Jugged Hare

here hare here

December 1st, 2013

“Here hare here.”

A note from Jake the Poacher – Withnail and I (1987)

I bought a 5 lb hare for £7.50 from the Pheasant Girl on the Layer Marney Lamb stall at Islington Farmers’ Market last Sunday. I first noticed them for sale about 4 weeks ago and hesitated two weeks in a row – then the following 2 weeks they’d sold out before I even got there! Luckily, this week I had one saved for me and it was a big one – so definitely worth waiting for.

hare and pheasants

It’s likely that the European Brown Hare was introduced to Britain by the Romans or an earlier civilisation, because they probably wouldn’t have spread to northern Europe before Britain was separated by the sea. Unlike rabbits, hares live above ground and nest in hollows called forms. In general the hare is a shy and nocturnal animal, but during the spring mating season, males box each other in broad daylight, in competition for a mate.

Jugged Hare is quite a traditional method of cooking hare (across Europe), where the meat is marinated for several days in wine and vinegar before long slow cooking. The hare’s blood is used to thicken the sauce at the end of the cooking process. In Britain the meat was cooked in a jug, placed in a bain-marie, so that it could be cooked for a long time over a flame without burning. The same can be achieved by cooking with a cast iron casserole in the oven set on a low heat.

Jugged Hare Recipe (feeds 4 people):

Marinade:

1 large onion (chopped)
2 carrots (chopped)
2 sticks of celery (chopped)
6 pieces of garlic (chopped)
1 bouquet garni
1 bottle of red wine
1 cup of red wine vinegar
1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
the juice of a lemon

Cooking Recipe:

1 large onion (chopped)
2 large carrots (chopped)
2 sticks of celery (chopped)
6 pieces of garlic (chopped)
4 oz lardons
the hare’s blood
red wine and red wine vinegar as required
half a pint of pheasant stock (or chicken stock)
ground sea salt, black peppercorns, rosemary, sage and thyme
2 bay leaves
6 ground juniper berries
3 heaped dessertspoons of flour
quarter of a teaspoon of mustard powder
2 dessertspoons of extra virgin olive oil

hare marinade

Put the marinade ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes and allow to cool. In the meantime, joint the hare – cut the legs off and chop the body into 2 or 3 pieces to make it manageable. When the marinade is cold, pour it over the hare. I recommend putting it into a large freezer bag, so it can be moved around during the marination for an even soaking. Put the marinating hare into the fridge for between 36 and 48 hours. Turn the bag every 12 hours. Make sure that the heart, liver and kidneys go into the marinade and get cooked with the hare – it all adds to the flavour.

Keep the hare’s blood to thicken the sauce at the end. Stir in some red wine vinegar to stop it coagulating and refrigerate.

hare browning

When you are ready to cook the hare, remove the meat from the marinade and coat it with flour, seasoned with a little mustard powder. Put the marinade through a sieve and reserve the liquid. Using a large casserole, lightly brown the pieces of meat in olive oil – fry a few bits at a time and don’t overcrowd the pan. When the meat is browned, deglaze the pan with a little red wine and red wine vinegar – keep the deglazing liquid.

lardons

Brown some lardons in the casserole – mine came from a piece of Spanish cured bellota pork belly, but some bacon would do.

mirepoix

Add and gently fry some onions, followed by the carrots, celery and garlic.

When the vegetables have softened slightly, stir in the ground herbs, the juniper berries and add the bay leaves.

juniper berries

Juniper is the main aromatic flavour used in gin making – a few berries go well with all game, but don’t over do it. Place the browned meat on top of the vegetables and pour on the marinade liquid plus the red wine and vinegar from deglazing the pan and the stock. This should just cover the meat, but add a drop of red wine if necessary. Bring to the boil and put the lid on before placing in a preheated oven at a temperature of 120º C for three and half hours.

slow cooking

Do move the meat around gently every hour and remove any oil or scum that comes to the surface. Taste the sauce after an hour or so, and adjust the seasoning if necessary. I found that it needed very little adjustment, but do follow your taste buds.

blood

After three and a  half hours, remove the meat to a dish and keep it warm.

thickening with blood

Stir the hare’s blood into the sauce to thicken it.

jugged hare

Rejoin the meat and sauce before serving with seasonal vegetables. I think mashed potato is definitely in order along with Brussels sprouts or cauliflower.

I thoroughly recommend jugged hare – like a rabbit stew but much tastier – the deluxe version perhaps. I got excited when I opened up the marinade – it smelled amazing before I’d even cooked it!