Tee's Take on Coq Au Vin
Updated: Jun 7, 2021
You guys voted and Coq au vin won so this weekend I made Julia Childs coq au vin. I will start off by saying brown-braised onions are absolutely amazing like little flavour bombs!!! I found pearl mushrooms so I used those with some small creminis that I had on hand. I did not use the recommended red wine (I had some wine at home so I decided to use that) and I think that's why mine did not turn out bright red like the pics, but it was delicious!!! I would recommend taking the skin off the chicken cause well ....soggy chicken skin eww lol. I added lots of black pepper and parsley and served it as Julia suggests with parsley potatoes(boiled potatoes tossed with parsley and lots of butter) and let me tell you it was so good!!! Juicy chicken, mushrooms, bacon and brown braised onions in a rich wine 'gravy' over buttery parsley potatoes. I will definitely be making this again with the correct wine this time !!! I have included all recipes for yall to try, I'd love to hear what you think.
We had quite a bit of leftovers as it was just my son Anthony and I, so today for lunch I boiled some broad eggs noodles, took the chicken off the bone added it back to the sauce and heated it through, tossed it with the hot pasta and topped with black pepper and parsley. It was so good. I highly recommend trying it if you make the recipe.
For my next blog meal, I turned to one of my oldest Jamie Oliver cookbooks "The Naked Chef Takes Off". I've narrowed it down to 3 pasta dishes;
Parpadelle, Spicy Sausage Meat and Mixed Wild Mushrooms
Spaghetti with Anchovies, Dried Chilli and Pangritata
Linguine with Pancetta, Olive Oil, Chilli, Clams and White Wine.
*pictured from left to right
Comment and let me know what dish you think I should make for my next blog meal.
Have a great week !
Tee
COQ AU VIN
(Chicken in Red Wine with Onions, Mushrooms, and bacon)
For 4 to 6 people
3 to 4-ounce chunk of lean bacon
2tbsp butter
21/2 to 3 pounds cut-up frying chicken
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup cognac
3 cups young full bodied red wine such as Burgundy, Beaujolais, Cotes Du Rhone or Chianti
1 to 2 cups brown chicken stock, brown stock or canned beef bullion
1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves of mashed garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
12 to 24 brown braised onions ( recipe to follow)
1/2 pound sauteed mushrooms ( recipe to follow)
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons softened butter
sprigs of fresh parsley
-Remove the rind and cut the bacon into lardons. simmer for 10 mins in 2 quarts of water. Rinse in cold water. Dry.
-Saute the bacon( in a heavy 10-inch fireproof casserole or electric skillet) slowly in hot butter until it is very lightly browned. Remove to a side dish.
-Dry the chicken thoroughly. Brown it in the hot fat in the casserole.
-Season the chicken. Return the bacon to the casserole with the chicken. Cover and cook slowly for 10 mins, turning once.
-Uncover and pour in the cognac. Adverting your face, ignite the cognac with a lighted match. Shake the casserole back and forth for several seconds until the flames subside.
-Pour the wine into the casserole. Add just enough stock or bullion to cover the chicken. Stir in the tomatoes paste, garlic, and herbs. Bring to the simmer. Cover and simmer slowly for 23 to 30 mins, or until the chicken is tender and its juices run a clear yellow when the meat is pricked with a fork. Remove the chicken to a side dish.
-While the chicken is cooking prepare the onions and mushrooms.
-Simmer the chicken cooking liquid in the casserole for a minute or two, skimming off fat. Then raise the heat and boil and rapidly, reducing the liquid to about 2 1/4 cups. Correct seasoning. remove from heat, and discard bay leaf.
-Blend the butter and flour together into a smooth paste (beurre manie). Beat the paste into the hot liquid with a wire whip. Bring to the simmer, string, and simmer for a minute or two. the sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.
-Arrange the chicken in the casserole, place the mushrooms and onions around it, and baste with the sauce.
**if the dish is not to be served immediately, film the top of the sauce with stock or dot with small pieces of butter. Set aside uncovered. it can now wait indefinitely. Shortly before serving, bring to the simmer, basting the chicken with the sauce. Cover and simmer slowly for 4 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is hot through.**
Serve from the casserole, or arrange on a hot platter. Decorate with sprigs of fresh parsley.
OIGNONS GLACES A BRUN
(Brown-Braised Onions)
For 18 to 24 onions
18 to 24 peeled white onions about 1 inch in diameter
1 1/2 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup of brown stock, canned beef bullion, dry white wine, red wine, or water
salt and pepper to taste
A medium herb bouquet: 4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf, and 1/4 teaspoon thyme tied in cheesecloth
-When the butter and oil are bubbling in a skillet(9 to 10 inch enamelled skillet), add the onions and saute over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling the onions about so they will brown as evenly as possible. be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect to brown them uniformly.
-Then either braise them as follows:
Pour in the liquid, season to taste, and add the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove her bouquet. Serve.
Or bake them as follows:
Transfer the onions and their sauteing fat to a shallow baking dish or casserole just large enough to hold them in one layer. Set uncovered in upper third of a preheated 350-degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes, turning them over once or twice. They should be very tender, retain their shape, and be a nice golden brown. Remove herb bouquet.
CHAMPIGNONS SAUTES AU BEURRE
(Sauteed Mushrooms)
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon oil
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, washed, well dried, left whole if small, sliced or quartered if large
Optional: 1 to 2 tablespoons minced shallots or green onions
salt and pepper
- place skillet ( 10-inch enamelled) over high heat with the butter and oil. As soon as you see that the butter foam has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add the mushrooms. Toss and shake the pan for 4 to 5 minutes. During their saute the mushrooms will first absorb the fat. In 2 to 3 minutes the fat will reappear on their surface, and the mushrooms will begin to brown. As soon as they have browned lightly remove from heat.
-Toss the shallots or green onions with the mushrooms. Saute over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Season to taste just before serving.
Recipe Credit: Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck