Coq au vin (time life)

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
6 pounds Chicken, preferably a cock 10 to 12 months; cut into serving pie
Salt and pepper
1 Strips lean salt pork with the rind removed; sliced 2/3 \" thick
2 tablespoons Oil or butter
3 mediums Carrots; cut into 1-2\" sectio
3 mediums Onions; coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons Flour
¼ cup Brandy
3 cups Dry red wine
1 Bouquet garni
½ pounds Mushrooms
Salt
Pepper; freshly ground
10 teaspoons Butter
25 smalls Boiling onions; peeled
6 slices White bread; crusts removed
1 Clove garlic
Fresh parsley; chopped

Directions

Parboil the pieces of salt pork (rind removed, sliced ⅔" thick, cut in cubes) for 2 minutes, drain and dry them in a towel. Put them to fry over low heat in a large, heavy sauteuse or skillet with a bit of oil or butter. When the pieces are golden brown, remove them and put the aside.

In the same cooking fat, place the carrots (cut into sections 1 to 2" long) and chopped onions. Keep the heat between medium and low, and allow them to cook, stirring regularly to avoid overbrowning, for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the vegetables, put the aside and replace them with the chicken pieces, previously salted. Cook the chicken over a somewhat higher heat until gently browned on all sides, sprinkle with flour and continue to cook, turning the pieces as necessary. Return the sauteed onions and carrots to the pan. When the flour has cooked for a few minutes, pour in the brandy, carefully set it alight and stir. When the flames have died, add the wine and raise the heat. Stir the chicken pieces and move them around until the liquid comes to a boil. At this point, if the skillet is already overfull of the chicken, or if perhaps you have had to use two skillets and both seem too full to permit adding the vegetables, keep the carrots and onions aside and add them later when the chicken goes into the oven dish.

Transfer the chicken pieces and vegetables to an earthenware, copper or enameled cast-iron casserole with a lid. Stir and scrape the first pan with a wooden spoon to loosen and dissolve the frying adherents, then pour the liquid over the chicken pieces. If they are not completely covered, add enough wine, water or good stock (water is better than indifferent stock) to barely, but entirely cover them. Add the bouquet garni (or simply sprinkle with thyme) and add the bay leaf and parsley springs untide). Put to cook, covered, in the oven, regulating the heat so that the sauce hardly simmers. The length of cooking time depends on the birds age and "past" -- from 30 to 45 minutes for a fryer that has never exercised to 1-½ hours for a 10-month old rooster, and an hour longer still for one that may be too old to have a fine flesh but will produce a marvelous sauce.

Meanwhile, cook the boiling onions, seasoned, in the butter over very low heat, shaking the pan from time to time, for 20 to 30 minutes. Keep them covered and avoid brorwning them; if the saucepan is not heavy enough, you may have to use a fireproof pad over the heat source. Remove the onions when they are done anduse the same pan to fry the mushrooms. Trim the mushroom stems and cut the caps into two or four pieces (if they are small, leave them whole). Toss them in the butter over high heat for 2 or 3 minutes; season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Transfe the chicken pieces and the carrots to a platter. Pass the cooking liquid through a fine sieve into a saucepan, using a pestle to work the residue. Discard the remains the the bouquet garni. In the saucepan, skim as much fat from the surface of the liquid as possible and bring it to a boil, then positiion the saucepan over the heat so as to permit its contents to simmer only on one side. Carefully skim off all fat and impurities as the surface over the next 30 minutes or so. If at this point, the sauce is still too thin, turn up the heat to create a fast boil, stirring constantly until you achieve the right consistency.

Put the chicken pieces and the carrots back in the oven dish, distribute the garnish (sauteed mushrooms, glazed boiling onions, and fried pork sections) on top and pour over the sauce. Cover and return to the oven to simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes. Brown the triangles of bread (crusts removed, each slice cut diagonally) in butter over low heat until golden and crisp. (They may be prepared ahead of time and rewarmed in the oven).

To serve, place the chicken pieces more or less symmetrically on a large, warmed platter. Rub the cruton triangles with the clove of garlic, dip a corner of each triangle in the sauce, then in the chopped parsey and arrange them around the edge of the platter, parslied tips pointing out.

Pour sauce and garnish over the chicken and sprinkle with a bit of chopped parsley. Serve with steamed potatoes.

Recipe By : Richard Olney, The French Menu Cookbook Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #254 Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996 23:28:20 -0500 From: "Lou B. Parris" <lbparris@...> NOTES : This is a day's work - but absolutely delicious.

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