Roast loin of Hare with a Chocolate and Red Currant sauce by Chef Jose Souto
This recipe is reproduced with permission from ‘Feathers: The Game Larder’ by author Jose Souto published by Merlin Unwin Books (© 2018).
In Feathers: the Game Larder Steve Lee’s stunning photographs showcase more than the 55 modern, international recipes from master game chef Jose Souto and his culinary friends they impart the beauty of game birds in the field, from source to plate.
Serves 4
Ingredients
Veg oil for frying
2 rib ends of hare chopped up with bones onto 1 inch pieces
1 carrot finely chopped
½ stick celery finely chopped
½ onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
Dessert spoon tom puree
1 good glass red wine
Good sprig thyme
1 litre Game stock or fresh dark chicken stock
2 good sized hare saddles
20g Red current jelly
10g dark 65% Chocolate
Method
Take the hare remove the shoulders and the legs keep for another recipe.
Just in front of the pelvises bones cut straight across the back bone and remove.
Moving up to the ribs cut straight across the backbone, this will give you the saddle chop up the front of the hare including the ribs for the sauce later.
There will be 2 belly flaps on either side of the saddle using a knife and working from the inside of the saddle tease away the belly pulling them around the loin meat do the same on the other side.
Using a sharp filleting knife remove the silver skin around the loin meat.
Fry off the front end and ribs in hot oil to get good colour.
Remove bones from pan and in same pan fry off onion and garlic for 5 min.
Add carrot , celery, cook out for another 6 to 8 min then add bones and tom puree cook for another 5 to 6 min then add wine and reduce by ¾ .
Now add stock and reduce by ¾ then pass through a fine sieve to get rid of bones and veg.
The sauce should be reduced until it is the consistency of single cream.
Bring sauce to boil
Add Redcurrant jelly stir in and allow to melt
Bring sauce down to just a very slight simmer then pull to one side on stove it should stay hot but not boil or simmer.
Heat a frying pan to smoking hot season the hare loin and seal in the pan all over then place in oven at 180C for 10 min.
Remove from oven and rest for 5 min but do not cover
Chop chocolate up into small pieces
Whisk chocolate into the hot sauce off the heat a bit at a time, at first it will separate but as you whisk it will emulsify into sauce.
Cut the Loins off the saddle and slice then serve with a chive mash potatoes and the sauce over the top.