Recipe: Coq au vin

Serve with Pinot Noir.

Classic French country cooking.

Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil
250g shallots, peeled
125g streaky bacon, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 celery sticks, finely sliced
2 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
250g wild mushrooms, torn
2 tbsp (30ml) tomato paste
3 tbsp (45ml) flour
salt and freshly ground pepper
16 chicken pieces
1 bottle (750ml) red wine
3 cups (750ml) chicken stock
creamy mashed potato to serve
creamy mash potato to serve

Method:
Heat olive oil in a heavy based casserole pot and brown shallots, bacon, carrots and celery. Add thyme, bay leaves and wild mushrooms and sauté for a few minutes or until all moisture has evapourated. Add tomato paste and flour and stir to coat.

Season chicken with salt and freshly ground pepper and add to casserole.
Pour in wine and stock, cover and cook, for about 30-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked and meat is tender.

Remove chicken from pot and keep warm. Cook sauce, uncovered, until reduced by half and has thickened slightly.Return chicken to pot and re-heat.

Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with creamy mash potato.

Tip – how to peel shallots:
Place shallots in boiling water for five minutes then drain and when cool enough to handle, skins should peel off easily.

Wine pairing:
Though any medium bodied red wine should do the trick, a red Burgundy is the traditional match. If you’re a pragmatist, use a minor wine to make the dish and then drink the best you can afford. If you’re a hedonist cook and drink with the best. Of course, it doesn’t have to be Burgundy – local Pinot Noir will suffice.

• Recipe supplied by Source Food – a Cape Town-based food agency that specializes in experiential marketing. They will create a recipe or meal to communicate your brand’s message.