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Coq au Vin III
Nearly all coq au vin recipes other than those altered for low-fat diets start with lardons, or their more available substitutes, unsmoked bacon or pancetta. The lardons are cooked, and the rendered fat used for browning the other ingredients, and (with the addition of the flour) to form the roux which thickens the sauce. Generally, a full bottle of red wine is used, and brandy may be added. Porcini mushrooms, while not particularly authentic, are good in this dish. This is a difficult dish, but you've got to try it. The asafoetida is a novelty, but it does add pungency.
Ingredients
- chicken, Jointed, or drumsticks, thighs, breasts; get giblets and blood if possible; season beforehand; marrow is important1.5 kg
- oil
- black peppercorns, Black
- carrot, Cut into thick lengths4
- onion, Whole1
- pancetta, Cut into strips narrower than a little finger8 slice
- pork belly fat1 strip
- onion, Chopped1
- button mushrooms, Button mushrooms; whole250 g
- garlic, Sliced1 clove
- brandy2 measure
- red Burgundy wine, Red Burgundy, or Côte du Rhône / Morgon1 bottle
- vegetable stock1 cup
- garlic, Crushed4 clove
- thyme5 sprig
- bay leaf5 leaf
- butter
- wild mushrooms, Assorted, sliced; dried may be used, retain soaking liquid
- pickling onions, Fresh; peeled and left whole12
- celery, Roughly diced2 stalk
- asafoetida, Ground1/2 tsp
- salt
- parsley
Quantities are auto-calculated from the original recipe as a guide. Items without numbers (e.g. “to taste”) are not changed.
Method 10 steps
For chicken stock, sear the giblets in a bit of oil in a pan, and simmer in water with the whole onion, 1 carrot and some peppercorns. You should have 1 cup.
In the skillet, fry pancetta and pork belly fat with butter until golden brown. Remove pancetta.
To the skillet, add the seasoned chicken pieces skin side down and fry until honey-coloured, then flip. This is vital for the flavour; the skillet must be left sticky. There won't be enough room to do it in one go, so take it in turns. Remove, leaving the pork belly behind, snipped into pieces.
To the skillet, add the chopped onion and the button mushrooms; fry for 5 minutes, then add the sliced garlic and immediately flame off one of the measures of brandy.
To the skillet add the chicken pieces and pancetta, then pour over all the wine, chicken stock, and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then add garlic and herbs. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces twice.
Remove the chicken pieces to the pyrex lid and pour the skillet sauce into the jug; put the jug in the freezer for 30 minutes and then remove the fat. At this stage, it is recommended that you refrigerate the whole dish overnight.
In the skillet, add some butter along with the wild mushrooms; then pickling onions, remaining carrots, and celery; fry until the mushrooms brown. Stir in the asafoetida and flame off the second measure of brandy.
Add the jug ingredients to the skillet sauce, along with another crushed clove of garlic, and push the veg to the edge of the skillet; reduce the sauce in the skillet until glossy (about 15 minutes). It may need some flour stirred in, but it shouldn't be thick.
Pour half the sauce into the pyrex bowl, then place the chicken pieces in, and pour the rest of the sauce on top; put the covered pyrex bowl in an oven on 170 °C for 90 minutes.
Sprinkle parsley over each portion, and serve with asparagus/green beans, and steamed potatoes/flat noodles/rice/orzo/colcannon.
Region evidence: Wikipedia/Wikidata — en.wikipedia “Coq au vin” → Wikidata Q527323 (coq au vin)
