Rabbit in zimino

Rabbit in zimino is a traditional dish from Ligurian cuisine, particularly around the area of Genoa. It’s a rich and flavorful dish where rabbit meat is slowly cooked with spinach and chards, and sometimes other vegetables, in an aromatic sauce. Here’s how to prepare it:

Ingredients

• 1 rabbit, cut into pieces
• 500 g of chards or spinach
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1 glass of white wine
• 400 g of tomato pulp or peeled tomatoes
• Enough meat or vegetable broth
• 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Clean and wash the chards or spinach, removing the harder parts. Then briefly blanch them in boiling salted water, drain and squeeze out the excess water.

2. Finely chop the onion, garlic, and parsley. In a saucepan, heat the extra virgin olive oil and sauté the chopped mixture until it turns golden.

3. Add the rabbit pieces to the saucepan and brown them on all sides. Once they have taken on color, deglaze with the white wine and let the alcohol evaporate.

4. Add the tomato pulp or peeled tomatoes and a bit of broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it cook covered for about 30 minutes.

5. Add the blanched vegetables to the sauce with the rabbit, adjust for salt and pepper, and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, or until the rabbit is tender and the sauce has thickened.

6. If the sauce dries out too much during cooking, add a bit of broth to maintain the desired consistency.

7. Serve the rabbit in zimino hot, perhaps accompanied by polenta or simply with homemade bread to mop up the sauce.

Curiosity

The term “zimino” comes from the Genoese “zemin,” which means stew. This term is used to indicate a variety of dishes where vegetables, especially spinach, are cooked in a stew. The recipe for rabbit in zimino is a true celebration of the combination of meat and vegetables in Ligurian gastronomy.