Prior to the holidays (and honestly even through Christmas), I just didn’t cook that much. At. All. The Hubs was on a diet in a weight lost contest at work. (Kudos to him; he won!) So, we were eating mostly salads around here. I really don’t consider salads cooking but some were truly worthy and I did post a few.
Most of my blog-prep time was spent reviewing cookbooks. Again, I had great intentions but quite a few of the reviews were posted without recipes from said cookbooks. (Sorry, but I do think I did a good job with the reviews. And, I’m still at it in 2024.)
When we finally made it home after our Christmas trip to see family in Iowa, I hit the kitchen. It felt like I had been gone a long time.
During the day on New Year’s Eve, I made some delicious banana muffins (from the 100 Morning Treats), a New Year’s Day dip, a “Chocolate Freak Out” tort, peasant bread, and this dish.
Showing dessert first: Chocolate Freak Out
I thought a Rosé Coq Au Vin sounded delicious but the recipe I really wanted to try was on the Bon Appetit site. (I don’t want to start a rant, but I hate the paid subscription sites that are popping up all over.) So for plan B, I found this recipe: Coq Au Vin Rosé with Hazelnuts and Lemons. The instructions were a bit lacking so I jumped over to Ina Garten’s traditional Coq Au Vin recipe. Here’s what I came up with.
Coq Au Vin-ish
A good New Year’s Eve dish to riff upon.
Ingredients
- 10-12 oz. uncured hickory smoked bacon, chopped
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs
- 4-5 chicken legs
- Olive oil (if needed)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped (larger hunks)
- 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
- 8 oz. baby Portobello mushrooms (sliced or quartered depending on size)
- salt and pepper
- 2 large garlic cloves, divided
- 1/4 c. brandy
- 2 c. rose
- 1 c. chicken stock
- 2 T. Dijon mustard
- 8-10 thyme sprigs (the more tender the stems, the better)
- 2 T. softened butter
- 1 T. flour
- hearty bread, sliced
- roasted red grapes (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 F.
- Place a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook the bacon until limp but not totally crispy; about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the bacon fat in the pan.
- Season the chicken pieces liberally with salt and pepper. Brown in the Dutch oven with the bacon drippings over med-high heat. Transfer the chicken to a separate plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, carrots, and mushrooms to the pan. Add olive oil if needed. Cook until tender; about 5 minutes. Thinly slice one garlic clove and add to pan. Cook one minute more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the brandy and put the bacon, chicken, and any juices that collected on the plate into the pot. Add the wine, chicken stock, Dijon and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes, until the chicken is just not pink and is starting to fall off the bones. Remove from the oven and place on top of the stove.
- Mash butter and the flour together and stir into the stew. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. Season to taste.
- While the stew finishes, toast some good hearty bread in the oven. Cut the remaining garlic clove in half. Remove bread and while hot, rub the garlic clove on both sides. Place the bread in serving bowls and ladle the stew over it. Top with the roasted grapes.
Yield: 8
To roast the grapes, set you oven to 450 F (on roasted convection setting if you have it). Toss 1 cup of dark red seedless grapes with enough olive oil to coat. Season with a bit of sea salt. Place in a shallow oven-proof dish and roast 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and use as a garnish for the stew by placing 3-4 grapes per dish on top. Use leftovers to grace charcuterie boards or to just to snack on. Store remaining roasted grapes in the refrigerator.
We enjoyed quite a few meals from this and I will make it again.
Your chicken sounds like it was a wonderful combination of flavors. I agree with you about all the paid subscription food sights. For $30 a year, I can buy a nice cookbook and then look to food bloggers for other recipes.
I had not thought of that but totally agree! Thanks!
I agree about the paywalls going up these days. We do pay for the NYT cooking section, and own dozens of cookbooks, so I basically don’t care. I like Julia Child’s recipe for coq au vin — in many ways similar to yours though traditional in using red wine. (Needless to say, I have her cookbooks — almost all of them!)
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Well, it’s not like I don’t have enough cookbooks but it’s just more convenient to go to the internet. I need to quit that. I am jealous of your NYT cooking subscription!