I mentioned several weeks ago, during our weekend of non-stop eating, that I received the Battersby cookbook for Christmas from my sister-in-law. She has been to the restaurant in Brooklyn and thought that we would like their recipes just as much as she did. I’m happy to report that so far we are two for two, and that my sister-in-law has excellent taste.
The premise of the cookbook is “extraordinary food from an ordinary kitchen.” Three chefs work in tandem at the Brooklyn restaurant, operating with six burners, one oven, and limited countertop space. Sounds familiar! Although I’m sure they aren’t working with the same hot plate situation…
We decided to try another meal from the cookbook this weekend and were so, so happy with the results. It was another high-five-at-the-table meal and a little adventurous for us. A few pictures if you’d like to see:
It was definitely a nod to our time in Tuscany last fall, as we had surely had a variation of this dish at least once, if not twice, on our trip. Rabbit was pretty easy to find at the butcher, but it might not be as common where you’re shopping. I’d highly recommend asking your butcher to order you one or at least help you find out how to get one. We had three legs and a shoulder, all pre-cut, but you could certainly buy one whole and break it down yourself if you’re confident with a large knife and anatomy (I’m not).
The meat braised beautifully and fell off the bone after an hour and a half in the oven. It was tender and flavorful–perfect with the homemade pici pasta.
To be fair, some of these photos are from our second attempt last night. And it’s amazing how different each product was! The pasta from Saturday night was a little more dry and thick, while last night’s was more pliable and thin. The downside of the latter being that many of the pieces stuck together while we were rolling the remaining dough–it was quite dramatic there for a moment when we realized we essentially had a giant tumbleweed of uncooked pasta while the water was boiling like crazy.
The essence being that practice makes perfect and we are a long way from it! I’m sure there are lots of techniques and tricks out there and I’m sure will learn as we go. As you can see from above, we’re lacking a bit in counter space (ahh, yes, carefully balancing a cutting board over the sink for more work room) so finding a good place for the pasta to rest has proven a challenge. We’re problem solvers, though!
It really was delicious. And fun to learn some new skills along the way. We’ve bookmarked several recipes in the cookbook that we’d like to try soon in our ordinary kitchen.
What are you making? Any good recipes to share?
A Broad At Home 