Pappardelle al Ragù di Lepre

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 7-quart Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid
• •Wooden spoon for scraping
• •Large cutting board for shredding meat

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the hare

   Pat the hare pieces completely dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and pepper on all sides. Let the meat sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Cold meat goes into a hot pan and seizes. Room temperature meat browns properly.

   Hare is not rabbit. It is darker, leaner, and more intensely flavored. If you substitute rabbit, reduce the wine by one-third and expect a milder result.
2. 2

   Brown the hare

   Heat half the olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Working in batches to avoid crowding, brown the hare pieces on all sides until deeply golden, about 4 minutes per side. The color should be chestnut, not pale beige. Transfer each batch to a plate. Do not skip this step or rush it. The flavor of the entire dish depends on proper browning.

3. 3

   Render the pancetta

   Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat. Add the pancetta to the pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders and the pancetta becomes golden and slightly crisp at the edges, about 8 minutes. The pancetta provides a smoky depth that olive oil alone cannot achieve.

4. 4

   Build the soffritto

   Add the remaining olive oil, then the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are completely soft and the onion turns pale gold, about 20 minutes. Add the crushed garlic cloves and cook 2 minutes more. The garlic should perfume the oil, not dominate it. FLAVOR, IN ITALIAN DISHES, builds up from the bottom. An imperfectly executed soffritto will impair the flavor of the entire dish.

5. 5

   Add tomato paste and wine

   Clear a space in the center of the pot and add the tomato paste. Let it toast against the hot surface for 1 minute, stirring it into the fat until it darkens slightly. Pour in the entire bottle of wine. It will hiss and steam. Scrape the bottom of the pot vigorously with a wooden spoon to release the browned bits. These are flavor. Let the wine simmer briskly until reduced by half, about 15 minutes.

   Use a wine you would drink. The Tuscans use Chianti or Sangiovese. Anything acidic and dry will work. Sweet wine ruins the dish.
6. 6

   Braise the hare

   Return the hare pieces to the pot, nestling them into the liquid. Add the crushed tomatoes, stock, juniper berries, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, and peppercorns. The liquid should come about two-thirds up the sides of the meat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to the lowest possible setting. Cover the pot and cook until the meat falls easily from the bone when prodded with a fork, 2 and a half to 3 hours. Check occasionally to ensure the liquid maintains the laziest simmer.

7. 7

   Shred the meat

   Transfer the hare pieces to a cutting board. Remove and discard the bay leaves, thyme stems, rosemary branches, and garlic cloves. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones in rough shreds, discarding the bones and any sinew. Return the shredded meat to the pot. Stir to combine with the braising liquid. Taste and adjust salt. The ragù should be thick but saucy, deeply flavored, and dark as old wine.

8. 8

   Cook the pappardelle

   Bring abundant salted water to a vigorous boil. The water should taste like the sea. Cook fresh pappardelle until tender but with pleasant resistance, 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve one cup of pasta water before draining. Fresh pasta waits for no one. Have your ragù hot and your serving bowls ready.

9. 9

   Finish and serve

   Add the drained pappardelle directly to the pot with the ragù. Toss gently over low heat, adding the cold butter in pieces. The butter creates a silky finish. Add splashes of pasta water as needed until the sauce clings to every ribbon. The pasta should be dressed, not drowning. Once the pasta is sauced, serve it promptly, inviting your guests and family to put off talking and start eating. Pass Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table.

Chef Tips

• •Ask your butcher to joint the hare for you. A whole hare breaks down into two forelegs, two hind legs, the saddle cut into two or three pieces, and the ribcage. Save the liver for another use or add it to the braise in the final hour for deeper flavor.
• •The juniper berries are not optional. They cut through the richness of the meat and echo the wild landscape where hares live. Crush them lightly with the flat of a knife to release their oils.
• •If you cannot find hare, you may use rabbit, but know that you are making a different dish. Reduce the wine to half a bottle, braise for only 90 minutes, and expect a gentler, less complex result.
• •The ragù improves dramatically after a night in the refrigerator. Make it the day before your dinner party. Reheat gently, adding a splash of stock if it has thickened too much.

Advance Preparation

• •The ragù can be made up to three days ahead and refrigerated. The flavors deepen considerably. Shred the meat and return it to the sauce before storing.
• •The ragù freezes well for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently with added stock.
• •Fresh pappardelle can be made earlier in the day and left to dry on a floured sheet pan, covered with a towel. Do not refrigerate fresh pasta; it becomes gummy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 450g)