approx 1,200 g), no head andxxx
Rosemary, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil as required.
Take at least three sprigs of fresh rosemary and finely chop the leaves with a knife. Add one tablespoon of salt and one of pepper and mix.
Clean the rabbit and cut it in three pieces. Season well the bits with the rosemary mixture you have prepared and put it in a large saucing pan with lots of olive oil and half a glass of water. Bring to heat and cook covered.
Transfer the cooked rabbit in a roasting pan (if you wish you can add some diced potatoes) and cover with the juices that were released in the pan. Transfer in the preheated oven at 250° C and roast until a nice crust is formed.
Serve hot and enjoy

What is the secret of this recipe? Rabbit’s meat is very lean and if you place it directly in the oven it will dry out and get chewy. With the double cooking you preserve the tenderness of the meat and at the same time you will have a roast crusty effect. Eat with salad, roasted potatoes or whatever you want, but please refrain from adding any sauce to it!