I’d been wanting to make a coq au vin for a while, especially since I have fond memories of working in a French restaurant in Toronto where the chef made a yummy one. It’s a classic stew; warm and comforting on a chilly autumn night.
I scanned a few recipes on the Net and found one I liked by Nigel Slater (a fantastic food writer with an obvious passion for the dish and I strongly recommend you read his original recipe.) I simplified the dish slightly by not making my own stock, buying chicken pieces and reducing the wine (I’m a wino so I like some in my glass as well as in my food.)
The result was truly fantastic, and much easier than I expected. It makes a generous quantity (this serves six easily) but even as a romantic dinner for two it’s a smart idea because the dish improves overnight. I packed some in the FC’s lunch the next day and he felt like a king, and also a little spoiled and embarrassed when his co-workers asked what he was eating — “Oh, yez, just a leettle coq au vin my girlfriend made…”
That’s cooking for cock!
Warm and Cuddly Coq Au Vin
Ingredients
two large chicken breasts, skinned, halved, then cut again crosswise
four chicken thighs, skinned, fat trimmed
1-2 cups organic chicken stock (it’s worth paying a little more for organic, it’s all I buy now)
50g chopped pancetta or thick back bacon
2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
1 medium onion, chopped
a large carrot, chopped
1 rib of celery, rinsed and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
2 tbsps flour
2 tbsps cognac
all but one glass of a bottle of red wine (I used an $12 dollar Beaujolais, which was light and flavourful)
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 bay leaf
12 small onions, peeled
200g small white button mushrooms (about 24, cut in half it they’re too big)
mashed potatoes (see later recipe)
Directions
Dice the pancetta into very short strips, half finger width. Put them, together with the butter, into a thick-bottomed casserole – and let them cook over a moderate heat. Stir the pancetta until golden, remove and place in a bowl, leaving behind the fat in the pan.
Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and place them in the pancetta fat. When the underside is pale gold, turn. I did the chicken in two batches, removing ones that looked done and adding new ones. This goldening step is key, since, as Nigel says, “the skin should be honey coloured rather than brown – it is this colouring of the skin, rather than what wine or herbs you might add later, that is crucial to the flavour of the dish.”
Remove chicken out and place in a bowl of plate with the pancetta. While the chicken is turning gold in the pan, peel and roughly chop the onion and carrot, and celery. With the chicken out, add the onions and carrot to the pan and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and it has gone some way to dissolving some of the pan stickings. Add the garlic. Return the chicken and pancetta to the pan, stir in the flour and let everything cook for a minute or two before pouring in the cognac, wine and tucking in the herbs. Spoon in ladles of the simmering chicken stock until the entire chicken is covered. Bring to the boil, then, just as it gets there, turn the heat down so that the sauce bubbles gently. Cover partially with a lid.
Melt another tablespoon butter or oil in a small pan, add the small peeled onions and then the mushrooms, halving or quartering them if they are too big. Let them cook until they are golden, then add them to the chicken with a seasoning of salt and pepper.
Check after 40 minutes to see if chicken is tender. It should be soft but not falling from its bones. I left mine in for an hour. Lift the chicken out and into a bowl.
Turn the heat up and the let the remaining sauce reduce a little, about four minutes.
Return the chicken to the pan and serve in a big shallow bowl. Garnish with fresh parsley and served with simple mashed potatoes.
October 2nd, 2009 at 9:25 am
Yes…. Coq au Vin for lunch was amazing…
Thanks a lot Laura !
October 2nd, 2009 at 9:30 am
Still need to do that 5 Day Lunch Challenge I was talking about. Each day, new lunch. No repeat genres (ie, only one sandwich of any kind.)
Talk about being spoiled! But you deserve it… I get stay at home all day and you have to face the cold morning air every day. This way, you have a reason to go to work!
October 2nd, 2009 at 9:32 am
So should we put the ”Coq au Vin” in the category ”Lunch”, funny !
October 2nd, 2009 at 9:33 am
Already did!