It’s time again for the summer edition
of Novel Food, hosted by Simona of briciole.
Since the libraries have been closed
for months, I had to rely on my personal library for reading material. I chose one book to re-read, “A Year in
Provence,” by Peter Mayle, hoping it would provide inspiration for a recipe. Or so I thought. As I read, I kept thinking that I didn’t
remember the text. The joke was on
me. I had never read this particular
book, although apparently, I’ve read another one of his books on Provence. There was some relief that I wasn’t going
crazy (yet).
Although there wasn’t a lot of mention
of food in this book, there was a passage describing coq au vin. I began by checking my wine supply. All whites, with one exception, and that was
the wrong kind of red. So, I began
searching for variations on the recipe.
There is coq au vin blanc, which does use white wine, coq au vin
Riesling, and also coq au vin champagne.
Success! I had some leftover
champagne in the refrigerator, the right amount, and it was still fizzy. (Don’t ask me how long it’s been in there!) In addition, I also discovered a recipe using
the Instant Pot, so I was set. In the
end, I used about four different recipes, taking the best of each and merging
them into one. I also added some Courvoisier
cognac (one of those small sampler bottles).
Even though I didn’t burn off the alcohol, the cognac did add a nice
depth of flavor to the sauce. The end
result was a delicious coq au vin that I enjoyed for several days.
I’m looking forward to making this
delicious chicken dish again, now knowing that I can use different kinds of
wine.
As for the book, I enjoyed the
descriptions of the seasons and of the cast of characters that populated this
area of Provence. One tip, which I will have
to try, is to use lemon juice to get rid of ants. Not that want to encourage ants to come, but,
if they do, I’ll be ready, and it will be a good way to use the lemons that
drop from my tree.
2 comments:
I do not remember the lemon juice tip from reading "A Year in Provence". (But that was in 2010, and knowing my stellar reading skills, I must have skimmed right over it and/or read it and forgotten it.)
Good idea to make Coq au Vin with white wine! (We use a decent but inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile when we make Coq au Vin. Because we're skinflints and can only really afford to buy/drink Burghundy if we're actually in Burghundy....)
I remember reading a book by Peter Mayle and following your lead I checked which one it was. I also would have said A Year en Provence, but it was French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork and Corkscrew. Thank you for the tip about lemon juice. Ants occasionally show up in our kitchen quite unpredictably so it is hard to be proactive. I enjoyed reading about your quest for a recipe to match the available ingredient. Champagne and Courvoisier sound like a nice combination to flavor the chicken. Thank you so much for contributing to Novel Food :)
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