Recipe and secrets from Signora Arcangela
Fried rabbit is our special madeleine: it’s the Sunday recipe, grandmother’s dish, a concession, because you know anything fried is heavy, you know it’s not good for you, ugh, you know how it makes your house stink… But it brings back so many delicious memories!
Cooking rabbit Tuscan-style is easier than you think. There are few trimmings and few steps, but one challenge: the temperature of the oil. We follow Arcangela’s recipe, since she has been cooking her whole life; when you watch her dance in the kitchen, everything seems like a piece of cake!
For the batter, strictly made with eggs, Arcangela uses type 00 soft wheat flour, because it develops little gluten (harder flours thicken better, but could absorb the cooking oil and soak the breading). Use three eggs for an entire rabbit. The batter should be liquid, similar to the dough for a ring-shaped cake.
Use a fork or whisk to eliminate lumps of flour, and if the batter is too solid, add a little sparkling water. Salt just enough, not too much!
Once you have washed the rabbit and cut it into pieces, dip it in the bowl of batter and make sure the meat combines well with the flour and eggs.
In a frying pan with a tall edge, heat the sunflower seed oil until it is very hot: don’t skimp on it, the rabbit has to drown in it! Don’t crowd the pan, cook a few pieces at a time. After the meat has been in the oil for approximately five minutes, turn the pieces over and let them cook for at least 10 more minutes, or until the batter has become nice and golden.
Drain on absorbent paper and serve while still hot!
Ingredients
1 rabbit
3 whole eggs
cool sparkling water
salt to taste
sunflower seed oil
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes.
