Recipes

Based on an old Tuscan recipe from The Gastronomy of Italy by Anna del Conte, this is an economical way of dealing with a whole hare. Only the legs are used in this rich full-bodied pasta sauce, which means the saddle can be turned into a pate or roasted separately.

Serves 4

    2 tbsp olive oil
    2 rashers unsmoked streaky bacon
    1 small onion, finely chopped
    1 celery stalk, finely chopped
    1 garlic clove, finely chopped
    1 small sprig rosemary, finely chopped
    The legs of 1 hare
    2 tsp flour
    150ml red wine
    150ml game stock
    Pinch grated nutmeg
    2 tbsp Greek-style yoghurt
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the bacon and saute for 2 minutes. Then add the onion, celery, garlic and rosemary and cook until soft, stirring frequently.  Add the hare legs to the pan and saute them until lightly browned.

Sprinkle in the flour and cook for about a minute, stirring constantly, until the flour is brown. Turn up the heat, pour in the wine and boil until it has reduced by about half. Then add about half of the stock, the nutmeg and a pinch of salt and stir together. Turn down the heat to medium to low, half cover the pan and simmer for about 1 hour, checking occasionally.  Add the remaining stock, a little at a time to avoid the pan catching, to make a thick sauce.

Using a slotted spoon, lift the legs from the pan. Bone them, cut the meat into small pieces and return these to the pan. Stir in the yoghurt, season and serve with large noodles.