Hare Stew

Small game was plentiful in the Talbot Settlement and would have been a welcome addition to the pioneer table any time of year. Hare or rabbit would have been a regular part of the fare that graced the 1800s menu. Today the rabbit is domestically bred for the table while its cousin, the hare, is considered the true game animal.
This recipe calls for hare but rabbit would work just as well. The domestically bred rabbit does not need to be hung but if you’re using wild hare remember it needs to hang for around a week before it’s ready to use in this recipe.

Ingredients

3 hares cut into pieces (disjointing a hare is very similar to cutting up a chicken)
1 cup flour
1 tsp of pepper
1 tsp of salt
½ tsp of thyme
3 or 4 cups stock
2 Carrots, sliced
Butter (or vegetable oil)
½ pound of salt pork, diced
2 carrots, sliced
4 large onions, each cut in six
1 pound of mushrooms
Hare liver, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Set the hare liver aside for later.
Mix flour, salt, pepper and thyme together in a good sized bowl. Dredge the pieces of hare in the flour mixture and let rest until needed. Save 4 tablespoons of flour mixture in a small bowl.
In a large cast iron or heavy bottom stewing pot brown salt pork and onions over a medium high heat until salt pork is crispy and onions are slightly translucent and caramelized. Remove mixture from pot. Reduce heat and brown hare pieces in the same pot. Add butter or oil as needed. When the hare is nice and brown add enough stock to cover, put the lid back on and simmer for about an hour. Sauté the mushrooms in a little bit of butter. When the meat is cooked through, add the mushrooms, carrots, onions and salt pork to the pot. Cook for around 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. If the stew seems a little thin make a beurre manié* with the leftover dredging flour. Just before serving, sauté the chopped hare liver in butter, add to the pot, season the stew to taste and plate.

*Beurre manié is a good way to thicken a sauce or stew at the end of the recipe. Take 4 tablespoons of flour and 2 tablespoons of butter. Knead them together to form a paste. Roll the paste into little balls or small pellets and add to your hot liquid, whisking continuously to dissolve the butter and disperse the flour. Simmer the sauce until it thickens and the flour has totally dissolved. Be sure not to let your liquid boil while adding the beurre manié or it might separate.