I have never understood the idea of a book club yet have envied those who brag about what a good time they have at the gatherings.  I thought of a better idea that works smartly for the RoMade Facebook group- a cookbook club!  Last month, we held our first ever.  I chose Lidia Bastianich’s “Lidia’s Family Table” and it was a great success.  Each guest prepared one or two dishes from the same book and brought them to my house.  Just over 20 guests in total came to sample each other’s preparations.  This felt very different from a typical potluck in that we were all working off the same book, so the recipes had a consistent theme rather than one Thai dish and one Italian, for instance.  Being that we all went into this blind, there was a thrill of arriving to see what everyone did and discuss the recipes, from preparation to taste. We were all on the same mission.  Lidia would be proud.

So many dishes were fresh and inventive.  Tons of vegetables and the desserts were all fruit based. My favorites were the Rabbit Cacciatore Stefano Paganuzzi prepared and the Plum Crostada from Capucine Byrne.  I made a Shaved Baby Artichoke and Celery Salad and Bolognese Antica style, which was made with milk and took over 4 hours. Christa Acampora brought a Celery Root Salad. The Green Beans with Tomatoes and Mozzarella wound up on many an Easter table this year (made by Laura Caruso and Christine Gesky-Farahat) and I repeated the Apple Parfait Ellen Sample made. Deb Puchalla made a Plum Focaccia that didn’t even make it to the main course table-we devoured it, and an Asparagus and Egg Salad.  Jorge Henriquez made Roasted Pork and Cece Morrell made Venetian Beef.  For other sides, Eileen Miller made a Cauliflower and Egg salad and an Eggplant Tomato dish.  Elise Risher finished us off with an Upside Down Rhubarb Cake. Rosie Finizio couldn’t make it but she sent Mercedes Maldonado, who made Saffron Risotto, with these Zucchini and Caper Pinwheels that made a delicious appetizer. Julie Fair did not prepare any food, but she indulged us with homemade bellinis made with a touch of rosemary simple syrup. 

Rabbit Cacciatore

By Lidia Bastianich

Ingredients

·      1 3 ½ pound rabbit (Lidia will tell you to cut it up yourself, but trust me, you want your butcher to do this for you)

·      1 ½ teaspoons sea salt

·      1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

·      5 or 6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

·      8 fresh sage leaves

·      3 sprigs fresh rosemary

·      ¼ cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes, halved, drained and dried

·      4 large shallots, peeled and sliced in half

·      1 ½ teaspoon tomato paste

·      2-3 picked hot cherry peppers, drained, seeded and quartered

·      1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar

·      ¾ cup white wine

·      3 large bell peppers (red and yellow), cored, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces

·      1 cup or more chicken or vegetable stock

Directions

Toss the pieces with salt on all sides.

Pour 1/3 cup olive oil into a large braising pan and set over medium heat. Add the meat in a single layer and let brown (don’t move it for 7 minutes).  Add the garlic, sage leaves and rosemary then turn pieces to brown the other sides.

Scatter the sundried tomatoes and stir.  Clear a spot and add the shallots.  Let them cook a minute then stir to mix with everything else. Clear another spot and add the tomato paste and let it cook a minute, then stir with the rest of the ingredients. Make sure the rabbit is completely browned and if not, let it keep browning.  If so, add the cherry peppers and turn the heat up and add the vinegar to the pan and let it steam and sizzle.  Add the wine and pour all around.  Turn the rabbit so the liquids burn off a bit.

Scatter the bell peppers and cook, turning occasionally.  Keep the heat sizzling so the liquid continues to evaporate. After about 12 minutes, when the bell peppers have softened and the pan is nearly dry, add a tablespoon of olive oil and turn the pieces.  Add the hot broth and stir, scraping the bottom. Bring to a simmer and cover and let cook 15 minutes. Sprinkle with another pinch of salt, tasting to make sure it is enough and turn the pieces again. The liquid should be thickening and reducing. Cover and cook a final 10-15 minutes or until broth and juices and concentrated into a small amount of a thick sauce, enough to coat the rabbit.  If there is not enough liquid, add more broth, a tablespoon at a time. The rabbit should be cooked all the way through and ready to serve.  If you are preparing in advance, heat again so the liquid is hot and thickens.