Coq au Vin

In learning how to appreicate wine I thought it would also be good to learn how to cook with it. So the other day I decided to make Coq au vin, a french dish with red wine, chicken and mushrooms. The dish had lots of flavour and both David and I really enjoyed it! I think I will try to cook with wine at least once every 2 weeks.

Here's the recipe:

Coq au Vin

Ingredients
1/2 lb bacon slices
1 large yellow onion sliced or 20 pearl onions, peeled
1 chicken, 4 lb, cut into serving pieces, or 3 lbs chicken parts, excess fat trimmed, skin ON
6 garlic cloves, peeled
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups red wine (pinot noir, burgundy, or cabernet sav)
2 bay leaves
Several fresh thyme sprigs
Several fresh parsley sprigs
1/2 lb mushrooms, trimmed and roughly chopped
2 Tbsp butter
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Method
1 Blanch the bacon to remove some of its saltiness. Drop the bacon into a saucepan of cold water, covered by a couple of inches. Bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, drain. Rinse in cold water, pat dry with paper towels. Cut the bacon into 1 inch by 1/4 inch pieces.

2 Brown bacon on medium high heat in a large pan big enough to hold the chicken, about 10 minutes. Remove the cooked bacon, set aside. Keep the bacon fat in the pan. Add onions and chicken, skin side down. Brown the chicken well, on all sides, about 10 minutes. Halfway through the browning, add the garlic and sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. (Note: it is best to add salt while cooking, not just at the very end. It brings out the flavor of the chicken.)

3 Spoon off any excess fat. Add the chicken stock, wine, and herbs. Add back the bacon. Lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove chicken and onions to a separate platter. Remove the bay leaves, herb sprigs, garlic, and discard.

4 Add mushrooms to the remaining liquid and turn the heat to high (I added 2 tsp of corn starch). Boil quickly and reduce the liquid by three fourths until it becomes thick and saucy. Lower the heat, stir in the butter. Return the chicken and onions to the pan to reheat and coat with sauce. Adjust seasoning and let simmer until ready to eat.

Serves 4. I served it over mashed potatoes, would be great with any veggie side as well.