Читать книгу Tony & Giorgio - Tony Allan, Giorgio Locatelli - Страница 18

This was inspired by a dish my grandmother, Vicenzina Tamborini, used to make when I was a boy. Rabbit and polenta are natural companions, and they work even better with the saltiness of the ham and the bitterness of the radicchio. If you can’t find radicchio trevisano, use ordinary radicchio instead. Giorgio

Serves 6

6 rabbit legs, boned

12 thin slices of Parma ham

2 tablespoons groundnut oil

50g/2 oz butter 500g/1lb

2 oz lard, melted

125g/4 oz polenta

1.2 litres/2 pints milk

2 heads of radicchio trevisano

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 120°C/250°F/Gas Mark ½. Wrap each rabbit leg in 2 slices of Parma ham. Heat half the oil in a large shallow casserole and place the rabbit legs in it. Fry over a medium heat until they start to colour, then add the butter. Turn the legs over and cook for a further 2 minutes. Cover the legs completely with the melted lard, then cover with foil and cook very gently in the oven for 1 hour, until very tender.

Meanwhile, cook the polenta. Put it in a large jug so that it can be poured in a steady stream. Bring the milk to the boil in a large saucepan; it should half fill the pan. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and then slowly add the polenta in a continuous stream, stirring with a long-handled whisk all the time, until completely blended. The polenta will start to bubble volcanically. Reduce the heat as low as possible and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cut each radicchio into 3 and season with salt and pepper. Brush with the remaining oil and cook on a medium-hot griddle pan, until wilted. Spoon the polenta on to 6 serving plates and put the rabbit legs on top. Add the radicchio to the side and serve straight away.