Coq Au Vin

You must ask the question why am I making a French dish here? If you know me already, you

know that I could all types of dishes, not only Hungarian. That's why I always say Hungarian Goulash Soup, Hungarian Lecso, Hungarian Potato Paprikash etc.

Today I made one of my favorite French dishes. I hope you will be inspired as it is very easy to make. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

1 pack of pancetta, cut into large cubes (about ½ cup)

2 chicken thighs, bones removed, cut into large chunks

2 chicken drums, bones removed, cut into large chunks

1 pack of wild mushrooms (cleaned, any kind)

1 tbsp. of unsalted butter for onion

1 ½ tbsp. unsalted butter for mushroom

10 pearl onion (any color), you may use shallots or regular onion

½ tsp of dry or fresh thyme

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp. of cognac

2 cloves of garlic (peeled)

1 ½ tbsp. flour

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 small can of cherry tomatoes with juice

½ bottle of white wine

1 large parsnip, peeled, sliced (not in original recipe but I added it today)

2 large carrots, peeled, sliced

TIP

I like to slice my root vegetables on an angle as it looks more rustic. However you may slice it any way you like.

Remember it is much easier to cook any recipe when you have all the ingredients prepared.

PREPARATION

Place pancetta or bacon into a large skillet, a little oil and sauté for about 15 minutes.

Remove pancetta or bacon and put aside.

Add the pearl onions (remember, these days you can find purple, red, white and shallot pearl onions). Today I used shallots as I didn’t have pearl onions at home. However you may also use regular onion, just peel, cut into four and that’s it. Sauté them until lightly golden (about 2-3 minutes); put aside and sauté the mushroom in the butter/oil. Remove and put aside until needed.

Now sauté the carrots and the parsnips for 2-3 minutes, then put aside. Add a little oil and butter.

Coat chicken pieces with flour and place in the skillet and sauté until golden.

Now that your chicken is golden brown add cognac (you may use rum or any other spirit you have at home) and carefully light with a long match.

TIP

This time I didn’t flambé (didn’t light) the cognac as it is not a necessary step and many people find it dangerous. So just leave out this part and continue with the recipe.

Add bay leaf, salt, black pepper, bacon, onion, mushroom, tomato, garlic and two cups of wine into a stockpot. Today I used dry white wine; however you may use any kind you have at home. The one thing you should never, never do is using cooking wine. It is full of salt and all kinds of additives that you don’t want in you food.

Cook for about 10 minutes or until wine is reduced a bit

Now transfer to an oven-proof casserole dish, cover with parchment and cook in a 375F oven for about 40-45 minutes. Remove parchment and bake for another 5 minutes.

Serve with boiled potatoes and crusty bread. Bon Appetite!