Recipe: coq au vin

AS MUCH AS I enjoy the number of excellent modern restaurants we have in Edinburgh who serve up truly unique food, I'm just as grateful that we have places like L'escargot Blanc (and Bleu!) and Cafe St Honore who stick to classic cookery. Here, as I do my best to hold onto the last of the colder weather, I've knocked up a good old rustic coq au vin that should be in the repertoire of any keen cook.

I would normally use chicken thighs and drumsticks for this, but given the craziness that we're currently living through, could only get hold of breast. Use whatever you can find or prefer! I've thickened the sauce with a beurre manie, which was taught to me by my mentor Pam Fowlis at catering college many moons ago. As well as making the sauce thicker, it also adds richness and creates a better tasting dish than cornflour.

Ingredients (serves 2):

2x chicken breasts

8x shallots, peeled

500ml red wine

3x rashers of smoked bacon, diced

2x cloves of garlic, finely chopped or grated

12 button mushrooms

Tbsp tomato puree

Splash of brandy (if you have it)

Few sprigs of thyme

Bunch of parsley, chopped

150ml chicken stock

1tsbp flour

25g unsalted butter, room temperature

Salt and pepper

Serve with mashed potatoes

Method:

1) Add a splash of olive oil to a casserole dish or deep pan and cook the bacon lardons, set aside

2) Add the shallots and cook for 8-9 minutes to colour and soften, set aside.

3) Now add the chicken and colour all over.  Add the garlic and cooked for a further minute. Pour in the brandy if using. 

4) Add the tomato puree and cook for 30 seconds before adding the wine.  Bring to the boil, then simmer for two minutes before adding the stock. Bring back to simmer.

5) Return the shallots and bacon to the pan and add the sprigs of thyme. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 45 mins.

6) In a separate pan, cook off the mushrooms and add into the coq au vin five minutes before serving. 

7) Next make a beurre manie to thicken the sauce.  Mix the flour with butter until combined.  Add into the coq au vin and stir gently to thicken. 

8) Check the seasoning and serve with mash. Sprinkle over the parsley to finish.