Coq au Vin

This recipe is good to have on a cold crisp day. This recipe came to mind during lunch hour this afternoon and I thought it mighty be good on a day like today.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons good olive oil

4 ounces good bacon or pancetta, diced

1/2 pound carrots, cut diagonally in 1-inch pieces

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 yellow onion, sliced

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/4 cup Cognac or good brandy

1/2 bottle (375 ml) good dry red wine

1 cup good chicken stock

Bouquet garni

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 pound frozen small whole onions

1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, stems removed and thickly sliced

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

Directions:

In a large bowl, add chicken with wine, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and the whole parsley stems. Cover and marinate for 24 hours in the refrigerator. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry, reserving marinade. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, sear chicken on all sides in 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until golden brown. Remove to a plate.

In the same pot add more oil, if needed, and saute the onions, carrot and celery until tender. Add cayenne pepper and tomato paste and cook until tomatoes turn a deep reddish brown color. Add flour and stir until incorporated then pour in reserved marinade. Stir and simmer until thickened about 10 minutes. Add chicken back to the pot and pour in enough stock to just come up the sides of the chicken but not cover it completely. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook covered for about 1 hour or until the chicken falls off the bone.

Gently remove legs from pot and strain liquid from the solids, discarding the solids. Return chicken and strained liquid back to the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer. Heat a large saute pan with remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat and add bacon. Cook until crispy then add mushrooms and pearl onions. Continue to cook until tender and browned. Add mixture back to the pot with the chicken. Toss the noodles with butter. Place the noodles on a serving platter or individual plates and top with the chicken. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Picture of the bouquet garni:

First spice bag: parsley, bay leaf, thyme.

Second spice bag: whole pepper corns, sage, rosemary.

Picture of the mushrooms, pancetta, pearl white onions sautéed separately.