Hare Braised in Mirto

Name: Hare Braised in Mirto (Lepre Brasata con Mirto)
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients: 1 golden shallot, diced; 4 cloves garlic, peeled and bruised; 8 bay leaves; fresh bay leaves, for garnishing; 300 ml red mirto; 10 juniper berries; freshly ground black pepper, to taste; salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; plain flour, for dusting; 1 hare, skinned, gutted and head removed; 50 g butter; ⅓ cup (80 ml) vegetable oil; Polenta, for serving; 2 sprigs rosemary; 150 ml Cannonau or other full-bodied red wine; 2 litres Chicken Stock; 6 cloves garlic, finely sliced; 2 bulbs baby fennel, washed well and diced; 4 stalks celery heart, diced

Lepre Brasata con Mirto

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Complex

Appears in

A Sardinian Cookbook

By Giovanni Pilu and Roberta Muir

Published 2012

About

In Sardinia, myrtle leaves are used in the marinade for the hare and as a garnish, but they’re unusual in Australia. If you happen to have a true myrtle tree in your yard (not lemon myrtle or crepe myrtle), use some of its leaves in place of the bay leaves here. For this recipe you’ll need a large flameproof casserole wide enough to hold the hare pieces in a single layer, and you’ll need to start 1–2 days ahead to give the hare time to marinate.