Rabbit roulade with pine nuts and raisins

Name: Rabbit roulade with pine nuts and raisins
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 150 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Rabbit boneless 1.7 lbs; Chickory to be cleaned 1.1 lbs; Pancetta sliced 7 oz; Raisins 2 oz; Pine nuts 2 oz; Garlic 1 clove; Fresh chili pepper 1; Meat broth 0.3 cup; White wine 1.75 oz; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Potatoes 1.3 lbs; Rosemary to taste; Thyme to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste

Difficulty: Average
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Serving: 4
Note + 10 min resting time for the roulade

PRESENTATION

Rabbit roll with pine nuts and raisins is a really tasty dish you’ll often see on Northern and Central Italian tables—perfect for a special dinner or maybe a Sunday lunch. This rabbit roll is unique, really unique, because it combines lean rabbit meat with sautéed chicory and raisins. The result? A flavorful blend where the slight bitterness of the greens meets the sweet pop of the dried fruit. Pine nuts add a crunchy texture that complements the tender meat, while wrapping the roll in pancetta adds a savory, smoky flavor. Plus, it keeps the meat moist.

In regions like Emilia-Romagna or Tuscany, simple ingredients like these become something special—really. You might hear comparisons to traditional coniglio al forno or local favorites like Coniglio alla Ligure, but this rolled version feels more festive, more elegant.

This stuffed rabbit is perfect for family meals when you want something different. The pancetta not only adds flavor but also makes sure the rabbit stays juicy during roasting. So, you get slices that are succulent and tender. Really, it's often served with roasted potatoes, letting the juices from the rabbit roulade blend and enhance everything.

The way the filling melds with the meat? Creates bites full of rich and sweet notes—punctuated by the crunch of toasted pine nuts. For those who love classic Italian cuisine or want to try a new rabbit dish, this recipe shows how meals can be both simple and fancy. It exemplifies Italian home cooking—bringing people together over great food with a touch of flair. Which is great. Seriously.

INGREDIENTS

Rabbit 1.7 lbs (750 g) - boneless

Chickory 1.1 lbs (500 g) - to be cleaned

Pancetta 7 oz (200 g) - sliced

Raisins 2 oz (60 g)

Pine nuts 2 oz (60 g)

Garlic 1 clove

Fresh chili pepper 1

Meat broth 0.3 cup (70 g)

White wine 1.75 oz (50 g)

Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Fine salt to taste

For the potatoes: Potatoes 1.3 lbs (600 g); Rosemary to taste; Thyme to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Rabbit roulade with pine nuts and raisins

To prepare the rabbit roulade with pine nuts and raisins, first wash, clean and chop the chicory into pieces 1. In a pan, heat a drizzle of oil with the garlic and chili 2, then add the chicory 3.

Cook for about 10 minutes over medium-high heat 4, until well done, then remove the garlic 5 and chili 6, season with salt and let cool slightly.

Now cut the potatoes into cubes 7 and parboil them for 7-8 minutes 8. In the meantime, grease a baking dish with oil and season with rosemary and thyme 9.

Drain the potatoes and place them in the baking dish 10, season with salt and toss. Bake in a preheated conventional oven at 392°F for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the raisins 11 (already soaked in water and well drained) and the pine nuts 12.

Mix the raisins and pine nuts in a bowl and set aside 13. Lay the rabbit out on the cutting board 14, place a sheet of parchment paper over it and pound the meat so as to obtain a thinner thickness 15.

Spread the sautéed chicory over the surface 16, then the raisins and pine nuts 17. Fold one of the short sides inward 18.

Do the same with the opposite side 19, then roll the meat from the longer side 20, taking care to seal the filling well inside 21.

Form a roulade 22. To help shape it, you can wrap it in parchment paper and squeeze it tightly to secure it 23 24.

At this point, lay the bacon slices on a cutting board, overlapping them slightly 25. Place the rabbit roulade along the lower long edge 26 and gently lift the bacon slices to wrap it completely 27.

How to tie a roast with kitchen twine 28 as you would a roast. Brown the roulade in a pot oiled with oil on all sides over medium heat 30. Deglaze with white wine 31 and let it evaporate.

Add the hot broth 31 and finish cooking the rabbit in a conventional oven at 356°F for 30 minutes 32. Meanwhile the potatoes will be ready, so remove them from the oven 34 and keep warm.

After removing the roulade from the oven, let it rest on the cutting board for about ten minutes before removing the twine 34 and slicing 35. Your rabbit roulade with raisins and pine nuts is ready to be served with the roasted potatoes 36!

Storage

Store the rabbit roulade with raisins and pine nuts in the refrigerator and consume within 2 days.

You can freeze the rabbit after cooking if you used fresh ingredients.

Tip

If the bacon gets too warm while you are tying the rabbit, you can keep it in the refrigerator for about half an hour to let it cool a little so it doesn't melt. The bacon wrapping is used because rabbit meat dries out easily.

For optimal results we cooked the potatoes and the rabbit separately: the rabbit in fact requires a gentler temperature, which would not allow the potatoes to become nicely golden and crispy.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.

Rabbit roulade with pine nuts and raisins

PRESENTATION

INGREDIENTS

How to prepare Rabbit roulade with pine nuts and raisins

Storage

Tip

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