Rabbit Cooked Like a Tuscan Pig: Coniglio in Porchetta

Ingredients

• 6 servings pepper black freshly ground
• 6 servings coarse salt 
• 1 cup cooking wine dry white
• 0.5 cup fat back 
• 0.5  bulb fennel diced cored
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 links sausage italian
• 1  juice of lemon juiced
• 4 tablespoons olive oil extra-virgin
• 4.5 pound rabbit for you.

Equipment

• frying pan
• oven

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Season the inside and outside of the rabbit with pepper, and set aside.
3. In a 12 to 14-inch saute pan heat 4 tablespoons of the lardo until smoking.
4. Add the fennel and the garlic and cook over medium heat until softened and light brown, about 5 to 6 minutes.
5. Add the sausage and cook until just cooked, about 6 to 8 more minutes.
6. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
7. Stuff the rabbit cavity with the fennel, garlic, and the remaining lardo, cut into 1/8-inch dice. Truss the rabbit to seal the openings and place in a casserole. Baste with the wine and lemon juice, and sprinkle with the coarse salt.
8. Cook in the oven for 1 hour, turning once after 30 minutes of cooking, and occasionally basting with the pan juices.
9. Remove from the oven, allow to sit 5 minutes.
10. Serve in 1/2-inch slices with pan juices emulsified with extra virgin olive oil.