Fettuccine with braised rabbit

Serves 4-6 Starters and mains

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Method

To make the rabbit sauce, pour plenty of olive oil into a large casserole or Dutch oven and warm it up over a medium- low heat. Season the rabbit joints generously with salt and fry them, a few at a time if necessary – you want to sauté, not simmer, the meat. Once all the pieces are golden, return them to the pan.

Add the whole garlic cloves, the herbs and chilli, if using, and fry for another minute. Pour in the wine and let the alcohol evaporate completely, then add the tomatoes. Add enough water to barely cover the meat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours. After the first hour, taste the sauce and a piece of meat and adjust the seasoning.

While the rabbit cooks, make the pasta. Beat the eggs in a small bowl with the olive oil. Tip the flour on to a pasta board and make a generous well in the middle, then crack the egg mixture into it. Use a fork or your fingers to scramble them as if you are making an omelette; the liquid should not be clumpy with yolk and white but properly mixed together.

Slowly draw in a bit of flour at a time, making sure there’s a consistently smooth mixture, then heap this together and start working the dough into a ball. Use a light touch when the egg is still wet, so you do not get too much stuck to your hands.

When you have a ball of pasta dough and no flour left on the board, start kneading – a soft massage, where you use your body weight to lean in on the pasta and make a dent with the heel of your hand and push forward on the board. Flatten, push, then pull the pasta back over itself constantly for 10 minutes – it’s a good idea to time it. You will end up with a smooth, bouncy ball of pasta.

Once it’s kneaded, put the dough in a bowl that fits the size of your ball and cover it with a close-fitting lid or dampened cloth and let it rest for 35-40 minutes.

When the rabbit sauce is ready, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 2mm,using extra flour to smooth over your board and pin, then let the pasta sheet dry for 5–10 minutes on the board.

Roll up the pasta as you would a carpet, and slice across it with a straight-bladed knife to make fettuccine that is approx. 5mm wide.

When you are ready to eat, heat a large serving plate and ladle some still-hot sauce on to it – reserving the meat for the main course if you are serving it the Italian way. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, drop in the fettuccine and give the water a good stir to stop the pasta sticking. Once the water has returned to the boil, cook the pasta for around 2 minutes – cooking time will depend on its thickness – until al dente.

Scoop it out and transfer to the serving plate. Pour more sauce on top, toss well and serve. You can either serve the meat as a main course with the accompaniments of your choice, or serve alongside the pasta if you prefer.