Hare Pie
Takes a lot of prep and elapsed time … but well worth the effort
Ingredients
- 1 Hare
- 1 Onion chopped
- 2 Carrots chopped
- 1 stalk Celery chopped
- 1 tsp Juniper Berries
- 2 tsp Black Peppercorns
- 3 cloves Garlic crushed
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 tsp Maldon Salt
- 10 Cherry Tomato
- 4 Portobello mushrooms chopped
- 200 ml double cream
The Stock
- 1 Onion chopped
- 2 Carrots chopped
- 1 stalk Celery chopped
- 1 tsp Juniper Berries
- 2 tsp Black Peppercorns
- 3 Bay leaves
- 3 cloves Garlic crushed
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 5 Tomatoes
- 500 ml Red Wine
- 1 l Chicken Stock
Making the Pie
- 1 egg beaten
- 300 g Shortcrust Pastry
Instructions
Prep
- Remove the front and rear legs, and the saddle. Retain the bones for the stock
- Roast the hare bones at 180C for about 20 mins
- For the meat, place hare legs and saddle in a large casserole with the onion, carrot, celery, juniper berries, peppercorns, garlic and thyme and the Maldon salt. Make sure legs are fully covered in half the red wine and leave overnight or for 12 hours.
The Stock
- To make stock , melt 40g butter in a large pan and add the onion, carrot, celery, juniper berries, peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic and thyme, simmer till golden brown.
- Add roasted hare bones, chopped tomatoes and 500 ml red wine. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add chicken stock & bring to the boil then skim well. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 2-3 hours, skimming regularly. Once a heady flavour is released, strain stock and reduce until the stock shows some body.
Cooking the Hare
- After they have been marinating for at least 12 hours, place the casserole (with lid on) in a oven at 140C for three hours
- Remove the legs and saddle from the pot, careful not to leave any bones behind, and allow to cool. Remove and discard the sprig of thyme and the bay leaves.
- Pour off the liquid from the casserole through a sieve into a wide-basd pan. Reduce the liquid down until it has some body to it. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Remove the meat from the bones of the hare and chop or shred. Return the meat to the casserole … where the vegetables are waiting :-).
- Add the reduced liquid and the double creamand Portobello mushrooms and gently combine. Taste and season as needed.
Making the Pie
- I used two enamel pie tins, each 20 cm across and about 4 cm deep.
- Brush the rim of the pie tins with the egg.
- split the pastry in two and roll out into two rounds to cover the pie tins. crimp the edges with your thumb, and brush the pasty top with the beaten egg.
- Cook in a 180C oven for 30 mins