Coq au Vin

Ingredients

10 oz shallots
3 tablespoons flour
6 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 oz chopped bacon or pancetta
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup brandy
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 bottle dry fruity red wine, 750 ml
8 oz small button mushrooms
1 tablespoon butter, softened (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
creamy mashed potatoes or tagliatelle, to serve

Method

1. Cut the shallots into even-sized pieces, leaving the small ones whole and cutting the others in half or quarters.
2. Put 2 tablespoons flour in a shallow dish and season it with salt and pepper. Dip the chicken breasts in the flour and coat both sides.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large lidded skillet or deep casserole, add the chicken breasts, and fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until lightly browned—you may have to do this in 2 batches.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan, discard the oil, and wipe the pan with paper towels.
5. Return the pan to the heat and pour in the remaining oil. Add the chopped bacon or pancetta and the shallots and fry until lightly browned. Stir in the garlic, then return the chicken to the pan.
6. Put the brandy in a small saucepan and heat it until almost boiling. Set it alight with a long kitchen match and carefully pour it over the chicken. Let the flames die down, then add the thyme and bay leaf and pour in enough wine to just cover the chicken. Bring back to simmering point, then reduce the heat, half cover the pan, and simmer very gently for 45 minutes. (If you’re making this dish ahead of time, take the pan off the heat after 30 minutes, let cool, and refrigerate overnight.) Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Remove the chicken from the pan, set aside, and keep it warm.
8. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the shallots, bacon pieces or pancetta cubes, and mushrooms out of the pan and keep them warm. Increase the heat under the pan and let the sauce simmer until it has reduced by half. If the sauce needs thickening, mash 1 tablespoon soft butter with 1 tablespoon flour to give a smooth paste, then add it bit by bit to the sauce, beating well after each addition, until the sauce is smooth and glossy.
9. Return the shallots, pancetta, and mushrooms to the pan. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper, to taste. Cut each chicken breast into 4 slices and arrange them on warm serving plates. Spoon a generous amount of sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes or tagliatelle.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Cooking with Wine

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Today’s Comic

Grilled Chicken with Citrus Salsa

Ingredients

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
2 jalapeno peppers, 1 thinly sliced, 1 diced
4 boneless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and skin
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 dashes tequila (optional)
1 navel orange, peeled, sectioned, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 small pink grapefruit, peeled, sectioned, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 scallions, thinly sliced
10 yellow and/or red cherry tomatoes, seeded and diced
grated zests of 1/2 orange and 1/2 lime
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 tomatillos, diced (optional)
4 handfuls of mesclun or other mixed greens

Method

1. In a shallow bowl, combine 1/4 cup each of the lime juice and oil and the jalapeno slices.
2. Rub chicken with salt and pepper and add to marinade. Add a dash of tequila. Marinate for at least half an hour.
3. In a medium bowl, combine citrus fruit, scallions, tomatoes, remaining lime juice and olive oil, zests, salt and pepper, diced jalapeno, cilantro, tomatillos, and remaining tequila. Set aside.
4. Remove chicken from marinade. Cook on a hot grill for about 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.
5. Remove from grill and let stand 5 minutes.
6. Divide the greens among four plates.
7. Slice the chicken and arrange on top of greens.
8. Spoon salsa over each salad and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: What to Have for Dinner

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Today’s Comic

Coral Chicken

Ingredients

1 whole chicken
1 crab
450 g mashed shrimp meat
300 g gai lan

Sauce

1 cup chicken stock
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
salt and pepper
1/8 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp cornstarch

Method

1. Open crab and remove roe. Wash roe and mix with some Shao Hsing wine. Steam remaining crab and remove the meat.
2. Poach chicken in boiling water until cooked. Remove bones and stuff chicken with mashed shrimp meat. Cut stuffed chicken into bite-size pieces. Place on plate and steam on high heat for about 30 minutes until cooked.
3. Add sauce ingredient to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add crab meat and crab roe. Bring back to a boil again and pour on top of chicken.
4. Blanch gai lan in boiling water, drain and place on the sides of the chicken.

Source: Recipes of Great Chefs in Hong Kong

Paella with Chicken and Sausage

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
2 pounds chicken meat, dark and light, on the bone with the skin intact, cut through the bone into smaller segments of breast and thigh meat
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fresh, Spanish-style chorizo sausage, cut crosswise into coin-size rounds
1 onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, soaked in 1/4 cup hot water for 10 minutes
1 cup Valencia or other Spanish rice, picked over
2-1/2 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium, store-bought chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh green peas or defrosted frozen peas

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Set the paella pan over medium heat. Pour in 2 tablespoons of the oil and let it get nice and hot. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add it to the pan, and brown it all over, about 8 minutes.
3. Transfer the chicken to a platter and set aside.
4. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pan. Add the sausage slices to the pan and brown them for 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
6. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the soaked saffron threads with their liquid, the rice, and broth, stir, and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and let simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
7. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
8. Remove the pan from the oven. Stir in the peas, return the pan to the oven, and cook for 2 more minutes.
9. Serve the paella from its pan or a festive serving dish or bowl. Present it with a large spoon so people can take the heaps they’ll want.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Nightly Specials

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Today’s Comic

Fried Chicken Nashville-style

Ingredients

3 pounds whole chicken thighs, legs and thighs separated
3/4 cup pickle juice (from a jar of your favorite pickles)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup Frank’s RedHot sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
about 2 cups all-purpose flour
about 2 cups karaage seasoning mix (see Note)
canola, vegetable, or peanut oil, for frying

Spice Mix

1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Method

1. Put the chicken in a glass, ceramic, or other nonreactive dish. Pour the pickle juice over the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour, turning several times to ensure all the chicken pieces are flavored with the pickle juice.
2. In another dish, whisk together the buttermilk and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Lift the chicken from the pickle juice and submerge it in the buttermilk marinade. Turn the chicken to coat, cover, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours or overnight.
4. Make the spice mix. In a mixing bowl, stir together the paprika, cayenne, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, and salt.
5. Lift the chicken from the marinade and lay it on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the spice mix over the chicken and let sit for about 10 minutes to give the spice mix time to flavor the chicken.
6. Spread the flour and karaage mix in a large shallow bowl or dish and stir to mix.
7. Dip the chicken in the flour to coat both sides. Shake the chicken to knock off some of the flour and distribute the flour that stays on the meat. Refrigerate the coated chicken on the baking sheet for 30 minutes before frying.
8. Pour oil into a deep, heavy pot to reach a depth of 3 to 4 inches. Heat over medium-high heat until a deep-frying thermometer reaches 350°F.
9. When the oil reaches the desired temperature, use tongs to put the chicken in the oil. Do not crowd the pan; you might have to fry the chicken in batches. Turn the chicken several times to brown it on all sides. Once it’s lightly browned, let it cook without turning for 18 to 20 minutes. When it’s done, an instant-read thermometer will register about 165°F when inserted into a meaty part of the chicken. (Take a piece of chicken out of the fryer before you check the temp! The oil is very hot)
10. Lift the chicken from the pot and set on a wire rack sitting over a baking sheet to drain. If frying in batches, let the oil regain its temperature before cooking the next batch.
11. Let the chicken cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: So Good

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Today’s Comic