Coq au vin
1.5 kg chicken, cut into 10 pieces
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp olive oil
2 pinches of sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
50-70 ml cognac/brandy
For the marinade:
1 litre full bodied red wine (Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon)
3 medium carrots, cut into slanted slices about 1/2 inch thick
2 celery sticks, cut into slices about 1/2 inch thick
20 baby onions, whole (I used 2 small onions quartered, and about 6-7 baby onions, whole)
Bouquet garni (parsley stalks, 2 bay leaves, 6 sprigs of thyme, tied together)
I tsp black peppercorns, crushed
5 cloves
For the garnish:
1 tbsp olive oil,
200g smoked streaky bacon, rind removed (I didn't bother removing the rind, but I would, in hindsight, recommend it.)
400g small button mushrooms
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
The method:
Day 1
1. Marinating the chicken
Bring the red wine to a boil, and boil until reduced by a third to remove the alcohol and concentrate the colour and flavour. Then leave to cool.
In a bowl, mix the chicken pieces, carrots, celery, baby onions, peppercorns and bouquet garni together and pour the cooled red wine over them. Cover with cling film, refrigerate and leave to marinate for 24 hours.
Day 2
2. Removing the marinade
Place colander over a large bowl and pour chicken mixture in it to drain off the marinade. Leave for a minimum of 1 hour to remove excess liquid. Separate chicken, vegetables and herbs and pat dry with kitchen paper. (This is important for the next step. The chicken and vegetable pieces should be properly dry so that they can brown nicely when fried.) Season the chicken with 4 pinches of salt and 4 pinches of freshly ground black pepper. Save the marinade.
3. Toasting the flour
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Sprinkle the flour on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until it is very lightly coloured. Set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C.
I did this, but I might be tempted to do it differently for the next time. I cannot help but feel that it would be more energy efficient to fry the flour in a pan, lightly tossing to make sure it doesn't burn, that to heat the whole oven for a tablespoon of flour. And I object to leaving the oven on for such a long time. I'd heat the oven just before I am ready for it, really. I might waste a few minutes waiting for the oven to heat, but I don't think that would be too tragic.
4. Frying the chicken & vegetables
On high heat, in a large, heavy-based casserole, heat the olive oil and colour the chicken pieces in it for 5-7 minutes on each side. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. (I think it is just another way of saying: leave the fat in the pan to fry the vegetables in.) Add the drained vegetables and herbs to the casserole. Lower the heat to medium high and cook for 5 minutes, until lightly coloured.
5. Making the sauce
Spoon out most of the fact from the casserole, add the toasted flour and stir into the vegetables for a few seconds. On medium high heat, whisk in the wine marinade little by little; this will create a sauce and prevent lumps forming. Bring to the boil and skim any impurities from the surface (not as easy as it sounds...). The wine marinade will be slightly thickened and have the consistency of a light sauce. Add the chicken pieces and return to the boil. Cover with a lid and cook in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.
This is where I added a step:
4 1/2. Flambéing the chicken and vegetables
So I fried the chicken and vegetables as in step 4 above. But after frying the vegetables until lightly coloured, I returned the chicken to the casserole, added the cognac and set it on fire. I let the flames slowly die down, and set the lid on to put them out all together. I then removed the chicken pieces and made the sauce as in step 5 above. (I actually lowered the temperature of the oven to between 100°C and 120°C and left it in there for between 1 and 1 1/2 hours.)
6. Finishing the sauce
The coq au vin can be served as it is. But for a richer, more powerful sauce, drain it through the colander again, and on high heat, boil the sauce until it has reduced by one third. It should have acquired more body and become a rich, vinous colour. Pour the sauce back over the chicken and vegetables.
(I skipped this step, because I was too lazy. But I really do think that this was the one thing which would have made the dish perfect. Next time, I will definitely thicken the sauce no matter how troublesome it may seem to be.)
After step 6, I left it to sit a day. Only because I realised that with planning a dinner party on a weekday, there was only so much time I had to cook after work. So I did the bulk of it, taking as much time as I needed, the night before. I think being left to sit overnight only enhances the flavour, but it is not essential.
Day 3:
7. Cooking the garnish
Over a medium heat, in a medium non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil and cook the diced bacon for about 30 seconds. (I cooked them a bit longer because I wanted it to have a bit more crunch.) Add the button mushrooms and cook for a further few minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix the diced bacon and button mushrooms into the coq au vin. (As I serving suggestion, the bacon and mushrooms could just be pour over the coq au vin in the casserole and not mixed in.)
Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot. (I forgot about the parsley, and served it on a bed of mashed potatoes.)
And there you have it! A dish that took me three days, but all in all was very satisfying to make. I don't have any photos of it unfortunately, because by the time all the components were combined and it was ready to be served, I had six guests in the apartment, was busy clearing dishes from the salad starter, had at least half a bottle of wine in me. Photo documenting the coq did not cross my mind until I was scooping up the last bits from the bottom of the casserole.
Verdict: love it! This one is for keeps.
Verdict: love it! This one is for keeps.
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