Coq au Vin à la Tick

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 chicken (free-range chicken) of approx. 1.7 – 1.9 kg
• 250 g shallot(s), small
• 250 g mushrooms, very small
• 100 g smoked beef, in one piece, about 5 – 6 mm thick
• 1 bouquet garni, classic
• 1 tsp marjoram, dried
• 1 stalk(s) leek, small
• 2 stalk(s) Celery , the upper parts with leaves
• 1 bunch parsley, flat
• Clarified butter
• 6 cl cognac
• 400 ml chicken stock
• 750 ml red wine (Pinot Noir)
• 4 large garlic cloves
• 2 carrots
• butter
• Flour
• Salt and pepper, white
• nutmeg

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

There’s no single, original recipe for this traditional French dish. The countless preparation variations aren’t just regional, but can also be traced back to the oft-quoted phrase by Henry IV: “Every farmer should have his chicken in the pot on Sunday.” So, basically, whatever vegetables were available was used. However, certain rules apply to this classic dish: It must be a rooster, free-range, of course, and never a chicken, hen, or the like. A whole rooster is always used, not chicken parts, such as drumsticks. The spirit and wine should be regionally matched. Only a high-quality wine may be used. My version is very close to the original classic, “Coq-au-vin de Bourgogne.” Shallots, mushrooms, and carrots are particularly tasty vegetables in this dish. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cut the chicken into 10-12 pieces, or have it cut up when you buy it. Rinse with cold water, dry, season with salt and pepper, and dust lightly with flour. Peel the shallots and trim the mushrooms (leave both whole), cut the smoked meat into thin strips. Remove the outer ring and the dark green part of the leek and wash the leek thoroughly. Remove the roots, but do not damage the tough part that holds the stalk together. Cut the leek more than halfway lengthwise and place the dried marjoram inside, tightly tying it around, then garnish with bay leaf and fresh thyme sprigs from the bouquet garni, parsley (a few stalks are enough, save the leaves for later) and tie it together with the celery. Peel the garlic cloves. Peel the carrots and cut into slices about 1 cm thick. Heat the clarified butter in a roasting pan. Fry the shallots, smoked meat and mushrooms at a slightly reduced heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and garlic, toss briefly, then remove everything and place it in a bowl, lightly season with salt and pepper, dust with a little flour, mix well and set aside. Stir some more clarified butter into the roasting pan and heat strongly, boiling off the cooking juices. Add about 60 g butter and let it foam. Fry the chicken pieces in 2 Brown in small pieces until golden brown. Add the vegetables (and the entire chicken) and roast briefly. Remove from the heat, pour half of the cognac over them and flambé immediately. Add a little red wine, return to the heat and flambé again as before with the remaining cognac. Pour in the remaining red wine and the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the bound bouquet garni. Cover and cook in the oven for 60 minutes. Knead 1 tablespoon of flour with 2 tablespoons of butter. Finely chop the parsley. Remove the bouquet garni and the meat, cover and keep warm, and discard the bouquet garni. Let the sauce simmer on the stove for 10-15 minutes until it reduces considerably, remove from the heat and then thicken with the flour and butter. Season to taste with white pepper and a pinch of nutmeg, adding salt only if necessary. Return the poultry to the sauce and let it simmer for another 10 minutes over low heat. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and serve in a roasting pan, allowing everyone to take their favorite piece of chicken. Serve with parsley-wrapped potatoes or—for a classic twist—just fresh baguette.