Recipes

I have been recipe- blogging at Roseann's Three Martini Lunch. I will always post these things there first, but will eventually move them here. First, a response to Matt Miller's request for a jackrabbit-- read "hare"-- recipe:

"We eat lots of hare, as the dogs allow.

The thing to remember is that they are HARES, not rabbits. Unlike those little white-meat creatures, they have about the darkest, richest meat in North America (with the possible exception of woodcock), and they are runners, so it is not initially tender. Most people in the US, if they eat it at all, pressure- cook it and use it for taco fillers or in chile. I think that is a waste of one of our most delicious and unusual meats, not to mention sporting (if you run them with hounds and/ or hawks) quarries! But if you don’t like game, you won’t like hare.

The recipes are all there, in European cookbooks, marked, well, “Hare”- jugged hare, civet du lievre, hasenpfeffer.

First, I usually remove the fillets from the saddle—the area behind the ribs along the backbone and before the hindquarters. To quote from Nicola Cox on Game Cookery, “Bone out the saddle of hare, removing all the bluish membrane and tendons.” She continues, “Place the fillets and both tiny fillets mignon from under the saddle in a glass or china bowl and pour the marinate ingredients over them . . .” You can do this but I prefer to dust them with a dry rub— some good chile powder maybe, and/ or ground Szechuan peppercorns, a bit of salt etc— and then saute them in a hot skillet for less than 5 minutes, then turn them over and turn the heat off, and take them out of the pan and serve them in about 2 or 3 minutes. Perfect!

Then you want to cook the fore and especially hindquarters, which really do need marinating and long cookery (the ribcage etc. are best just used for stock— too fiddly). Nicola Cox has some good recipes— here is an adaptation of an Italian one we like.

Marinade:
3tbs olive oil
3 tbs lighter cooking oil
1 chopped onion
2- 4 cloves chopped garlic
Sprigs rosemary, thyme, fresh sage
3- 4 tbs balsamic vinegar

Front and hind quarters of hare
Dried porcini (cepe) mushrooms
Olive oil
I diced carrot
I diced stick of celery
Several cloves of garlic
1 oz flour
2-3 tbs balsamic vinegar
Cup white wine
1 tbs tomato puree
Cup or more good stock
Enough butter to cook:
1/2 lb fresh assorted mushrooms

Marinate in fridge for 2- 4 days. Drain and pat dry.

Soak the dry mushrooms in hot water, ten simmer until the liquid is reduced. Reserve.

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or other roomy heavy pot. Add diced vegetables, and cook over moderate heat until soft. Then turn up heat and hare pieces, salt, pepper, and flour. Turn until “sealed” and add wine and vinegar. Reduce again. Add tomato puree and dried mushrooms and their liquid. Add some stock.

At this point you should cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours— so they say. Maybe it’s true at sea level (we are at 6500 feet), but I have never seen one done that fast— try at least 4 hours, and some older hares take longer. Personally I like to put it in the oven, covered, at a very low heat for about 4 hours, then check it out. If you are cooking for a group and need a “deadline” it is often better to do it up to this point the day before and then finish it— the flavors actually improve.

Finally, reduce the hare liquid on the stove top over brisk heat until it is sauce- like. Cut up and sautee those fresh mushrooms in butter, and combine. Cook for 20 minutes or so, at a lower heat. The meat should be falling off the bones. A squeeze of lemon or a bit of nutmeg can’t hurt. Serve over polenta or pasta. (You could also take it off the bones and make it into a very rich pasta sauce).”