Meat Bread

Ingredients

• 1 whole animal, cut into big pieces Rabbit or hare (Ask your butcher to joint the animal into large bone-in pieces if you are unsure how to do this yourself.)
• 1 large bowl, enough to submerge the meat Saline water (Add enough salt to the water so it tastes noticeably salty — roughly 1 tablespoon of salt per litre of water as a guide.)
• 1 large pot, enough to cover the meat Fresh water (Plain cold water used to boil the salted meat. Reserve a small amount of the cooking liquid after boiling.)
• 3 eggs Eggs (The original specifies 2 or 3 eggs. Use 2 for a firmer cake or 3 for a richer, slightly softer result.)
• 1 small quantity (to taste) Sugar (The original does not specify an amount. Start with approximately 1 teaspoon and adjust to your preference.)
• 1 small quantity (to taste) Powdered pepper (Finely ground black pepper. The original does not specify an amount; season generously to taste.)
• 1 small quantity (to taste) Ginger juice (To make ginger juice, grate a small knob of fresh ginger and squeeze the pulp firmly through a piece of muslin cloth or a fine sieve over a bowl. The original does not specify an amount.)
• 1 a few drops Lemon juice (Freshly squeezed is best. Just a few drops are needed — do not overdo it.)
• 1 small quantity Flour (Plain white flour. The original does not specify an amount; add just enough to help the mixture bind and hold its shape as a cake.)
• 1 to taste Salt (Remember the meat has already been soaked in saline water, so taste the mixture before adding more salt.)
• 1 a little (if necessary) Water in which meat had been boiled (Reserve a small cup of the cooking liquid when you lift the meat out. Add it to the mixture only if the mixture is too dry to hold together.)
• 1 sufficient quantity for frying Butter (Use enough butter to generously coat the base of your pan. The original does not specify an amount. Add more as needed during frying to prevent sticking.)

Instructions

1. 1Cut your rabbit or hare into big bone-in pieces. If your butcher has not already done this, use a heavy knife or cleaver to joint the animal at its natural joints — legs, saddle, and shoulders are good natural divisions. Place all the pieces into a large bowl. Make a saline (salty) soaking solution by stirring enough salt into cold water so that it tastes noticeably salty (roughly 1 tablespoon per litre is a useful guide). Pour enough of this saline water over the meat to fully submerge all the pieces. Leave the meat to soak for 30 minutes at room temperature. This draws out impurities, seasons the meat, and can help reduce any gamey aroma.
2. 2Lift the meat pieces out of the saline water and place them into a large pot. Discard the salty soaking water. Cover the meat generously with fresh cold water. Place the pot over a medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a steady simmer. Cook until the meat is very tender and easily pulls away from the bone — this typically takes 40 to 60 minutes for rabbit or hare, though older, wilder animals may take longer. Before you drain the pot, carefully ladle out a small cupful of the cooking liquid and set it aside — you may need it in a later step. Then remove the meat pieces from the pot.
3. 3Allow the boiled meat pieces to cool until you can handle them comfortably — about 10 to 15 minutes. Then, using your fingers or two forks, carefully pull the meat away from all the bones. Rabbit and hare have small, fine bones so be very thorough — work slowly and check the meat carefully as you go. Discard all bones and any sinew or tough connective tissue. Place the picked meat into a large mixing bowl. Roughly shred or chop the meat into small pieces as you go — you do not want large chunks in the final cakes.
4. 4To the bowl of deboned, shredded meat, add 2 or 3 beaten eggs (crack the eggs into the bowl and beat them lightly with a fork before adding, or beat them separately first). Add a small quantity of sugar (start with approximately 1 teaspoon), a generous pinch or two of powdered pepper, a small amount of freshly made ginger juice, a few drops of lemon juice, a small quantity of flour (start with about 2 tablespoons), and salt to taste — remembering the meat is already seasoned from the saline soak. Using a fork or your clean hands, mix everything together thoroughly until you have a combined mixture that can be shaped. If the mixture seems too dry and crumbly to hold its shape, add a little of the reserved meat cooking liquid, one tablespoon at a time, and mix again until it just comes together. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning if needed.
5. 5Divide the meat mixture into equal portions — roughly 4 portions works well. With lightly floured or damp hands, press and shape each portion into a flat rectangular cake of moderate, even thickness — aim for roughly 2 to 3 centimetres thick. The rectangular shape does not need to be perfect, but try to make all cakes a similar thickness so they cook evenly. Place the shaped cakes onto a clean plate or tray. If the cakes feel too soft to hold their shape, refrigerate them for 10 to 15 minutes to firm up before frying.
6. 6Place a large, heavy-based frying pan over a low to medium-low heat — the original specifies mild heat, so do not let the pan get too hot. Add a generous knob of butter to the pan and let it melt and foam. Once the foam begins to subside, carefully lay the meat cakes into the pan. The original recipe specifies covering the cakes with white paper during frying — in the modern kitchen, a sheet of greaseproof (parchment) paper laid loosely over the top of the cakes in the pan serves the same purpose, helping to retain moisture and cook the tops gently. Fry for approximately 15 minutes on the first side, then carefully turn the cakes over using a spatula and fry for a further 15 minutes on the second side — approximately 30 minutes total frying time as stated in the original. Add more butter to the pan as needed if it begins to look dry. The cakes are ready when they are golden brown on both sides and firm to the touch. Serve hot.