after a long week all i really wanted to do was sit in my kitchen with a cup of tea and julia.

mastering the art of french cooking. makes me feel fancy. especially when i’m in my yoga pants and favorite sweater.

i day dream of farmers markets and cooking in france…eating in bistros and drinking wine…a girl can dream right? right.

…and then i snap out of it…i have an hour till dinner and my lazy day daydreaming isn’t getting me anywhere…

earlier i had harassed the butcher at whole foods for a cut up chicken (which i never got but whatever…i made due, by the way…ever see that whole foods spoof with that guy in his prius? why do i think about that every time i think of whole foods? why am i sharing this is really the question…).

coq au vin. ortherwise known as chicken and red wine.

sautéed onions and mushrooms, garlic and brandy…and the red wine.

brown, sauté, braise. exactly what i needed to relax, reflect and move on.

and when it’s done…

one pot coq au vin         adapted from julia child’s coq au vin

  • 4 chicken thighs / 4 chicken legs
  • 1 cup of flour mixed with a pinch of salt and pepper
  • 4 tbl duck fat
  • 1 onion minced
  • 8 mushrooms sliced
  • 5 cloves garlic sliced
  • handful of beet greens (optional)
  • 1/4 cup brandy
  • 3 cups red wine
  • 2/3 cups of chicken stock
  • salt pepper to taste
  • fresh parsley
to prepare: you need a large dutch oven. duck fat. and a pre-heated oven (350).
  1. i start by browning the chicken. to a bowl mix flour with a pinch of salt and pepper. toss in chicken and coat in flour.
  2. to a saute pan, add 2 tbl duck fat. when duck fat melts and is hot add and brown your chicken working in batches adding more duck fat as needed. set chicken to side.
  3. in same pot add onions, mushrooms and garlic. saute for about 2-3 minutes or until onion softens.
  4. to pot add your brandy and scrape up all those yummy brown bits at bottom of pot. when half of brandy is evaporated, add beet greens, mix and then add wine. bring to a boil.
  5. turn off heat and place chicken back in dutch oven. cover with stock. make sure all the chicken is covered. you could use anywhere from 1 cup to 3.
  6. cover, place in oven and bake for 40 minutes. uncover and bake for 30  more.
  7. carefully take chicken out of pot and set aside. place broth on stove top and reduce to half or stock gets thick. pour over chicken and enjoy.
i like to serve this with noodles. rice is good too. fresh warm buttered bread (a glass of wine) and you are all set.

 

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