Coq au vin tonight - but no vino left for me

Pushing the boat out today and cooking Coq au Vin for tea in the slow cooker. Real earth mother stuff this ... So I’ve fried the bacon lardons and browned the chicken pieces and now I’ve discovered I’ve no carrots in the fridge (proof that I do manage to get the twins to eat veg but only if it’s raw, unpeeled and they can steal it). Oh well, undaunted I’ve found a rather limp looking leek lurking where the carrots used to be and I reckon that’ll do. It’s joined the shallots and garlic and now horror of horrors I find I have to add a WHOLE bottle of red wine! Who on earth wrote this recipe – obviously not a mother of three who was banking on being able to down at least one glass of red later on (that means sometime after 4 p.m. and exactly when will be determined by how nicely the little darlings play together this afternoon).

Ok I’ve got over the wine disappointment by deciding to open another bottle, drink at least half of it before hubby gets home so that he thinks it’s been used in the cooking thus leaving just enough for a glass for each of us with dinner. I’ll let you know what it tastes like tomorrow (that’s if I manage to resist the other half of the bottle and can actually remember what it tastes like!) Here’s the recipe just in case it’s good and you want to try it yourself.

Ingredients

3tbsp olive oil

200g/7oz bacon lardons

4 chicken legs

6tbsp plain flour

200g/7oz shallots, peeled

2 red onions, chopped (oops just realised I didn’t have these either)

250g/9oz carrots (or a limp leek!)

70cl bottle red wine

4 sprigs of rosemary

4 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

125g/4oz button mushrooms (only had bigger ones so quartered them – seems ok)

400ml/14fl oz chicken stock

Method

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan, add bacon lardons and fry for a few minutes ‘til golden. Tip into slow cooker. Season chicken and sprinkle with flour. Fry for a few minutes to brown, then put into slow cooker.

2. Pan-fry shallots, onions and carrots for a few minutes, then pour in wine and add rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Pour vegetables, wine, mushrooms and hot stock into slow cooker. Season, cover and cook on the high setting for 4 hrs, or low setting for 8 hrs. Serve with creamy mash or potatoes.

Enjoy!