Recipe - Rabbit Roasted With Sweet Fennel

2 One half 2 3/4pound rabbit, cut
Into 8 to 10 serving pieces
5 Cloves garlic, peeled
1 One half teaspoon Dried
One half teaspoon Salt
One fourth teaspoon Pepper
2 Bulbs fresh fennel, cored,
Cut into 1 1/2inch wedges
1 lg Onion, cut into 1 1/2"
Wedges
3 ounce Pancetta (unsmoked Italian
Bacon), minced
1 teaspoon Fennel seed, coarsely
Ground
One half cup Coarsely chopped fennel
Tops
One fourth cup Extravirgin olive oil
Three fourths cup Dry white wine
One half cup Lowsodium chicken stock

The night before cooking, rinse & dry the rabbit pieces. Use a mortar
& pestle or a knife on a cutting board to make a paste of 2 garlic
cloves, the rosemary, salt & pepper. Rub the paste over the rabbit
pieces. Put them on a plate, cover lightly with plastic wrap &
refrigerate. Heat the oven to 350. Have ready a shallow roasting pan
large enough to hold the rabbit in a single layer, with space for the
vegetables. Arrange the rabbit pieces in the pan. Dab the rabbit
pieces with any seasoning rub that may have been left on the plate.
Scatter the fennel, onion, pancetta, remaining 2 cloves garlic,
fennel seed & half the fennel tops over the rabbit. Sprinkle with the
olive oil & a bit of salt & pepper. Roast 30 minutes, basting often
with the pan juices. Pour in One half cup of the wine & roast another 1
hour. Baste often, turning the pieces occasionally. Add a little
water to the pan if the pan is dry. Increase the heat to 450 degrees,
cook until the rabbit is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Turn the
rabbit & vegetable pieces & roast until golden on the other side,
basting once with the pan juices, about 10 minutes. Transfer the
rabbit & vegetables to a heated platter & keep them warm in the
turned off oven with the door open. Quickly make a pan sauce by
setting the roasting pan over two stove burners turned to high. Add
remaining One fourth cup wine & the stock. Scrape up the brown glaze from
the bottom of the roasting pan as the liquids boil down by about
half, 3 to 5 minutes. Scatter the remaining fennel leaves over the
rabbit. Pass the sauce with the rabbit at the table.

File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/mmkah001.zip