Pappardelle alla lepre – pappardelle with hare ragù

Place the jointed hare in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, then cover with the red wine. Add the herbs, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours

Drain the hare from its marinade, reserving the wine and herbs

Heat a splash of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and add the pancetta, onion, carrot and celery. Sauté on a medium heat, stirring to prevent sticking

Finely dice the liver, add to the pan and cook for a minute. Remove the contents of the pan and reserve

Add another splash of oil to the same pan and turn up the heat. Add the pieces of hare and brown all over, then turn the heat back down and return the vegetables to the pan along with the tomato purée. Stir and cook out for 1 minute then deglaze the pan with the reserved red wine marinade

Reduce the wine by half then add the tin of tomatoes and stock and cover with a lid. Leave to simmer on a low heat for 2 hours, adding a little more stock if it becomes too dry

Carefully remove the hare from the stew and discard the bones. The meat should fall apart but try and keep some nice big pieces as you return it to the pan. If the sauce needs thickening, simmer with the lid off for a further 30 minutes, or until you have a perfect, rich ragù consistency

Cook the pappardelle in a pan of heavily salted boiling water for 3–4 minutes. Drain and serve with the ragù and some fresh basil and grated Parmesan