hare legs

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 2 legs of hare (hind leg)
• 1 large carrot(s), diced
• ½ celery root, diced
• ½ stalk(s) leek, cut into small pieces
• 1 m.-large onion(s), quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, halved
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 50 ml port wine or Madeira
• 150 ml red wine
• 300 ml Game stock
• 1 handful of porcini mushrooms, dried
• some cloves (powder or ground)
• ½ bay leaf
• 3 juniper berries, ground elder
• some rosemary, fresh, chopped
• some thyme, fresh, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp jam (currant jelly)
• some flour butter (beurre manier) to bind, if desired
• some fresh cream (if desired)
• 3 tbsp olive oil for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

braised in the stove

Mix the cloves, bay leaves, juniper, rosemary, thyme, pepper, and salt well in a mortar and pestle. I used a whole hare’s hindquarters, meaning the legs were attached at the back. Separate it into two pieces, dust each with the spice mix, and sear all over in olive oil in a cast-iron roasting pan. Remove and keep warm. Brown the carrots and celery in the roasting pan (add a little oil if necessary), brown the leeks and onions, add the garlic, and fry briefly with the tomato paste. Deglaze with the port and red wine, then pour in the stock. Return the legs (placed on their backs), add the soaked porcini mushrooms, put the lid on, and put them back in the oven at 180°C. Baste occasionally. After 60 minutes, turn over, add a little more stock if necessary, and leave the lid on the stovetop at approximately 150°C for another 30 minutes (depending on the size of the leg and the age of the rabbit). Remove the lid at the very end. Then remove the legs and let them rest on a plate lined with aluminum foil in the turned-off oven. Strain the braising liquid and remove the fat. Bring to a boil with a little Beurre Marinière, add the porcini mushrooms and onions from the strainer, adjust the seasoning if desired, season with a little blackcurrant jelly, and finish with a dash of cream, if desired. You can also mix some of the roasted vegetables into the sauce to thicken it, but the celery flavor will then be quite intense.