It's always a good time to make aromatic hare stew. The most traditional way to prepare hare stew is to braise it in large pieces in the oven until fully cooked. This brings out the natural game flavor of the hare, which mild seasoning complements. Hash browns provide variety to the root vegetable side dishes of the main course.
Penedès' soft wines suit hare roast
The red wines from Spain's Penedès region stand out with their distinctive character, to which the combinations of different grapes add their own contribution.
With a mature and soft-flavored hare roast, you can taste two different Parés Baltà red wines and compare how their flavors suit the dish.
Parés Baltà Mas Petit is a classic red wine in which Cabernet Sauvignon's soft currant notes and Grenache's aromatic character come to the fore. In Parés Baltà Mas Elena, three French grape varieties combine: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc.
The grapes each come from their own plots, and together they build an intense, softly balanced red wine to which 8 months of barrel aging adds a subtle toasted nuance.
For the hare stew you'll need:
1 hare, cut into pieces
1 tsp coarse salt
whole black peppercorns
juniper berries
2 bay leaves
2 onions
2 carrots
1 celery stalk
2-3 dl red wine
1 dl water
1 tbsp game stock/1 beef stock cube
Butter for frying
Here's how:
Put the water and red wine in a pot. Peel and chop the root vegetables, add them and the spices to the pot, and boil for a few minutes. Crush the salt and black pepper in a mortar, rub onto the surface of the meat, and place in a deep oven dish. Let the broth cool and pour into the dish so that the meat is completely covered. Cover the roast with foil and let marinate overnight.
Take the dish out of the cold to warm up for an hour, then place in an oven at about 150°C. Let cook slowly for 3-4 hours.
For the hash browns you'll need:
8 firm potatoes
1 onion
2 tsp salt
parsley
Here's how:
Parboil the potatoes for about 8 minutes and let cool. Peel and grate the potatoes and finely chop the onion. Mix all ingredients together. Fry the hash browns in butter in a small pancake pan for 2-3 minutes per side. This version highlights the potato's own flavor, which is nicely complemented by the parsley's freshness and green color.
Frying is easier if you add a little wheat flour and egg to the potato mixture.
Text, recipe, and photos: Heikki Remes. www.viinimies.com
