With 16 countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, the culinary delights of southern Europe and northern Africa are nearly endless. From the olives of Greece to the fresh pastas of Italy to the savory lamb of Tunisia and Morocco, the Mediterranean Coast is rife with gastronomic treasures – and recently discovered health benefits. Now, armed with new findings that show that a Mediterranean diet can increase life span, French-born gourmet chef Jeanette Seaver has compiled more than 200 of her favorite recipes from the region.
Why bother with another coq au vin recipe, you might ask?
Despite the relatively recent popularity in America of this traditional French way of cooking chicken with red wine — once exclusively the specialty of French restaurants — coq au vin has settled today comfortably into the American culinary repertory. There are, however, ordinary coq au vins, and good ones. I hope mine is among the latter.
One of the secrets of a good coq au vin is making sure to use an excellent, top-of-the-line red wine — one you would serve and enjoy drinking. Never settle for an already open bottle that has been on your shelf a while, nor for "cooking wine," a wine of lesser quality. A fine bottle of wine will immediately upgrade your recipe and is worth the extra expense.
Rather than using a whole chicken, quartered, I prefer 2 or 3 boned chicken breasts and 4 boned chicken thighs. Less waste, and easier to eat.
1/3 cup olive oil
2 to 3 chicken breasts, boned and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 chicken thighs, boned and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 bacon slices, cut into small strips
2 onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only, finely chopped
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves only, finely chopped
pepper and salt
1 bottle red Burgundy wine
1/2 pound white mushrooms, stems removed, wiped, sliced
1 bunch flat parsley, finely chopped
In a kettle, heat olive oil and brown chicken pieces on all sides.
Add bacon, onions, garlic, thyme, rosemary, pepper, and salt. Cook 8 more minutes, until bacon and onions become translucent.
Reduce heat, pour in wine. Stir. Cover and cook 30 minutes.
Add mushrooms and parsley and continue cooking 10 minutes.
Tip:
If, like me, you don’t enjoy the sauce so thin you can’t properly eat the coq au vin without spilling some, thicken it at the last minute with a touch of cornstarch. Use 1–2 tablespoons cornstarch blended in a cup with 2 tablespoons of the wine sauce. Pour back into coq au vin kettle, stir 2 minutes, and serve. The thickened sauce nicely binds the whole recipe.
