A classic Coq au Vin!

When the nights are drawing in and autumn is here, it is the time for more hearty, warming stews! My recipe is heavily influenced by Simon Hopkinson.

One of my favourites is another french classic "Coq au Vin" and like the Daube, the longer it takes to cook, the richer the experience when eating it!

This is not a pretty dish to look at - hours of slow cooking in a hearty red wine will remove most of the colours of the vegetables, but this is a dish to savour with the tongue and the nostrils - it tastes and smells fantastic!

If possible to obtain, an older chicken adds to the flavour, however if not possible a younger bird will achieve great results, albeit with less cooking time.

Ingredients:

1 bottle full bodied red wine - a Burgundy perhaps ? (don't skimp the flavours will come through)

500 ml chicken stock

several sprigs fresh thyme (lemon thyme - if possible)

3 bay leaves

1 dsp redcurrant jelly

1 red onion stuck with 2/3 cloves

3 celery ribs - finely chopped

3 carrots - cut into chunks

puree of 5 roasted garlic cloves - roasted in a hot oven for 20 minutes in their skins, when cold squeeze out puree like toothpaste!)

the best quality chicken - ideally 2kg - skinned and jointed

1 pigs trotter - split in two

salt and pepper

1 tbsp flour

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp olive oil

25 gr butter

125 g pancetta cut into cubes

25 small shallots

25 button mushrooms

a good splash of brandy - again the best you can afford!

fresh parsley - chopped

In a large enamelled pot place the wine, chicken stock, thyme, bay leaves, jelly, onion, celery, carrots and roasted garlic puree and bring to the boil - reduce by one half and reserve.

Remove the skin from the jointed chicken and cut the thigh pieces from the drumsticks. Season each of the pieces well and roll them in the flour mixed with the paprika.

Heat the butter and olive oil in the enamalled pot and saute the chicken until golden brown. At the same time saute the split pigs' trotter. Remove and set aside. Now fry the pancetta in the same fat until golden and crispy. Reserve with the chicken and pigs trotter.

Next tip the mushrooms and shallots into the pot and fry until well coloured - about 10 minutes.

Now put back the reduced wine and vegetables, bacon and pig's trotter, turn up the heat and when near boiling pour over the brandy. Set alight and reduce heat, allow everything to settle down and cook under the lowest possible heat for as long as you wish - a couple of hours at least.  Add reserved chicken and remove from heat. (If using an older chicken can be added with the veg, pigs trotter and pancetta)

When cool, leave in fridge for a minimum of 24 hours (max 72 hours if well covered).

Spoon off any excess fat, remove pigs trotter and onion with cloves, and 1 hour before serving, warm under a low heat.

Serve with crusty french bread, boiled potatoes, or perhaps a potato dauphinoise.

Eat slowly, and savour the richness and depth of flavour!

Comments

[Carmelita Caruana]

Nice to see this old classic again!Tasty, super tatsy but not pretty. I remember being surprised at the colour of my first one in Grenoble, kind of brownish if you were being kind, but really more grey.
Used to use Julia's recipe from "Mastering the Art of.." ,don't recall pig's trotter in that one but I can see why it's in there, yum!

[Paul]

thanks Carmelita, definitely a dish to be eaten with the lights down low!

Pigs trotter is my own take on it, I just enjoy the added richness of it!

I like the look of your cookery school!