Jugged hare, but not only. There is a nice atmosphere when you arrive at the lady’s house Annapaola Zandomeneghi, near Verona. “I’ve learned lots of recipes from you.” As a great reader of our magazine, this is how she welcomes us and then shows us the collection with pride (hers and, I assure you, ours too). A well-kept garden, an immaculate living room, a beautiful tablecloth with many signatures: they are those of the people who ate at this table, which are then embroidered, and soon mine will be there too. And then there’s the jugged hare on the fire on one side and the other polenta on the other. Mrs. Annapaola is not upset, also because with a past as a neurologist in hospital, much more is needed. The kitchen is crowded, there are the children Federico, who uncorks a bottle of wine, and Emanuela, who dedicates herself to supervising the food, while her daughter Adele, a medical student, arranges the cakes just taken out of the oven. They are inspired by Alto Adige because their father Bruno is from Bolzano and passed on to her the art of Linzer. Even if today the hare is the great protagonist. «It is a recurring recipe in this house, which we prepare when we are together, not on days like Christmas, for example, because it is not a dish that can be eaten by many people, explains Emanuela, professor of psychology at a Milanese university . «My father Albino she continues, «he had one grandmother called Fanny who cooked hare; she passed the recipe on to my grandmother Adele and then to my mother, who will one day give it to us. Let’s say that she is going down the genealogy of the women of the family.” The scent is everywhere in this kitchen. And the hare requires a lot of work, but no one here is scared. We are about to sit at the table, all together, as we do in our beautiful country, young and old, with the ritual that characterizes the Italian meal. The hare is delicious, with the right hint of acidity, the polenta soft as required for a traditional dish that will never change. Mrs. Annapaola is happy to have everyone gathered around her. Thank you, ma’am, for making me feel part of the family.
Great-grandmother Fanny’s hare, how to prepare it
«I cut a perfectly clean hare into pieces of half a gram each. I collect them in a large bowl, cover them thinly with water and a glass of vinegar and add a handful of salt, a few sprigs of rosemary and sage, peppercorns and a little cinnamon stick. I leave it to marinate in a cool place for twelve hours; at the end I rinse the hare very well. I chop a pound of coarse-grained artisanal salami and a pound of lard and brown them in a large earthenware pan with a drizzle of oil; when the sauce is ready, I add the pieces of hare, let them flavor and, as soon as they begin to dry, I add peppercorns, pieces of cinnamon, a few cloves, nutmeg, a handful of chopped almonds and a handful of raisins . I add a couple of glasses of broth, cover with the lid and let it cook gently for a couple of hours, gradually adding a little broth if necessary. At the end of cooking, when the meat comes away easily from the bones, I remove the hare very carefully, shred the meat and put it back in the earthenware pan, making sure that there are no small pieces of bones in the remaining sauce; I blend with a glass of white wine; when the wine has evaporated I mix everything with a sprinkling of grated parmesan. The hare is ready and I bring it to the table with the yellow polenta.”
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