Mediterranean Rabbit Soup

The rabbit does not appear on our tables often - and we practically never cook soups from it. And in vain! A rabbit costs little more than a chicken, and properly cooked just melts in your mouth. In soup, this is not so difficult to achieve.

Ingredients

• 1.5 l chicken stock or water
• 1 medium sized rabbit
• 1 large white onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 sweet peppers of different colors
• medium handful of green bean pods
• 100 g fine paste (mini-shells, stars, orzo)
• 2 tbsp. l. flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 sprigs of basil
• Mediterranean bouquet garni
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt, freshly ground black pepper
• ready-made basil pesto for serving

Directions

1. Cut the rabbit into portions, rub with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and let sit for 30 minutes. Chop the onion and garlic.
2. Sprinkle flour on all sides of the rabbit, shake off the excess. Heat 2 tablespoons in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. l. butter, fry the pieces of rabbit over medium heat until golden brown on all sides, 10 minutes. Transfer the slices to a plate.
3. Add 1 more tbsp to the pot. l. butter, put onion and garlic, cook over medium heat until soft, 5 minutes. Add wine, evaporate by half. Return the rabbit to the pan, pour in a lukewarm broth, add a bouquet of garni, bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat to low, partially cover the pan with a lid, cook for 2 hours.
4. Peel the pepper from the core, cut the pulp into small cubes. Cut the beans into pieces 2–3 cm long, removing the tips and taking out the tough "string" going along the edge, if any. Put the pasta in a saucepan with 1 liter of boiling salted water, cook for 2 minutes, discard on a sieve, rinse with boiling water.
5. Remove the rabbit pieces from the pan, remove the meat from the bones, cut into small pieces. Remove the garni bouquet from the broth, add the peppers, beans and basil, bring to a boil, cook for 5 minutes. Add rabbit meat and pasta, cook until pasta is done, 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately with pesto.