These hare and savoy cabbage ravioli are similar to agnolotti from Piemonte, which are also stuffed with a mixture of braised meat and greens. I had some left over hare, which had already been cooked sous-vide (2 hours at 60C/140F). I used the meat for the filling and the bones to make a sauce. The combination of hare and cabbage worked very well. Here’s what I did…

Ingredients

For 48 ravioli, serves 8 as a primo piatto

700 grams (1.6 lb) hare legs, raw or cooked sous-vide (2 hours at 60C/140F)

200 grams (.44 lb) cleaned (remove the tough center ribs) and shredded savoy cabbage, plus 1 leaf per serving

1 1/3 cup red wine, divided

125 grams (1/2 cup) ricotta

40 grams (1.4 oz) pancetta

50 grams (1.8 oz) freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, plus more for garnish

1 clove garlic

1 carrot

1 stick celery

1 onion

fresh thyme

salt and freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

1 egg

freshly grated nutmeg

fresh pasta dough made using 4 eggs and about 400 grams (2 2/3 cups) Italian 00 flour

Instructions

Debone the hare. It is okay to leave some meat on the bones, which will add more flavor to the sauce.

Prepare the aromatics for the filling and the sauce.

For the filling: 1 clove garlic, minced, 1/2 carrot, chopped, 1/2 celery, chopped, 1/2 onion, chopped, 40 grams pancetta, diced.

For the sauce: 1/2 carrot, chopped, 1/2 onion, chopped, 1/2 celery, chopped, fresh thyme.

For the sauce, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a stock pot or pressure cooker, and brown the bones over medium high heat.

Add the aromatics for the sauce and cover with water. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 4 hours, or bring to pressure and pressure cook for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and add the hare meat. Cook over high heat until browned on all sides.

If the meat was already cooked sous-vide, take it out of the pan at once, and reserve.

It it was still raw, cook over medium heat until the meat is barely cooked through, then take it out of the pan, and reserve.

Add the aromatics for the filling, and stir over medium heat until golden brown.

Add the shredded savoy cabbage, and stir until the cabbage is coated with the oil.

Add 80 ml (1/3 cup) red wine.

Cover, and allow to braise until the cabbage is tender but still firm to the bite, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Chop the meat. Put it in the food processor, together with 125 grams of ricotta, 1 egg, 50 grams of parmigiano, and some freshly grated nutmeg.

Process until well mixed. Do not over process; it is nice if the filling still has some texture.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper, remembering that ravioli filling should always be seasoned slightly more than you think.

Put the filling in a bowl and refrigerate it, covered with plastic wrap, for at least an hour to firm up.

When the stock is done, filter it through a fine sieve into a wide shallow pan.

Add 250 ml (1 cup) of red wine.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer over low heat…

…until the sauce has reduced to about 250 ml (1 cup). Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Make pasta dough using 4 eggs, and allow it to rest for at least half an hour. Roll it out to the thinnest setting and make ravioli following to my instructions.

Keep going until you have used up all of the filling.

Take 1 cabbage leaf per serving and cut away most of the tough rib using a pairing knife.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the cabbage leaves, and boil them for about 3 minutes. Take the cabbage out of the water with a strainer, and reserve.

Boil the ravioli in the same boiling water for about 2 minutes.

Lift them out of the water with a strainer, and add them to the sauce.

Once you’ve added all of the ravioli to the sauce, gently toss them to coat them with the sauce without tearing them.

Serve the ravioli in a cabbage leaf on preheated plates, and grate a bit of parmigiano on top. Serve at once.

Wine pairing

This calls for a complex red wine, such as a Barolo.

Flashback

This beet risotto is made with the water that was used to cook the beets, and served with goat cheese.