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Ilse Cooks the Books: Bill's Coq Au Vin

───   09:31 Mon, 20 Jan 2020

Ilse Cooks the Books: Bill's Coq Au Vin | News Article

It’s a new year with plenty of opportunities to cook delicious food! So why not begin as we ended last year, with good old chicken – the second most popular protein on earth.


Incidentally, pork is the most eaten meat worldwide (not goat as many believe, according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations).

Anyway, back to the chicken.  Certain chefs just have a way with certain foods.  I go to Jamie Oliver for pasta recipes, Nigella Lawson for simple, easy dishes and, closer to home, Diné van Zyl for honest to goodness boerekos. 

For chicken, my go-to-guy is Aussie Bill Granger.  Even though he’s most famous for his breakfast dishes, I’ve not ever made a chicken dish devised by him that I don’t like. They’re all so good and so easy and so simple to make!  Like the one I’m going to share today.  I’ve made it as a weeknight dinner and I’ve made for a dinner party, and it’s always a hit!

BILL’S COQ AU VIN

“Traditionally made with red wine and cooked overnight, classic coq au vin always seems to take forever and loses the thing I most love about chicken: the crispy skin.  In this version, you roast the chicken with lardons, then add white wine and finish off with freshly pan-fried mushrooms. That way you get both the lovely wine and herb-infused juices, and the crispy skin with non-flabby mushrooms.” – Bill Granger

1 x 1,5 kg chicken, jointed (or just buy the chicken pieces like the rest of us)

150 g diced bacon or lardons (I left it out, and it still tasted fantastic)

10 shallots, peeled (I used 5, halved)

A few thyme sprigs

A rosemary sprig

1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

3 tablespoons of olive oil

250 ml white wine

A small knob of butter

350 g of mixed mushrooms, sliced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

A small handful of chopped, flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 220?C. 

Arrange the chicken pieces in a large roasting tin and scatter with the bacon, shallots, thyme, rosemary and chilli flakes. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and roast for 20 minutes.

Add the wine to the tin and roast for another 20-25 minutes (you might want to check on them now and again, as the cooking time could vary). Remove from the oven.

Heat the butter and remaining oil in a large frying pan and cook the mushrooms and garlic over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Tip into the tin and scatter with parsley. Serve with crusty bread and a green salad.

Follow me on Twitter (ilse123) or on Facebook (https://web.facebook.com/IlseCooksTheBooks/) to chat about food and more!

ooOoo

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