Hare broth with chive gnocchi

Stephen Goodenough

As a child, Tina Duncan recalls wild hares being brought home from her brothers’ hunting trips and in these Italian-inspired recipes, she uses the whole animal to create both a rich pasta sauce and this delicious broth. Wild hare can be ordered from speciality butchers and has a gamey flavour.

Ingredients

1	Wild hare (Main)
1	Bay leaf
1	Parsley stalks
1 sprig	Thyme
1	Onion
1 tsp	Salt
½ tsp	White ground pepper
¼ tsp	Nutmeg
100 ml	Port

Ingredients

500 g	Desiree potatoes (Main)
1 tsp	Salt
50 g	Flour
2 Tbsp	Chives

Directions

For the hare

1. Place cleaned and jointed hare in a large saucepan and just cover with cold water.
2. Add herbs and onion and simmer several hours until the meat falls away from the bone.
3. Strain through a fine sieve and reserve stock. Pull the best of the meat from the bones and reserve to make hare pasta sauce (see Hare Pappardelle), discard the rest.
4. Pour stock into a saucepan and season to taste with salt, freshly ground white pepper and grated nutmeg.
5. Add port just before serving.

For the gnocchi

1. In a saucepan, cover potatoes with water and boil until tender.
2. Drain, peel and press through a potato ricer or grate onto your workbench.
3. Sprinkle with salt and flour and work the flour into the potato using your hands.
4. Add chopped chives, knead together and roll into a long sausage shape.
5. Cut into small pieces and drop into simmering broth.
6. When they float to the surface scoop them into warmed soup bowls.
7. Add port to broth, pour over gnocchi in bowls and garnish with extra chives and herb flowers.