French Food Friday - Le Coq au Vin ultime

I do not think you can get anything more French than Le Creuset  cookware. Not only does it look fabulous, it has to be a must for any inspiring cook. 

Nowdays they have a lot more items and colours to choose from  and lots of recipes to inspire you.

This week I will be using one of their recipes to make a comforting coq au vin in my Le Creuset casserole dish.

The Ultimate Coq au Vin

Ingredients

FOR THE MARINADE

1 ½ liters of red wine

10 g of fresh thyme

3 bay leaves

6 celery sticks, sliced

4 carrots, peeled and diced

2 onions, peeled and diced

4 garlic cloves, peeled

FOR COQ AU VIN

16 pieces of free-range chicken (8 legs, 8 drumsticks)

200 g pancetta, cut into lardons (or bacon)

Olive oil

20 small onions, peeled and cut in half

Salt and pepper

15 ml of port

20 ml sherry vinegar

150 ml of brandy

2 punnets of portabello mushrooms

1 liter of beef broth

Preparation

1.To make the marinade, place all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and reduce by half. Set aside to cool.

2.Place the chicken and pancetta in a bowl and cover with the cooled marinade. Leave to marinate, covered, overnight. Make sure the chicken and pancetta are well submerged.

3.Preheat the oven to 180°C. Remove the chicken and pancetta from the marinade, pat dry with a paper towel and season well. Strain the marinade and discard the vegetables.

4.Heat olive oil in a Le Creuset 31cm oval casserole dish, and sauté the pancetta until golden brown. Reserve. Brown the chicken in the same casserole dish. Remove it from the casserole and set it aside. Caramelize the onions until golden brown, and season with salt and pepper in the same pot, then remove them.

5.Deglaze the casserole with the port, sherry vinegar and brandy. Once evaporated, add the reserved marinade and let it reduce by two thirds. In a pan, sauté the mushrooms and set them aside. Avoid overcrowding the pan with mushrooms to prevent them from steaming.

6.Add the onions to the reduced cooking liquid in the casserole dish, along with the chicken, pancetta and mushrooms. Add the stock to the pot over medium heat until it simmers. Then place the casserole dish, with its lid, in the oven for 1.5 hours, until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone.

7.Once the chicken is cooked, remove the pieces of sauce and bacon. Heat the pot over medium-high heat and reduce until the sauce thickens. Return the chicken to the sauce with the bacon, mushrooms and chopped parsley. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes or polenta.

Bon appetit et bon vendredi a tous ♥

Leeann x