Piedmont
Wild hare marinated in Barolo or Dolcetto for 48 hours with juniper berries, cloves, herbs and vegetables, then braised in the strained marinade until the meat is falling from the bone. The sauce is finished by passing the braising vegetables through a mouli and whisking in the hare's blood (traditionally reserved during butchering) and a piece of bitter dark chocolate to give depth and gloss. Served with soft polenta.
Intensely gamey, winey and dark; juniper adds resinous bitterness; blood gives body and iron-richness; chocolate rounds the rough edges — the most serious of all Piedmontese game preparations
{"The 48-hour marinade is non-negotiable — wild hare is far gamier than rabbit and requires extended marination to temper the flavour","Discard the marinade liquid; use only the wine for braising — the marinade contains blood proteins that create bitterness","Joint the hare and brown in pieces in lard and olive oil until deeply mahogany before braising","The blood (if available): whisk with a tablespoon of vinegar to prevent coagulation, then stir in off heat at the end — this thickens and enriches the sauce dramatically","Dark chocolate (85%): no more than 15g, stirred in at the very end — it gives gloss and rounds the acid without sweetening"}
{"If blood is unavailable, pig's blood from a butcher can be substituted in the same quantity","The braised vegetables passed through a mouli are the natural thickener — this is a sauce of complete self-sufficiency","Salmì di lepre improves dramatically over 2 days — make it the day before serving"}
{"Using the marinade as the braising liquid — the resulting sauce is bitter and gamey rather than complex","Adding blood to the hot sauce — it scrambles; it must go in off heat and the sauce must not return to a boil","Too much chocolate — more than 15g turns the sauce sweet; it should be undetectable as a discrete flavour"}
La Cucina Piemontese — Caccia, Vini e Grande Tradizione