Coq Au Vin, French for goose liver with wine is a traditional, light summer meal and is always well liked. This light recipe, made using white wine, can still be enjoyed year around if you are able to pick up kumquat grapes. If not, use these tasty berries to add tartness to this old favourite.
Bring a couple of pots of chicken to a boil and add about half a cup of chopped onions. Then add about a quarter of a teaspoon of dried thyme, a quarter teaspoon of dried Rosemary, and a quarter teaspoon of sage. Cover the lid and set aside to simmer. When ready, remove the chicken from the heat and allow to cool. Drain off the fat from the skin and then rub in the dry ingredients all over the chicken pieces, giving them a nice brown coat.
Sautre du vent is simply slow roasted chicken pieces that are cut into thin slices. It is incredibly flavourful and adds a great deal of zest and moist texture to any dish. Combine one tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper, a quarter teaspoon of dried thyme, and a quarter teaspoon of dried Rosemary, all mixed together and let simmer for about 25 minutes. Then add in the chicken pieces and shred them with a fork. Season them all with freshly ground black pepper and serve with your main dish. Very good served with a bowl of vegetable rice.
Another simple recipe using a couple of tablespoons of freshly ground black pepper and a quarter teaspoon of dried thyme, is very good with chicken. Cover your crock pot and put in the ingredients. Cover it and let it steam until your crock pot shits out the contents. After it does, open up the lid and add in a half cup of olive oil, a quarter cup of kosher salt, and a quarter cup of freshly ground black pepper.
You can also use pieces of smoked salmon instead of the chicken and salt and pepper and rub this all over the pieces of salmon. Once this is done, add in the lemon juice and let this mixture to simmer on low for about an hour or so. Serve this with your main dish. If you want a little something different, you can also substitute a quarter teaspoon of paprika for the thyme and black pepper and use that instead. This is great on top of your cooked white rice or risotto. It goes great with tapioca as well.
Coq Au Vin is best enjoyed with medium sized pieces of raw shrimps, and not raw shellfish. The pieces of fish should be rinsed very well and then cut into medium chunks. I like to chop these small chunks into very fine pieces, because the larger pieces can overwhelm the taste of the Coq Au Vin. You can season this dish with salt and pepper to taste, but I do not usually like to. Instead, I like to sprinkle it on top of my plate to accentuate the flavor of the chicken and the warm spices it brings to the table.
Other than the food, one other ingredient that will really set this dish apart from the others is the addition of kosher salt. This is the most authentic form of salt that you can buy and can help bring out the rich flavors in this traditional coq au vin dish. In order to cook the meat and vegetables properly, you need to use the right kosher salt, which is not too salty and not too sweet. Most people prefer kosher salt to regular table salt, and it makes a big difference in the flavor of the chicken and vegetables.
If you are looking for the perfect way to take along an appetizer to a dinner party, then this is the recipe for you. All you have to do is to add the coq au vin and salt to your chicken pieces, mix it in the oven, let it cook on one side, and then on the other side bring it back to bring out the flavor. The longer you cook it in the oven, the more pronounced the flavor will be.
