Coq au Vin

Well holiday one down and now on to the next one. Here is a great recipe for this time year, nice and hearty.

Coq au Vin

Ingredients

1 3 to 4lb chicken cut up
3 cups of mushrooms of choice, sliced
3 cups burgundy wine
3 medium onions, quartered and sliced
4 cloves of garlic. diced
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup cognac
1 stalk celery, diced
bunch of fresh Italian parsley
3 tablespoon flour
few sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Roll chicken in flour, make sure they are well coated you may need more than 3 tablespoons of flour.

In a large deep skillet place 6 tablespoons of butter, melt of medium high heat. Now add the chicken and brown on each side, remove from the skillet and set aside.

In the same skillet add the remaining butter, onions, garlic and mushrooms and saute until soft, remove and set aside.

Return the chicken to the skillet, reduce heat and cognac and light. Once the flames have died add the wine, celery, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, cover and simmer chicken for 30 minutes. Now add the onions, mushrooms and garlic, cover and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. You are done when the chicken is about to fall off the bones, transfer to a serving platter and garnish with parsley and serve with a nice baguette.

Enjoy Cooking

Pork Stew

I review many cooking blogs to get inspired or if there was a dish i had and i am researching methods of cooking to teach myself how to recreate the dish. Well a few weeks back i was just researching pork, and i came across this website The Whole Kitchen and a recipe for Ancho-chile Pork Stew, which i made and it was wonderful. I posted the link below to the site, which is worth a long look. The image that is posted below is of the Pork stew from The Whole Kitchen site, it taste just as good as it looks. Well Jenn's recipe inspired me to create my own Pork Stew, which is posted below, I hope you enjoy it.

Pork Stew

Ingredients

1 8lb pork loin, removed from the bones and cut into 2 inch cubes, save the bones
8 cups of dry red wine
2 cups veggie stock, low salt
1 pound of assorted mushrooms, i use Crimini and Shiitakes
2 medium onions, diced
3 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup of scallions, diced
2 tablespoons butter
2 sprigs of Italian parsley
2 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Now this is a two day recipe

Day One

In a large deep bowl place the wine, all the veggies, bay leaves and the whole sprigs of herbs. In another bowl with a lid, place the meat and bones, season with salt and pepper, cover and shake to coat. Now add the meat and bones to the wine mixture. Cover and place in the fridge overnight.

Day Two

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Remove meat and bones from wine mixture and pat dry. Next drain the wine from the veggies and set both aside.

In a skillet over medium high heat, place a few table spoons of olive oil and brown the meat and the bones on all sides. Transfer browned meat and bones to a deep dutch oven. Add the veggies to the dutch oven and place in the oven for about 10 minutes, uncovered.

Remove from oven add flour and toss to coat. Return to the oven for an additional 20 minutes. Pour off any fat from the pan. Next add the stock and the wine to the dutch oven, lower the temp of the oven to 350 degrees and return to the oven for an additional 20 minutes.

While the pork has returned to the oven for the second 20 minutes, place the skillet on medium high heat and heat the seeds for about 30 seconds. Now add the butter and the remaining olive oil to the skillet followed by the mushrooms and saute until soft. Drain off and liquid and fat and add them to the Dutch oven, and place the dutch oven back to the oven, cover for the last 20 minutes.

Remove bones, sprigs of herbs and the bay leaves before serving and add the scallions on top.

Enjoy Cooking

Steak au Poivre

This recipe is for Glen, who was looking for a way to cook steak. This is a very simple recipe. Steak au Poivre is Steak with Pepper. Enjoy.

Steak au Poivre

Ingredients

4 boneless sirloin steaks, about 1 inch thick, size is your choice
1/3 cup peppercorns, ground to medium coarse
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup of beef stock
1 stick of unsalted butter
2 small shallots minced
1 small onion minced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons Cognac
2 tablespoons of flour
Chopped parsley
salt

Directions

Pour crushed peppercorns into a shallow bowl, then dredge the steaks in the peppercorn so that they are coated on each side. Place steaks on a cutting and with the heal of your hand press the peppercorns into the steaks and set aside. Reserve the balance of the peppercorns

Preheat the broiler.

Place a skillet over medium high heat and place 4 tablespoons of butter, followed by the onions and shallots, saute until soft. Next add the wine, stock, cognac and a teaspoon of the reserved peppercorns. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half. Remove 1/4 cup of the liquid, whisk in the flour until smooth, then return to the skillet. Once sauce thickens, remove from heat and cover.

Place steaks under the broiler and cook about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. On the last 1 minute dot each steak with a tablespoon of butter. Remove from broiler, ten and let rest for 3 minutes.

To serving pour sauce over steaks and garnish with parsley.

Another great side with this is some blue cheese and a baguette.

Enjoy Cooking.

Chicken in Wine sauce

Based on the all the hits yesterdays post received i decided to post a few more chicken recipes. The following recipe i have not made in a few years but i think it will make a return this week for dinner. It is perfect fall dish.

Chicken in Wine Sauce

Ingredients

1 3lb chicken cut up
1 pint each of the following mushrooms: Porcini, Morel and mini Portobellos
2 medium onions, chopped
4 tablespoons of butter, unsalted
2 Tablespoons of fresh chopped Parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 cup dry red burgundy wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 cloves or garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of celery seeds
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf

Directions

In a deep large skillet over medium high heat melt the butter then brown the chicken on all sides about 5 minutes each side: then remove from the skillet. Next lower heat to medium and add the mushrooms to the skillet for about 3 to 5 minutes then add the onions and saute until soft.

Remove skillet from heat and add the balance of the ingredients, stir to blend. Return chicken to skillet. Spoon liquid of chicken, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover and simmer until chicken is done, about 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from skillet and place on a platter, remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf from sauce then pour over chicken and serve.

Enjoy Cooking