Coq au Vin...

First a little about the name… Coq is the French word for "cock" ~ as in rooster, or male chicken. Vin is French for "wine" and "au" is French for "of the". Consequently, "Coq au Vin" literally translates as "Cock of the wine". However, as literal translations are not that meaningful, a better translation would be "Cock cooked with wine".

Until the 20th century it was common for rural families to have some chickens, for eggs and meat, and a rooster. The rooster would be kept until it was too old to perform its duties, at which time it would be killed and eaten. However, by this time the meat would be hard and stringy, so cooking it slowly in wine would tend to soften the meat and make it more edible. As such, the recipe has historically been considered "peasant food" as the well-off would be able to afford a better cut of meat which would not require slow cooking in wine in order to be edible.

When looking at a delicious meal placed before you, what does say; does the ingredients belong together, does the recipe ring true? Or is it, like so much modern cooking, a mess of ingredients that are out of sync and have no affinity with one another. I love a recipe that really works, where you feel there is something absolutely right about it. Where the cook has remained true to the dish, to its provenance, its history and its soul.

I feel that way about Coq au Vin. The story is there for all to read. The chicken, the garlic, the bottle of wine, the long, slow cooking time. Here is my all time simple recipe from The Taste of France cookbook.



Coq au Vin

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

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 ⅓. 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 minutes, remove lid, add ½ cup wine and simmer for 15 minutes more until chicken is very tender. Serve with your favorite mashed potatoes and a green tossed salad.

Serves 4-6

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George’s notes:

• The origin of the recipe is unknown. Various legends trace coq au vin to ancient Gaul and Julius Caesar.
• What is known is that the recipe is very old (at least 400 years) but did not become popular until the early 1900s. Since then it has become one of the best known French recipes, both within and outside of France.