Have you ever cooked the classic dish Coq au VIn? If not, then now is your chance to try! If you have cooked it before, you can share your wisdom and cook along too. The idea of the Cookalong is that members cook a classic recipe within a certain timescale and share their experience. Its a bit of fun and a chance to learn. Our first recipe is Coq au Vin, the classic French casserole dish.
You don't have to stick to the following recipe - there are many variations of this dish. But I would say that the dish ought to contain: chicken, wine (could be non-alcoholic), bacon, baby onions or shallots, mushrooms.
I did a bit of research and chose this very straightforward recipe from James Martin as a starting point for the Cookalong. The other recipe which caught my attention was from Raymond Blanc. He marinades the chicken in wine (which is what I usually do) - but beware, his recipe is much more complicated! See
here.
Please add your comments, photos, experiences to this thread. Provisional closing date Weds 3rd May, but we can be flexible if people haven't had time and intend to join in. Please do say if you are intending to join in! I'll be cooking Coq au Vin at the weekend.
James Martin's Coq au Vin
Ingredients
- 25g/1oz butter
- 150g/5½oz shallots, peeled but left whole
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 150g/5½oz streaky bacon, cut thickly
- sprig of fresh thyme or a good pinch of dried
- 350g/12½oz button mushrooms
- 500ml/16½fl oz good red wine
- 500ml/16½fl oz chicken stock
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 free range chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces, on the bone but skin removed (or 6 chicken thighs)
- small bunch flat leaf parsley chopped
- salt and crushed black pepper
Method
- Heat a thick-bottomed casserole dish on the stove, add almost all the butter (reserving a knob of the butter) and the shallots. Cook until just browned; then stir in the garlic. Add the bacon and thyme and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms, turn up the heat and add the red wine, chicken stock and vinegar. Add the chicken pieces, bring the sauce to the boil and then simmer gently for about 25 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. For a thicker sauce, remove the chicken once it is cooked and keep warm. Cook the sauce over a high heat for a few minutes until the volume of liquid has reduced. Return the chicken back to the pan.
- Add the parsley, together with the reserved knob of butter. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve with a dressed green salad and olive oil mash or crusty bread.
Fantastic! I keep getting excited when people say they are cooking along! I hope we are going to get some pictures (if possible) - and please tell us what your ingredients/methods are. 