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Coq au Vin
French Country Cooking at its Finest….
One of the merits of having a few days off is to be able to catch up on some reading and I have taken the opportunity to revisit some old classics such as Elizabeth David and Jane Grigson. Looking back over these old recipes is like putting on a favourite old coat, they feel right and make you want to cook them all over again.
Many of these dishes have been derided by chefs and the public alike as old hat, much I suppose is to do with how badly they were made in restaurants and homes up and down the country. But if they are made properly there really is little to beat them and what is more they are cheap and easy to prepare. Not only that but it is also an excellent rechauffe dish so leaving it overnight helps the flavours develop.
I’ve used chicken legs for this, a whole chicken can be jointed but I decided to make more than one dish out of the chicken and kept the legs for braising. Once again this is a recipe which is open to one or two interpretations, it doesn’t have to be exact, nor should it. Here’s how I made mine but ask me another time and I’m sure I’d do it diferently..
Dust your chicken pieces in well seasoned flour and fry in a wide bottomed pan in plenty of olive oil until nicely browned. Remove from pan and fry some cubes of pancetta or strips of streaky bacon until quite crisp, remove and fry one diced onion or better still a handful of small button onions along with plenty of small, unsliced button mushrooms and a clove or two of garlic left whole. Some diced carrot and celery wouldn’t go amiss at this point but I didn’t have any so please yourself. When all begins to colour nicely add a spoon of tomato paste and put the chicken and bacon back in along with a slug of brandy if you can spare it. Let this burn off before adding as much decent red wine as you can bear. Throw in a couple of torn bay leaves and a sprig of thyme.
Cover with chicken stock and leave to cook gently for an hour or so until the chicken is cooked and the sauce has reduced. I added some small white haricot beans but that is a whim rather than a must. Finish with chopped parsley or tarragon. A nice, cheesy potato gratin would make a fine side dish.
Miles,
I like the look of that, pity I don’t have a plateful in front of me now…. instead I shall have to trawl through the fridge to see what’s left. For a start the last of the Christmas chicken stock ready to be converted into soup of some kind, so that’s probably what I’ll have. I hear the occasional click of the breadmaker which is a relief since I noticed the mouldy remains of last week’s supply! It’s been a sorting out day here, including some gardening which was long over due. The weather as strange as ever has thrown us a mild and sunny day here in the Shire, too nice to sit inside. A walk in the woods might have been refreshing but alas my list of jobs to be finished at home was nagging at my conscience.
I promised myself that more exercise was urgently required this year so yesterday I began and today continued…. so far I feel dreadful but it will get easier…. won’t it?
Cid
p.s. I noted an article in February’s Home & Gardens about Czech & Speake and their aromatics…… you see we’re always ahead of the game here!
January 2, 2009 @ 5:11 pm
Cid,
Nothing wrong with leftovers, it concentrates the mind to come up with something worthwhile
As for Czech & Speake, I always said you were on another level to the rest of us!
Miles
January 2, 2009 @ 6:35 pm
Miles,
First off, I just wrote one of my “too long” and rambling comments here and then watched it evaporate because of that math quiz I always forget about. I get carried away and don’t do my addition and when I click “post” I get scolded by the spam police and my novella disappears.
Breathe in, breathe out. No worries, I’ll just start over. Grumble, grumble.
Okay, so you’re supposed to tear bay leaves before you toss them into soups, stews, etc.? Makes sense, as the point is to release the aromatic compounds, but why in the world didn’t that ever dawn on me before? Glad I have you around, Miles.
Yeah! You can make good, economical food with a little creativity and an English chef as a friend. This quirky economy shouldn’t prevent us from eating well. Now, add a glass of good, but somewhat inexpensive red wine and you have a top-notch meal on a budget. Good job, Miles. Now just finish it off with a small chunk of dark chocolate. Mmmm…
Cid — don’t call it exercise! Call it a walk in the woods, a bike ride into town, dancing until dawn, skiing some fresh powder. Much, much better that way.
Yours truly,
Math Challenged Melissa
P.S. You’ve been saved. I didn’t write as much the second time around.
January 2, 2009 @ 7:13 pm
Melissa,
I know it’s a pain in the butt (US version) and I apologise. When Barack Obama invites me to become Chief of Staff then I shall have all the spammers rounded up by the CIA. They will then be lined up in Times Square for everyone to throw rotten tomatoes at.
A freshly torn bay leaf is without comparisson….well, it is but you know what I mean
Miles
January 2, 2009 @ 8:24 pm
Miles,
another level … don’t you mean another planet?
You may rest assured that I’ll keep you up to date on the Nation’s quality goodies and all sorts of other trivia that pops into my mind on a more or less daily basis.
Cid
January 2, 2009 @ 10:02 pm
Miles,
This is a wonderful timely recipe. Mr. Nean came home proudly carrying some chicken legs which I can now cook in my lovely tagine. It will be more difficult to persuade him to part with some suitable wine though
Melissa - you made me smile. Take comfort that you are not the only one losing text from time to time. I remember the maths but might hit the wrong button and the lot has gone into cyber or techno space
We have our trials but must not be beaten!
Cid - I wonder if Miles meant that you were on a more exclusive planet
Elsie
January 3, 2009 @ 5:22 pm
Elsie,
Don’t worry, I’m off to part with some money on a few beers tonight-time for ‘chef’ and ’superglazer’ to hit the town
Miles
January 3, 2009 @ 6:37 pm
Elsie,
I like to keep Miles up to date and on his toes…. he could find himself anywhere at any time and thanks to us, he’ll be able to hold fort on all manner of subjects that dwell in the female mind
In fact I am currently designing a chilli pepper and organic mint lip balm for walkers in the frozen waste lands of Lincolnshire. Any resultant burns will soon be calmed by my soothing aloe and marshmallow balm….. it’s just a matter of getting the right balance 
Cid
January 3, 2009 @ 6:51 pm
I’ve been substituting thighs for almost everything except when I need breast for presentation. I have always felt it’s the best tasting part of the bird and cost nearly nothing. My Mexican line chefs have totally converted me onto using thighs for everything sans roast chicken dinner. Weird, but I totally agree with Tony Bourdain (asshole) - poor folk are the best cooks. Make something great out of something ugly is a talent most chefs should learn. Too often we are granted excellent product and our only job is to not f’ it up. Miles, you do a wonderful job of using the entire animal - a rare treat for diners and chefs. I can’t tell you how often great product winds up as part of Sunday brunch because diners are too afraid to try something new. This is as much my fault as theirs, but throwing away several kilos (metric see!) of lamb shanks makes me cry. Branch out people - It’s great stuff. Fillet is the most tasteless beef out there. I used to say that people that liked Merlot were people that didn’t like red wine. Fillet eaters don’t like beef, or enjoy a savory sauce more than the flavor of the beef. Sorry, drunk again. I had 5 (count them ..5..) orders for well done fillet. Just order hamburger people. I was ready to go out on to the floor and ask these people if they even liked food. Arrgghhhh.
sorry for using you as a soapbox
January 4, 2009 @ 3:31 am
Dave,
Great comment! You’re right about fillet, the price over here is horrendous but people want it on the menu. It is all about what people perceive as value for money rather than pure eating quality. Slow cooking a piece of beef offers far more interesting options than a piece of fillet. As for the ‘well doners’ it’s those who ask for it ‘very well done’, ‘cremated’ ‘burnt’ and worse of all ‘nuked’ that wind me up. How can you cook something beyond well done?
Yes, all words used to describe how they want the most expensive dish on the menu to be cooked. I don’t know why they bother going out.
Miles
January 4, 2009 @ 8:53 am
Miles and Dave,
I like lamb shanks…. could you give us a recipe?
Cid
January 4, 2009 @ 11:09 am
Cid,
Will do, not sure if I haven’t done already though. You know I hate to repeat myself
Miles
January 4, 2009 @ 12:37 pm
Cid,
for 2 Lamb shanks:
Salt and pepper shanks, brown in 1/4 cup olive oil.
Pour off fat.
In large dutch oven place 2 peeled, quartered carrots, 2 well washed and halved leeks (white and light green part only), 2 cloves peeled and slightly crushed garlic, 1 Teaspoon whole coriander seeds, 2 Tablespoons tomato paste, 2 cups dry red wine, 1 cup chicken stock, and 1 tablespoon fresh ginger cut in slivers. Cover and place in 350F oven for 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 hours - until meat is falling off the bone.
Arrange slices of orange on a platter, gently remove shanks and place over orange. Pour jous over the top and add any of the veggies that remained whole to the side of the platter. A really crusty baguette, and some potatoes (I sometimes add them to the pot about an hour before finishing time) and you’re good to go.
Enjoy,
Dave
January 4, 2009 @ 4:25 pm
Dave,
Thank you for that, it sounds delicious…. I promise to give it a go. Some time back I tried lamb shanks in my slow cooker but the result wasn’t great which was probably my fault. When all’s said and done I prefer conventional oven baked.
Cid
January 4, 2009 @ 7:56 pm
Coq au vin without a rooster!? Sacre Bleu! Can you get roosters — or at least old stewing hens — where you’re at? I find that they are vital to a good coq au vin, which is so named for a reason. With a roaster, your other ingredients don’t really get enough time to know each other before the meat is done; tough old boy-chickens alleviate this problem, IMHO…
January 8, 2009 @ 9:36 pm
Hank,
Welcome back and Happy New Year! I’ve been catching up with your writing the past couple of days and really enjoyed it.
We would probably use what are known as ‘old boilers’, you are right they take on strong flavours so fit the bill perfectly.
January 8, 2009 @ 9:40 pm