12340 Serves 4 Wed Aug 06 01:04:45 -0700 2008 Wed Feb 04 06:16:16 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12340 Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:16:16 GMT A true coq au vin should be made with an old, flavorful bird and a strong red wine. The long cooking softens the flesh of the bird and mellows the wine. This dish of young chicken in red wine is a good example of the updating of classic French country cooking using a mixture of modern and traditional methods. The dark, very flavorful sauce results from a technique called tomber à glace; a series of reductions of liquid makes the sauce darker, shinier—almost syrupy.

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Season the chickens with salt and pepper. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until 30 minutes before cooking. Dry the chickens well.

Cut an X in the root end of each small onion. Drop the onions into boiling water and cook for 2 minutes; drain and under cool water. Peel, leaving on enough of the root and stem ends so onions will not fall apart. Dry thoroughly on paper towels.

Place the pancetta in a large nonreactive saucepan with the fat; cook, stirring, over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the peeled onions, cover and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the onions are almost tender. Pour off any fat.

Add the tomato paste and stir until the onions take on a yellow-red tinge. Add ½ cup of the wine; bring to a boil, then reduce to a glaze. Add the mushrooms and cook over moderate heat, stirring from time to time, until most of the moisture in the pan evaporates, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms, onions, and pancetta to a side dish.

Pour 1 cup of the stock into the saucepan. Raise the heat and boil uncovered until the stock reduces to ¼ cup. Add another 1 cup of stock and repeat. Add the remaining 1 cup stock; reduce the heat to low and simmer, skimming from time to time, for 15 minutes, or the liquid is reduced to about ½ cup. Scrape the onions, mushrooms, and pancetta into the reduced stock. (The recipe can be prepared to this point 2 to 3 hours in advance.)

Place the 3 tablespoons oil in a large, heavy nonreactive skillet with a tight-fitting lid and set over high heat. Add the chickens, skin side down, cover, and cook for 5 minutes without lifting the lid. Uncover and wipe off the moisture on the lid. Replace the cover and continue cooking over high heat for 1 minute longer. (If your skillet is not large enough to handle all the chicken in 1 layer, brown in 2 batches in the same oil.)

Set the chickens aside. Discard the oil in the skillet. Pour in ½ cup of the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Boil until reduced to a glaze. Return the chicken, skin side up, to the skillet. Scatter the shallots around chicken, add the remaining 2 cups wine, and cook, uncovered, over moderately high heat for 20 minutes, or until the chickens are just cooked. Remove to a platter and cover to keep warm. Boil the wine in the skillet until reduced to a glaze.

Scrape the reserved onions, mushrooms, pancetta, and reduced stock into the skillet; reheat and quickly reduce, if necessary, to a thick and shiny sauce, skimming once or twice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the chickens, sprinkle with parsley, and serve at once.

]]> http://www.chow.com Paula Wolfert 50 Main 2 baby chickens (1½ to 2 pounds each) or 2 fresh Cornish game hens, split

]]> Salt and freshly ground pepper

]]> ½ pound (12 to 18) small white onions, about 1 inch in diameter

]]> 6 ounces lean pancetta or ventrèche, cut into ¼-inch dice

]]> 2 teaspoons rendered duck fat or 1

]]> tablespoon mixed oil and butter

]]> 1 tablespoon tomato paste

]]> 3 cups full-bodied red wine, such as Syrah

]]> ½ pound fresh mushrooms, halved or quartered depending upon size

]]> 3 cups unsalted chicken stock (storebought or homemade—page 405)

]]> 3 tablespoons grapeseed, peanut, or corn oil

]]> ¼ cup finely chopped shallots

]]> Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

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