hare wellington

Hare backstraps are the equivalent of a fillet steak – the muscle that runs down each side of the hare’s spine and make the perfect meal for two people. I could have used 250g beef or venison fillet or lamb backstraps in this recipe, instead of the hare. Cooking the meat like this keeps it moist and tender. I prefer them to remain slightly pink in the middle. To make my version of hare wellington I fried up a couple of rashers of Freedom Farm bacon with a chopped spring onion, some fresh thyme, freshly ground pepper and four flat mushrooms in some olive oil and blended to a rough paste in a blender. I curled each backstrap round in a spiral and put half the mushroom mixture on top of each. I wrapped each in two sheets of filo pastry to make a squarish parcel, sealing in the moisture and juices. I brushed the parcels with olive oil and bake on a greased oven tray for 25 minutes at 190 degrees C. I rested them for 10 minutes in a warm place (the switched off oven with the door open) before serving with buttered greens.

I had three sheets of filo pastry left over so made a couple of cheesy leek and potato flans at the same time.