STEWED HARE
(Belgian)
After having emptied the hare put aside the liver, carefully separated from the gall, and the blood in a basin; add to it a few drops of vinegar to prevent it curdling. Cut the hare into pieces of medium size; warm 3 ozs. of butter in a stew-pan, add to ¼ lb. of lean bacon cut in dice, colour them in the butter, add 3 ozs. of flour, make it all into a brown thickening, and put in the pieces of hare; moisten with a bottle of red wine and a quart of stock, salt, and pepper. Stir without leaving it, with a wooden spoon, until it boils; the sauce should cover the meat and not be too thick; add a bouquet of herbs, an onion with cloves in it. Cover the stew-pan and leave it to stew until the hare is tender. A young hare will take from an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half, an old one may cook for three hours without becoming tender. The sauce should by this time be reduced to half; take out the onion and herbs, taste if sufficiently seasoned; mix the blood with a teacupful of thick cream, throw over the hare; shake the stew-pan briskly to allow all to mix well, but it must not boil; at the last moment add the liver, which has been sliced and sautéd (shaken) for two minutes in hot butter over the fire. Arrange in an entree dish, pour the sauce over and garnish round with croûtons of fried bread.
Note.—This dish may be rendered more highly flavoured, if desired, by steeping the pieces of hare for some hours in the following marinade or pickle: a bottle of red wine, a cupful of vinegar, salt, pepper, a bouquet of herbs, and an onion stuck with cloves. Leave the hare in this preparation four or five hours, then when the thickening is made, put in the hare with this marinade, then the stock, and finish as above. Small button onions or mushrooms may be added before the hare is tender; if onions are cooked with it they must be previously boiled for a few minutes.