From the menu ...
We help readers track down a dish from a restaurant or cafe. This week, asks for the recipe for a coq au vin.
This French dish of chicken braised with wine features on the menu at The Cornershop Bistro in Sumner, Christchurch, where Lyndsay says the dish has been on the menu for years due to popular demand.
’’I’ve tried lots of recipes by the great and good to try to replicate the Bistro’s coq au vin deep flavour, but have never come close. ‘‘There must be a secret.’’ We persuaded the chef to share the secret.
Coq au vin
Serves 4
4 whole large free range chicken legs 500ml full bodied red wine 12 baby onions peeled 100g diced pancetta 1 tablespoon vegetable paste (tomato is fine) 200g button mushrooms 500ml good quality chicken stock 50g finely chopped shallot 4 crushed garlic cloves 2 bay leaf 6 stems thyme 2 teaspoons duck fat Chopped flat leaf parsley to garnish
Lightly season chicken legs with salt and cracked pepper. Add red wine, garlic, shallot, thyme, and bay leaf. Cover and marinate for 1-2 hours in refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Drop the onions into boiling water for 8 minutes, remove, and set aside.
In a heavy-based high-sided pan, place duck fat and pancetta,
Lyndsay Head
and saute for 2 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade, pat dry, and place in a pan with vegetable paste.
Pour in red wine marinade and simmer. Add chicken stock, return to simmer. Place lid or foil over and cook in oven for 20 minutes.
Add mushrooms and baby onions and cook until chicken is tender and juices run clear (about 15-20 minutes). Remove lid for last 5-10 minutes for a lightly browned colour.
Remove chicken legs, onions, and mushrooms, and keep warm. Place cooking liquid in pan on stovetop, remove thyme, and bay leaf and reduce to an almost glossy sauce. Gently stir in a small knob of butter for extra richness.
Serve with parsley and warm, crusty bread.
Other accompaniments include boiled new season potatoes or parsnip puree.
The Cornershop Bistro, 32 Nayland St, Sumner, Christchurch. Open for brunch from 10am Friday, Saturday, Sunday and dinner from 5:30pm Wednesday to Sunday.