French Part 1: Coq Au Vin

There is nothing more I love than a recipe that calls for a full bottle of red wine.

Tonight we mad 'Coq au Vin', aka - Rooster in Wine. This is a traditional French peasant meal using an elder rooster slow cooked in red wine with pearl onions and mushrooms. Given that I don't have a rooster, we used the more a more modern recipe with chicken. Due to the youthfulness of the chicken, the slow cooking time is condensed to 45-60 minutes rather than 1 1/2-2 hours. The tougher elder's meat is much more tough, hence the longer cooking time.

After studying several Coq au Vin recipes, I settled on a straight forward recipe out of a Williams-Sonoma cookbook. I read over Richard Olney and Alice Waters which both called for ingredients I didn't want to hunt for all day. It was Sunday which, after all, means football. I wanted to split my time between cooking and watching a game or two. Thankfully I succeeded in both.

Ingredients:

• 3 oz lean bacon, cut into strips 1/4 inch thick and 1 inch long
• 12 pearl onions
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 chicken, 3 1/2 lbs, cut into serving pieces
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons Brandy
• 1 bottle red Burgandy or other full bodied red wine (Cabernet)
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 3 fresh flat-leaf parsley springs
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 lb fresh white mushrooms

Directions:

• In a suacepan over medium-high heat, combine the bacon strips with cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Drain, then rinse the bacon under cold water, and pat dry.
• Fill a suacepan three-fourths full with water and bring to a boil. Add the pearl onions and boil for 10 minutes. Drain, cut off the root ends, slip off the skins, and trim off the stems.
• In a deep, heavy pan with a lid, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. When it foams, reduce the heat to a medium-low, add the bacon and onions, and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon and onions to a plate. Add the chicken and raise the heat to medium. Cook, turning as needed, until the chicken begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and, turning from time to time, continue to cook until the chicken and the flour are browned, about 5 minutes. Work in batches if needed. Pour the brandy over the chicken, ignite with a long match to burn off the alcohol, and let the flames subside. Return the bacon and onions to the pan. Pour in a little of the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring to dislodge any bits clinging to the bottom. Pour in the remaining wine and add the thyme, parsley, bay leaf, pepper, and salt. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 45-60 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a frying pan over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. When it foams, add the mushrooms and saute until just lightly golden, 3-4 minutes. Remove from the hear and set aside. About 15 minutes before the chicken is done, add the mushrooms to the chicken.
• When the chicken is finished cooking, using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken, onions, mushrooms, herb sprigs, and bacon to a bowl. Skim off and discard the fat from the pan juices. Increase the heat to high and boil until the liquid is reduced by nearly half, about 5 minutes. Return the chicken, onions, and mushrooms to the pan (and the bacon, if you wish). Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 3-4 minutes.
• Transfer to a warmed serving dish and serve.
  

Serves 4.

Next: French Part 2: Boeuf Bourguignonne