French Food Friday...Coq au Vin

recipe and photo from here

This recipe comes from one of the first French cookery books that I have purchased and it is the most used recipe book in my kitchen.

I use the internet most of the time but when I am looking for a tried and tested recipe, it is back to Raymond I go and this book is fool proof hence the title "Foolproof French Cookery".

Coq au Vin

Preparation: 1 hour, plus 24 hours' marinating.
Serves 4

Ingredients

1.5kg	Chicken, (free range or organic), cut into 10 pieces (ask your butcher to prepare this)
1 tbsp	Plain flour
2 tbsp	Olive oil
2 pinches	Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the marinade
1 litre	Full-bodied red wine, such as Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon
3	Medium carrots, cut into slanted slices 1 cm (1/2 in) thick
2	Celery sticks, cut into slices 1 cm (1/2 in) thick
20	Baby onions, peeled but left whole
1	Bouquet garni (parsley stalks, 2 bay leaves, 6 sprigs thyme tied together)
1 tsp	Black peppercorns, crushed
For the garnish
1 tbsp	Olive oil
200g	Smoked streaky bacon, rind removed, diced
400g	Small button mushrooms, trimmed
1 tbsp	Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Method

Marinating the chicken

Bring the red wine to the boil and boil until reduced by a third, to remove the alcohol and concentrate the colour and flavour. 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.  Place a colander over a large bowl and put the chicken mixture in it to drain off the marinade. Leave for a minimum of 1 hour to remove excess liquid. Separate the chicken, vegetables and herbs, and pat dry with kitchen paper. Season the chicken with 4 pinches of salt and 4 pinches of freshly ground black pepper. Reserve the liquid.

Toasting the flour

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. 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/300°F/Gas Mark 2.

Frying the chicken

On a 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. Add the drained vegetables and herbs to the casserole. Lower the heat to medium high and cook for 5 minutes, until lightly coloured.

Making the sauce

Spoon out most of the fat from the casserole, add the toasted flour and stir into the vegetables for a few seconds. On a medium 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. 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.

Finishing the sauce

If you wish you can serve the coq au vin as it is. But should you prefer a richer, more powerful sauce, drain it through a colander and, on a 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.

Cooking the garnish

Over a medium heat, in a medium non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil and cook the diced bacon in it for 30 seconds. Add the button mushrooms and cook for a further 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix the diced bacon and button mushrooms into the coq au vin. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve piping hot, straight from the casserole.

bon appetit à tous, Leeann x