Coq au Vin

Coq au Vin

Serves 4-6

Level of difficulty : easy

Ingredients:

2 cups merlot
4 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
12 button mushrooms halved
2 leeks, white part only finely chopped
4 shallots, finely diced
3 large garlic cloves chopped
½ tbsp. each: butter and olive oil
2 strips smoked bacon, fat trimmed
4 sprigs of thyme leaves chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
8-10 chicken thighs with bone and skin

Method:

Soak porcinis in ½ cup warm water until soft, reserve soaking water. Chop mushrooms finely. Simmer 1 ½ cups of the wine in a saucepan until slightly reduced by 1/3. Chop bacon finely. Trim excess fat from chicken, season with salt and pepper, place in a deep sauté pan and brown pieces until skin is crisp, remove from pan and drain fat.
In the same pan, melt butter and oil, add bacon, shallots, leeks, garlic, and mushrooms. Sauté until soft, then add reduced wine and porcini water simmer for 2 -3 minutes. Add chicken, skin side up, and sprinkle with thyme. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 mins., remove lid, add ½ cup wine and simmer for 15 minutes more until chicken is very tender. Serve with pesto mashed potatoes.

Recipe and photo contributed by loretta White a food writer based-in Chester, Novca Scotia. For more of Loretta's recipes visit Food for Thought at www.southshoreclipper.com

Complementary Wines: Bardolino, Barolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Primitivo

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