Rabbit Cooked Like a Tuscan Pig: Coniglio in Porchetta

• 1 (4 1/2 pound) rabbit, head, tail and feet removed and gutted, liver reserved, have your butcher remove all of the bones from the rabbit for you.
• 1/2 cup lardo, or fat back
• 1/2 bulb fennel, cored and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 links Italian sausage, removed from its casings
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Coarse salt
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Season the inside and outside of the rabbit with pepper, and set aside.
3. In a 12 to 14-inch saute pan heat 4 tablespoons of the lardo until smoking.
4. Add the fennel and the garlic and cook over medium heat until softened and light brown, about 5 to 6 minutes.
5. Add the sausage and cook until just cooked, about 6 to 8 more minutes.
6. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
7. Stuff the rabbit cavity with the fennel, garlic, and the remaining lardo, cut into 1/8-inch dice.
8. Truss the rabbit to seal the openings and place in a casserole.
9. Baste with the wine and lemon juice, and sprinkle with the coarse salt.
10. Cook in the oven for 1 hour, turning once after 30 minutes of cooking, and occasionally basting with the pan juices.
11. Remove from the oven, allow to sit 5 minutes.
12. Serve in 1/2-inch slices with pan juices emulsified with extra virgin olive oil.

rabbit, lardo, fennel, garlic, italian sausage, freshly ground black pepper, white wine, lemon, salt, extravirgin olive oil

Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/rabbit-cooked-like-a-tuscan-pig-coniglio-in-porchetta-recipe.html (may not work)