Coq Au Vin

I always liked cooking with wine, there is a certain elegant French flair that wine lends to whatever is made with it. In our quest to find delicious recipes, we came across what promised to be a very savory one on my recipes and it inspired us to make a kosher version:

Quick Coq au Vin

Photo from: myrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast or thigh
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 cups quartered baby portobello mushrooms
• 2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) quarter sliced carrot
• 1/2 cup (1/4-inch-thick) quarter sliced celery
• 1/3 cup pastrami slices
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup chicken broth *
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

Directions

1. Combine flour, rosemary, thyme, and salt in a zip-top plastic bag; add chicken. Seal and shake to coat. Remove chicken from bag, shaking off excess flour.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 8 minutes or until browned, turning frequently. Remove chicken from pan.
3. Add mushrooms, carrot, celery and pastrami to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in wine, broth, and tomato paste; cook 9 minutes. Return chicken to pan; cook 8 minutes or until chicken is done.

Since I only use regular wine rather than “cooking” wine (why impact on the taste of a great recipe with wine you so bad you would’t drink it?!?!?), considering I have just enough left over, I’ll be using a very good Tishbi Cabernet Sauvignon 2006.

*(CS’ Chicken Broth

Yields about 6 cups

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 pounds chicken pieces with bones
• 1 large carrot, cut into chunks
• 2 medium sized onions, quartered
• 2 celery ribs with leaves, cut into chunks
  
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon crushed, dried rosemary, 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 quarts cold water

Directions

1. Put all ingredients in a soup pot. Bring to a boil slowly, then  reduce heat.  Skim foam. Cover and simmer for about 2 hours.
2. Set chicken aside until cool enough to handle. Remove meat from bones. Discard bones; save meat for later uses. Strain broth, discard vegetables and seasonings. Refrigerate overnight. Skim fat from surface. )*

I freeze the unused broth yields for up to 10 days (it will always get used up by then!)

Going through myrecipes.com, I see a nice amount of recipes that can be adpated to make them kosher or can already be made as they are. I plan to come back often for inspiration. Meanwhile… enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS