Coq au Vin
A very traditional dish, don't be afraid to screw around with it. While considered a classic, you can easily find it interpreted differently by dozens of very classical French chefs. My study of coq au vin is based on the Julia Child method. While many recipes call for boiling fowl, in no way should you feel that this is in integral detail. You certainly don't need a tender chicken for this dish,  almost any chicken would do.
 
Ingredients:
 
Whole Chicken - the fewer growth hormones and antibiotics the better (free-run,1.75kg on this day)
6 cloves of garlic, minced
4 slices of bacon, sliced into lardons
1 - 10 oz bag of pearl onions, peeled
25 brown mushrooms, quartered
1 bottle of inexpensive Cote de Rhone or Beaujolais
1 - 10 oz can of beef broth
1 - 5.5 oz can of tomato paste
bouquet garni (a tied-up bundle of parsely, thyme, sage, bay leaf etc . . . use what you have)
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp chilli flakes
salt and pepper, to taste
 
Method:
1.Sauté bacon and garlic in a large saucepan or Dutch oven.
2. Add the chicken (whole) to the pot.
3. Pour in wine, and bring to a simmer
4. Add tomato paste, chilli flakes, salt and pepper, bouquet garni and beef broth, stir
5. Add mushrooms, onions
6.Cover and simmer gently for 30 min.
7. Open lid and turn bird over, cover and simmer for 20 min.
8. Remove chicken and bouquet garni from the pot, checking to remove any bones from the sauce.
9. For best results, roughly carve chicken and set aside.
10. Bring sauce to a boil and add a slurry of cornstarch and water.
11. Place meat in serving dish(es) and pour sauce over top.
 
Serving Suggestions:
We served our Coq au Vin with gratinéed tomatoes and French bread. You might consider boiled potatoes and buttered green beans too. Serve with a similar (but slightly better) bottle of French red wine.

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