Covid Beater Coq au Vin!

June 27, 2020

Covid Beater Coq au Vin!

Get togethers in my community have sometimes not gone as originally planned.  Back in February, for example, the Italian Night we planned was ‘interrupted’ when one of the hostesses had a medical situation arise that kept her from participating and kept the rest of us glued to our phones for updates!

This time, the social-distancing rules to combat Covid-19 caused a late change in plans when a member of our group raised concerns about dining indoors and asked that we change venues to a home where we could eat outdoors.  A gracious gesture later, we agreed to meet at someone else’s home at which I would cook the planned meal in the homeowner’s kitchen while we would chat and snack on appetizers.  Enter the fickle weather of early summer: a robust afternoon storm arose, whipping rain through the screens of the home’s screen porch!  No dining outside was going to happen.

Not to worry, we proceeded as if nothing had changed.  I got there 30 minutes earlier than the rest of the group with all of the ingredients and most of the utensils and the pot needed to prepare the main course of Coq au Vin Blanc and brown rice.  I had butchered the chicken and cut the vegetables earlier that day and was ready to get started when I arrived.  I sautéed the bacon, then the vegetables – diced carrots, celery and garlic – then added about a cup and a half of leeks cross-cut diagonally about ½” thick.  The recipe typically calls for pearl onions, but I decided that leeks would provide a unique twist to the dish.

Once the vegetables were soft and lightly browned, I transferred them to a bowl while I browned the chicken, seasoned lightly with salt, pepper and thyme, and removed the pieces to a rimmed plate, then returned the bacon and vegetables to the pot.  Because I had essentially doubled the original recipe, I used almost ¼ cup of flour to thicken the mixture, then added about ½ cup white wine, stirring to create a nice roux.  Once the roux started to brown a little, I added two cups of chicken broth (made earlier that day with the chicken carcass) and the rest of the wine.  Once everything was mixed thoroughly, I returned the chicken and its juices to the pot, checked the flavor to see if more seasoning was required, and brought everything to a boil before turning it back down to simmer.  Before putting the lid on and turning my attention to the crowd that had arrived, I added 2 cups of light sautéed mushrooms.

Three guests brought appetizers, we all brought wine, and everyone had their face masks on (for a while, at least: it got a little challenging to talk, drink and eat with masks on!).  While understanding the seriousness of wearing masks, we also had some laughs over how the pandemic has affected our way of life in such a short period of time.  No one could have expected any of this to happen, but after being out of touch with each other since early March, we had to break out and have a little fun!  And so we chattered and laughed while the Coq au Vin simmered and the rice cooked.  Our hostess had prepared a wonderful salad tossed with Caesar dressing, and another guest brought some wonderful brioche buns.  A feast for all, Covid-19 or not!