Coq Au Vin - The Best Thing I Make

Look people, I'm not a trained chef. I don't make French food very often. I don't even claim to say that this is actually an authentic version of the dish because it's not, I don't use bacon and I slice my veggies entirely too big, plus this last time, I used bagged baby carrots. Regardles, this is by far, the best thing I make. This is part of my perfect Christmas meal. Well, this and a poached pear salad with blue cheese, some leafed brussel sprouts with pancetta, roasted new potatoes, a pot of lavender creme brule and a bottle of champagne (but those are other blog posts). This however is the king of my Christmas dinner.

Coq Au Vin
(boy chicken with wine)

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced
3 cups of carrots
4 stalks of celery sliced thickly
1 whole chicken cut up (yes a girl chicken is fine)
6 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups Bordeaux wine
3 fresh bay leaves
Lots of fresh thyme sprigs
1/2 lb button mushrooms whole
Salt and pepper to taste

In an enameled cast iron skillet on medium heat, sweat carrots, celery onions and garlic in olive oil with salt and pepper. Remove and set aside.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches add chicken to hot pan skin side down. Brown the chicken well, on all sides, about 10 minutes. It will not be cooked all the way through.

Don't be afraid of the color at the bottom of the pan (within reason) as that is where the flavor of the dish comes from.

Spoon off any excess fat or not. I don't. Add wine and de-glaze the pan by getting that spoon down in there scrapping the brown bits off the bottom. Add the chicken stock and herbs.

Let it come to a strong boil.

Then add back the veggies and chicken. Lower heat to a simmer.

Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until chicken is tender and cooked through.

Remove chicken and onions to a separate platter. Remove the bay leaves, herb sprigs, garlic, and discard.

Add mushrooms to the remaining liquid and turn the heat to high.

Boil quickly and reduce the liquid by three fourths until it becomes thick and saucy. Mushrooms should be dark by the time it's done. Taste and season with salt and pepper if you still need a little bit.

Lower the heat. Return the chicken and onions to the pan to reheat and coat with the new thickened sauce.

Serve with roasted or gratin potatoes or even egg noodles, the sauce is king in this dish, so any starch that soaks it up ends up tasting like heaven.

Drink the rest of the wine with this dinner. Bacchus with be dining with you since it's his favorite meal too and it's only polite.

Shepherd's Pie

My father is English. He came to the US when he was 18 and by now he's spent more than 3/4 of his life here. Nevertheless, while technically American, my father is first and foremost English.

When I was a child, I was lucky enough to travel to England a handful of times while my Dad revisited his roots. You could safely say that I grew up eating and was strongly influenced by English food. Now I'm not talking about the England that I just came back from in March. You know, the new, amazing culinary center of Europe, where they don't pasteurize their cheeses and everywhere we went the menu said local raised, free range, local produce... What I mean is that I grew up influenced by the typical, nasty English food that everyone thinks of when they think of typical, nasty English food. Things like cold steak and kidney pies, boiled cabbage, bangers and mash, thick fatty bacon and baked beans. All of which may not be locally sourced or trans-fat free but they still, lovingly have a place in my heart.

The old England that I visited as a girl, was nowhere to be found on my March trip. While we had remarkable culinary experiences, we spent most of them in amazing ethnic eateries and hipster, sustainable hot spots. Only every now and again, to my and The Husband's joy, did we 'pub it up.' Of course, one can't eat pub food for every meal, or you'll end up looking like a puffer fish and probably die of a heart attack before 50. But I don't care. As much as I love a nice curry, to me, there is nothing like a newspaper of fish and chips for lunch, a good cup of tea with four o'clock biscuits and a fluffy gorgeous shepherd's pie to make the cold and rain of an English winter just evaporate.

So with these strange, rainy, October days lurking above us here in Los Angeles, I've incarnated my ancestors and my childhood England and worked up a batch of my favorite comfort food. Enjoy it, I'm pretty sure, you'll see the clouds part and if you don't, go ahead and finish it off with a few pints and a nice long nap. It's the English way.

Turkey Shepherd's Pie

4 large russet potatoes
1/4 cup salted butter
1/4 cup 1/2 & 1/2
1/2 cup chicken stock/broth
1 t sea salt (more or less to taste)

2 T olive olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 lbs ground (not extra lean) turkey meat
1/2 t ground paprika
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t dried ground garlic
1 t dried oregano
1 t sea salt
1 c red wine
4-6 oz tomato paste
1 c water
1 zucchini
3 large carrots peeled and blanched
2 fresh corn cobs with kernels removed
2 cups blanched green beans
2 T grated Parmesan cheese

First peel and boil your potatoes. When tender, drain water and add butter, half & half, chicken stock and salt. Mash until fluffy and set aside.

Place olive oil in hot large pan (the largest one you've got). Add garlic and saute until soft.
Add ground turkey and cook thoroughly.
Once turkey is cooked add paprika, onion powder, garlic, oregano and salt. Give it a sec, then add the wine.
Cook off all the wine and when the turkey is nice and purple, add the tomato paste diluted into one cup of water.

Once the sauce is hot, add the vegetables.
Stir and let it simmer for a little bit. The vegetables will let go of some of their water but don't worry, it will thicken up later, trust me. if it is dry, you may need to add some extra water.
Once veggies are crispy but hot, transfer the meat and veg mixture to an 8X8 baking dish.
Then scoop mashed potatoes on top of it all. It will seem like there is no way it will all make it in, you'll be surprised how much will fit if you dome the potatoes a bit.
Sprinkle the top with grated Parmesan cheese and bake for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees with a cookie sheet underneath. This sucker is really good at bubbling over.
When it's done the potatoes will be fluffy and buttery and the meat sauce, thickened by the starch of the potatoes will be rich and savory. The Husband often asks me if I made it with beef instead of turkey because of it's richness.
Slice into it while it's hot.
Serve it with the rest of the wine and a little salad.
Sweet, sweet comfort. The leftovers for lunch the next day could only get better if you can bring a beer to work. God save the Queen.

Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches

These sandwiches are my favorite picnic food. They are perfect for that great LA outdoor movie, or a picnic on the beach with your sweetheart. One of my best friends put a big bowl of the salad on the buffet table at her wedding. It's that good. These sandwiches are my quintessential summertime lunch, I hope you like 'em. Never mind, I know you will. If you don't... you made them wrong.


Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches

1 C of good mayonnaise (NOT miracle whip please)
1 1/2 T brown sugar (packed)
1/2 t Saffron Threads (loosely packed)
1/2 t curry powder
1/2 t ground cumin
4 chicken breasts (organic?)
1/2 C yellow raisins
1/2 C cashew pieces
3 green onions chopped (optional)
1 Large loaf of FRESH Italian or French Bread (I get mine from Bay Cities)
1 bag of washed and dried rocket (wild arugula)


If you start making this two days before you eat your sandwiches it will be much better. The flavors just go to awesome-land when they marry together that long. If you can't it's not that big of a deal, over one night is good too, same day...just fine.

Mix together the Mayo, saffron, brown sugar, cumin and curry powder. Let it sit covered in the fridge overnight. Stir the mayo every once and a while to incorporate the yellow stain that the saffron lets off.

Cook chicken breasts at 350 degrees until juices run clear, let the chicken cool and dice into nickle sized pieces.

Add curry mayo to the chicken and stir it up. You'll see the saffron threads throughout. So pretty.

Add yellow raisins to the mixture. Cover and put back in the fridge for another night. This will plump up the raisins and give the chicken curry flavor all the way through.

Add chopped cashew pieces and green onions if you choose to use them. I love the green onions but I can't use them because The Husband won't eat them and I like him.

Cut your crispy fresh bread into desired sandwich sizes.

Slather those babies with the curried chicken salad.

No mayo is needed because the salad has plenty. Sprinkle the top of the chicken with a little of the peppery arugula and dig in.

I have been asked for this recipe about 20 times so now that it's here, I can just send off the link instead of writing it down all the time. But be forewarned, you'll get the same requests once someone tastes this beauty. Pay it forward if you will and keep the credit.

Walnut-Pesto Crusted Chicken

The first time I made this, I had run out of pine nuts. I've never been a fan of swapping anything out when it comes to pesto, I'm a bit of a purist. Why mess with perfection? However, when it's time to make dinner and my stomach won't tolerate a trip to Trader Joe's, I'll make due with what I have (I'm drawing the line at arugula pesto though). Anyway, it ended up being an awesome happy accident when I used the extra the next day to marinate a chicken breast and it yielded the yummiest, nuttiest crust imaginable. I've made it again and again.




Walnut-Pesto Crusted Chicken

1 bunch of basil (approximately 4 cups)
1 c walnut pieces
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic
3/4 c good olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 whole farmer's market chicken cut up into 4 pieces

You're going to need a food processor for this. It's possible to do it in a blender but you'll need to use more oil or you'll burn out your blender. Classic pesto is made with a mortar and pestle. If you're ambitious enough, save the energy and go for it.


Place garlic, walnuts, Parmesan and basil in food processor.


Give the food processor a few pulses to combine all the ingredients.


It should look like this.


Then while the processor is turned on, drizzle the oil in slowly and once it's incorperated add salt and pepper to taste.


Mouth party.


I like my pesto on the thick side. More flavor with less oil. For this recipe it's important to make your pesto thick so that the chicken doesn't end up too greasy. It's great on pasta too.


Pat the chicken dry and put it in a bowl or zip lock bag.


Add 1/2 to 3/4 of the pesto, just enough to completely coat the chicken.


Toss the chicken in the fridge and let it marinate from a few hours to overnight. When it's time to eat, take the chicken out and place it in a baking dish. Make sure there is a nice coating of pesto on the top of each piece of chicken. Place in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until the juices run clear. Be careful not to overcook the chicken.


You're welcome.


If you care to, while the chicken is resting, you can take the juices and olive oil from the baking dish and saute up some zucchini.


The Husband used to work for the Lakers. He knows everything about basketball and loves the Lakers like I love cheese. We normally don't eat in front of the TV but since I made this meal on the night that the Lakers won the championship, we made an exception. I had a glass of red wine and he had a big fat slug of Oban Scotch Whisky.



We had seconds.