By: Kayla & Justin Butts Photography by: Rachel Durrent
br
Coq au vin, which is French for “rooster in wine,”brhas been around for a couple thousand years.brLegend tells that the defeated Gauls served coq aubrvin to Julius Caesar when he conquered France forbrRome. They say the emperor Napoleon ate coq au vin as a last resort when there was nothing else to be had.
br
This dish was the food of the poor because old retired layingbrhens, roosters in particular, are such tough and stringy birds.brThey must be braised for hours to tenderize the meat. The otherbringredients – onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, and basic herbs – are the staples of a working class garden. The birds are tough,bryes, but they are very flavorful. Coq au vin got an elegant makeover in the mid-20th centurybrwhen trendsetting French chef Paul Bucose developed a new coq au vin recipe for his landmark restaurant in Lyon. Bucosebrinfluenced chefs around the world to experiment with chicken inbrwine preparations.
br
But it was the legendary Julia Child who put coq au vin on thebrinternational food map when she cooked it on her televisionbrshow in the 1960s. Her dish became an instant classic. Childbrintroduced French cuisine to the home chef in America andbrmade it accessible.
br
Of course, a modern coq au vin presentation will be differentbrthan the Old World version, because modern chickens are sobrdifferent. No chef would use an old laying hen, and especiallybrnot a rooster, for this dish. Heritage chicken breeds have beenbrabandoned in favor of a new hybrid chicken called the CornishbrRock Cross.br
br
This hybrid was developed by the big chicken companies in thebrlate 20th Century and is the only chicken most people have everbrtasted. The Cornish Rock Cross develops a large, well-formedbrbreast, thick meaty legs, and does not even have pin feathers!brThey also have very tender meat.br
br
As Chef Child or Chef Bucose would say, the quality of yourbrchicken and wine determines the quality of this dish. For thebrbest coq au vin, you must source your chicken from a local farm.brJust as important, this dish is only as good as the wine used tobrcook it. For extraordinary coq au vin, you can’t skimp on thebrwine.br
br
This dish also calls for fresh pork belly and homemade chickenbrstock. You can find all these wholesome ingredients, plus thebrchicken and the freshly-picked vegetables, at Kimmi’s Fine Foodsbrin Rockport, or any of the local farmers’ markets in The Bend.br
br
If this is peasant food, let us eat like peasants. Peasants (andbrCaesars and Emperors) have never had it so good!br
br br br br
Coq Au Vinbr
br
Inactive prep time: 8 hoursbrPrep time: 20 minutes
brCook Time: 1 hour 30 minutesbr
br
Ingredients:br
br
1⁄4 cup salt
br1 whole chicken (about 4lbs), cut into 8 pieces
1 lb thick-cut bacon (preferably uncured) or pancetta, diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
br2 shallots, diced
br5 carrots, peeled and cut into thirds
br4 yukon gold potatoes, cut into chunksbr3 cloves garlic, minced
br4 tbsp butter
br1 1⁄2 tbsp all-purpose flour
br2 cups homemade chicken stock
br1 1⁄2 cups Pinot Noir or Burgundy
br1⁄2 cup sliced mushrooms
br8 sprigs thyme
br1⁄2 cup chopped parsleybr
br
Directions:br
br
In a large pot, dissolve salt in as muchbrwater as necessary to immerse thebrchicken pieces (about 4 cups). Cover andbrleave in refrigerator overnight.br
br
The following day, remove the chickenbrfrom the salt water, rinse it with coolbrrunning water, and pat dry with paperbrtowels. Season with black pepper.br
br
Heat a 5qt cast iron dutch oven over me-brdium heat. Add bacon or pancetta andbrcook until slightly crisp, about 3 minutesbron each side. Remove bacon and setbraside. Season chicken with pepper andbrcook for 7 minutes on each side. Work in batches if necessary, but be carefulbrnot to overcrowd. Add vegetables intobrthe pot and cook for 3 minutes, stirringbroccasionally.
br
Throw in butter to the pot and heat untilbrit melts. Add flour and stir until thickenedbrand begins to turn brown. Add chickenbrstock, wine, thyme, salt and pepper, andbrstir until this roux is dispersed through-brout. Cook on medium-low for an addi-brtional 30 minutes or until juice of chickenbrruns clear and there are no traces of pinkbrin the pieces of dark meat. Sprinkle freshbrparsley over finished dish.
br br br
br
br
