coq au vin

barefoot contessa offers so many great recipes in her back to the basics cookbook.  i decided to try coq au vin for our valentine's day dinner this year.  we stayed home and had a delicious meal prepared in a small amount of time.

this classic french stew made with red wine is a very satisfying winter dinner.  most recipes call for an all day process, but ina suggested a great recipe that was not only delicious, but very romantic. i made a couple of changes to the recipe, but basically followed her directions.

here is my version, which was super.

preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large dutch oven and add 4 slices of bacon.  brown the bacon and remove from the pot.  remove excess bacon fat. sprinkle 6 small chicken thighs with salt and pepper.  add chicken to the pot and brown about 5 minutes on each side.  remove the chicken from the pot and place alongside bacon.

add 1 white chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped celery, 1/2 cup chopped carrots, 1 teaspoon thyme and about 2 teaspoons minced garlic.  cook to soften about 5 minutes.  add 1 tablespoon tomato paste and cook another minute.  stir in 12 ounces of Cabernet sauvignon and bring mixture to a boil.

cook about 10 minutes or until the mixture reduces, stirring from time to time.  return chicken to the pot and add 2 cups of fat free, lower sodium chicken broth and bring again to a simmer.

cover the pot and place in the oven for about 40 to 45 minutes.  remove from the oven and add 2 tablespoons of margarine, with about 4 ounces of frozen pearl onions.  stir and add 8 ounces of button mushrooms which have been sauteed in a small amount of margarine, while the chicken was baking in the oven. add crumbled prepared bacon.

bring to a simmer for about 10 more minutes.  serve in large bowls as is, or with a small amount of egg noodles.  served with fresh cooked asparagus and crusty bread, this was a meal to remember.