coq au vin {g.f.}
Coq au vin is the very first thing I ever cooked on my own. I was fourteen years old, covered in freckles, wore huge glasses, baggy t-shirts (even though I weighed tops 80 pounds), and was determined to get an A in homeschool home ec. As I flipped through The Betty Crocker Cook Book: Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today, I spotted the dish and thought that I would probably get an A just cause it was french. In spite of my lack of kitchen experience, it turned out amazing... Not because of me, more because french cooking is just ridiculously amazing.
These days, I've changed the recipe a tad. I don't use an entire roaster chicken, I replaced the flour with corn meal so it's gluten-free, I use plain old onions rather than pearl onions, and I don't hand stitch a boquet garni* like I did in 9th grade, but it still turns out ridiculously good. Jason usually licks the pan clean, and I'm not even kidding you.
*According to Betty, a boquet garni is "1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, 2 large springs fresh parsley, and 1 bay leaf in a cheesecloth bag or tea ball." Yes, I did buy cheesecloth and sew my own bag. No, I was not ever cool in highschool.
Gluten-Free Coq Au Vin
Ingredients:
6 slices thick bacon
1/2 cornmeal
Salt & pepper
3 large chicken breasts
1/4 cup chopped white onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 salt
1 cup baby carrots
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 bay leaf
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Yields: 4 servings
First, fry up that bacon. Your grandmother is not the only person who cooks everything in bacon grease. The french do it too. While the bacon is frying, mix cornmeal, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish.
Set your crisp, delicious bacon aside.
Bread chicken and toss into your hot grease. Cook chicken on a medium heat for about 15 minutes or until cooked all the way through.
Prep veggies if you haven't already. Dice onions and garlic. Slice those mushrooms.
Drain grease from skillet. Add onions and mushrooms to pan and sauté.
Crumble bacon and toss in pan. Quickly, add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Sauce will turn a lovely brownish color. Shred chicken and serve immediately. We like to eat it as a stew on cold nights... With a glass of red wine. Also, there really is nothing healthy about this meal. It's just delicious and meaningful and unimaginably unphotogenic.
So, what was the first dish you ever made on your own?
Autumn, chicken, gluten free, main courses
Reader Comments (5)
Yummy! This looks amazing. My first dish was homemade meatloaf and it definately didn't turn out too great...
mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner. i was 8 years old and so excited to help my mom. :)
baked mac and cheese... still one of my favorite things to make!
chocolate chip cookies! still love 'em too.
This looks yummy! My first dish was tater tot casserole and I just taught my girls how to make it a few weeks ago.