Ever since the first time I went to Coppa, I have been mesmerized by Jamie Bissonnette’s cooking. Even though Toro is more well known and even has expanded to NYC, Coppa will always be my choice for favorite restaurant in Boston. I can still describe in detail each and every visit which is pretty rare for me when it comes to restaurant experiences. I remember the first time I was there I caught a glimpse of Jamie in the kitchen. At that time I didn’t know who he was, but all the servers were running over to him as he was passing out samples of what I am assuming was some delicious cured meat newly unearthed from its resting spot. As much as the meats and pastas stood out to me that night, I remember being really into the mostarda sauce that accompanied a few of my dishes. I wanted to try and make it at home, but I never really found a recipe that I thought was right.

So here we are many years later, and I have a recipe for that very same mostarda! Jamie’s cookbook came out last week and I am so excited to cook pretty much everything in it. It feels like this book was written for me and people just like me. I am very strong in the kitchen and I know what I am doing really well, but when it comes to charcuterie, I get a little lost and overwhelmed. I have always wanted to venture more into that relm, and even have on a few occasions, but when I do research, many recipes feel fussy or outdated. This book feels like now. The recipes speak to me and tell me how to do things in a very matter of fact way. They also feel casual and like I can riff off them and not be worried about messing everything up. They aren’t all these big curing projects that take months, they are approachable and doable in a much shorter amount of time!

To start with, even though the lemongrass and green curry sausages are right up my alley and looked crazy delicious, I wanted to go with the true spirit of the book and take myself a little outside of my comfort zone with a tasty rabbit and beer pate. The pictures made the dish look absolutely stunning (Nod to Ken Goodman, who also did the photos in my cookbook!) and I couldn’t wait to try it! I went out to source my rabbit and got to work.