1398. CIVET de LIEVRE

serves 4


a hare, jointed into about eight pieces, blood and liver reserved.
a bottle of strong red wine
a large onion, roughly chopped
a couple of crushed garlic cloves
two carrots, sliced
lard for frying
flour
a teaspoon of tomato paste
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a bouquet garni
250 grams shallots, halved
100 grams button mushrooms
100 grams smoked back bacon, diced
butter for frying

Place the hare, onions and carrots into a large bowl. Add the wine and cover. Marinade overnight. Heat the lard in a large casserole. Add the pieces of hare, and brown well. Sprinkle with flour until all the juices are absorbed, then add the rest of the marinade. Add the bouquet garni and season well. Bring to the boil, then simmer slowly for two hours. Check periodically to ensure that the dish is not drying out - add water (or more wine) if required. Fry the shallots in butter until browned, then add the bacon and mushrooms and cook these until browned too. Remove the hare from the pan and keep warm. Chop the liver and add it with the blood to the pan. Stir to combine, then bring the sauce to the boil until it thickens. Strain the sauce over the meat using a sieve, then serve with buttered noodles and a green salad.


courtesy of: Jon and Julia Doust, The Vendee Blog, France