Pan-fried hare with pumpkin, bergamot jelly and cumin potatoes

  • medium
  • 4
  • 1 hour 30 minutes
Not yet rated

Francesco Bracali allows the flavour of the hare to shine through in this elegant dish, simply pan-frying the hare loins in spiced butter and serving them alongside lightly spiced potatoes and a sweet pumpkin syrup. Fragrant bergamot and punchy olives add a wonderful contrast without overpowering the overall flavour in this perfectly balanced main course.

First published in 2016

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Hare

  • 4 hare loins
  • 50g of clarified butter
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 peppercorns
  • 1 star anise
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Cumin potatoes

  • 4 potatoes, cut into 2cm dice
  • 200ml of vegetable stock
  • 1 pinch of ground cumin
  • 50g of clarified butter
  • salt

Bergamot jelly

  • 150g of bergamot juice, or purée
  • 100g of water
  • 2.5g of agar agar

Pumpkin syrup

  • 200g of pumpkin, grated
  • 200g of water
  • 100g of white wine vinegar
  • 100g of sugar

Olive tapenade

  • 150g of black olives, pitted
  • 50ml of vegetable stock

To serve

  • pumpkin seeds, to garnish
  • micro herbs, to garnish

Equipment

  • Vacuum bags
  • Chamber sealer
  • Steam oven
  • Piping bag and nozzle
  • Blender

Method

1
Preheat a steam oven to 90°C
2
Begin by preparing the cumin potatoes. Place the diced potatoes in a vacuum bag with the vegetable stock and ground cumin. Seal in a chamber sealer, then cook in the steam oven for 50 minutes
  • 4 potatoes, cut into 2cm dice
  • 200ml of vegetable stock
  • 1 pinch of ground cumin
3
Meanwhile, make the bergamot jelly. Mix together the water and agar agar in a small pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and pour into a flat tray or baking tin to create a thin layer, then set to one side and allow to cool
  • 100g of water
  • 2.5g of agar agar
4
Once the jelly has cooled and set, slice it into cubes and add to a blender with the bergamot juice. Pulse together until the juice and jelly are fully incorporated and smooth, then transfer to a piping bag and reserve in the fridge until ready to serve
  • 150g of bergamot juice, or purée
5
To make the pumpkin syrup, place the water, vinegar and sugar in a pan and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Allow the sugar to dissolve fully and the mixture to thicken for a few minutes to create a syrup
  • 200g of water
  • 100g of white wine vinegar
  • 100g of sugar
6
Add in the grated pumpkin and continue to cook for 5–10 minutes, until the flavour of the pumpkin infuses the syrup. Strain through a fine sieve into a clean pan and place back on the heat, allowing the strained liquid to reduce for a few minutes until it reaches the consistency of runny honey. Remove from the heat and keep warm until ready to serve
7
For the tapenade, place the olives and stock in a blender and pulse to create a chunky consistency. Transfer to a dish or bowl and reserve until required
  • 150g of black olives, pitted
  • 50ml of vegetable stock
8
Remove the steamed potatoes from the vacuum bag, drain carefully and add to a frying pan with the clarified butter. Sauté for 5 minutes or until golden, then season generously with salt and keep warm
  • 50g of clarified butter
  • salt
9
Season the hare loins well with salt and pepper. Place the clarified butter in a large frying pan and warm through over a medium heat. Add the spices and stir to coat in the butter, then add the seasoned loins
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 hare loins
  • 50g of clarified butter
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 peppercorns
  • 1 star anise
10
Allow the loins to colour on each side, basting in the flavoured butter as they cook. Once browned all over, remove the pan from the heat, cover with a lid and leave to continue cooking in the residual heat for 7–8 minutes
11
To serve, add swirls of the warm pumpkin syrup over each serving plate, along with a few dots of the bergamot jelly and olive tapenade. Slice the hare loins in half at an angle and stand in the centre, then drain the potatoes from the butter and scatter over the top. Garnish with a few pumpkin seeds and micro leaves, serving immediately
  • pumpkin seeds, to garnish
  • micro herbs, to garnish

From eating bread and ragù as a child to running a two-starred restaurant in Tuscany, Francesco Bracali has stayed true to the area's local flavours and has helped bolster the region's already famous foodie credentials.

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