Coq au Vin

Last year i got a phone call from a friend that she had 2 older roosters that were causing trouble in her coop and she needed to get rid of them. so here we go, me ,Eric and Cannon to her farm to get the roosters, not gonna get into details but the roosters made it home in a plastic bag. Decided on instead of plucking them which would have taken hours, just to skin them and clean them up. Much easier job and it only took about 30 minutes to clean both. So here i have 2 old roosters and no idea of what to do with them. Decided finally on "Original Coq au Vin", it took days in the fridge soaked in wine and herbs to soften the meat but it worked perfectly well.I made fresh spatzle with brown butter and sage and french bread to go with it and it was amazing! Today i have a chicken, a lot easier process and tasty but definetely not the same meal, so if you have access to a rooster once try and make it the original way.

Ingredients:

4 ounces good bacon diced
1 (3 to 4-pound) chicken, cut in 8ths

Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 pound carrots, cut diagonally in 1-inch pieces
1 large yellow onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 bottle (375 ml) good dry red wine such as Burgundy or Pinot Noir
1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
Fresh thyme
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 lb. frozen small whole onions
1/2 pound white mushrooms, stems removed and thickly sliced
Fresh parsley chopped

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottom pan(Dutch Oven). Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Meanwhile, lay the chicken out on paper towels and pat dry. Liberally sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. When the bacon is removed, brown the chicken pieces in batches in a single layer for about 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Remove the chicken to the plate with the bacon and continue to brown until all the chicken is done. Set aside.

Add the carrots, onions, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Brandy and put the bacon, chicken, and any juices that collected on the plate into the pot. Add the wine, chicken stock, and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven for  45 minutes, until the chicken is just not pink. Remove from the oven and place on top of the stove.
Mash 1 tablespoon of butter and the flour together and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. In a medium saute pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the mushrooms over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until browned. Add to the stew. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for another 20 minutes.Sprinkle with fresh parsley and season to taste. Serve over brown buttered egg noodles and a slice of french bread.

Marinated Flank Steak and White Bean Puree Bruschetta

Once a month i take a trip to Costco to check out what they have , last week while there i found some really fresh and good looking Flank Steak . Decided on making Bruschetta with white bean puree and topped with the grilled flank steak and caramelized onions, YUMMMM!!! I'll add the recipe for the white bean puree next. Flank Steak should be served medium rare or the meat will toughen up.

1 Flank Steak about 2 lb.
2 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of rice vinegar
3 cloves of garlic chopped
Salt and pepper to taste ( be careful when salting it since the soy sauce has a lot of sodium)
a few drops of hot sauce if you like it spicy

Whisk all ingredients but the steak in a bowl . Place steak in a large ziplock bag and pour the marinate on it. Refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 24 hours.

Remove the bag from the refrigerator 1 hour prior to cooking so the steak won't be cold when grilled. You should always have your meat at room temperature before you cook it.
Preheat a outside grill to 500F, or if you want to use a grill pan on your stove top, just get it sizzling hot before you cook the steak.
Place the meat on the grill and cook on high for 4-5 minutes per side. Remove the meat from the grill and place on a cutting board, let the meat rest for 10 minutes. With a sharp knife slice it against the grain, the thinner the tastier!

White Bean Puree:

1 can of canelini beans

1 Tablespoon of EVOO

3 cloves of garlic chopped

1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary chopped

S&P to taste

Heat olive oil and add garlic and rosemary to it. Add beans and season to taste .Puree in a food processor.

Caramelized Onions:

2 large yellow onions sliced thin

1 tablespoon of butter

2 tablespoons of EVOO

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 tablespoons of sugar

Heat olive oil and butter and add onions ,sugar ,S&P and stir it. Cook on low for about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Rub slices of italian bread with garlic and EVOO and toast them lightly. Spread a thin layer of the bean puree on the bread and top it with slices of flank steak and caramelized onions . On the picture i served with Roasted butternut squash and roasted apple soup.

Italian Meatballs

In my mind unless you know the butcher and see him grinding your meat, it's ok to buy it otherwise pre-packaged ground meat does not look very appealing to me( who knows what's in that meat!) . So i have a grinder attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer and i buy whole pieces of sirloin , pork , chicken,... and grind it myself. The fresh ground meat tastes so different, so much fresher! But feel free to use the store bought ground meat if you chose.

Ingredients:
1 lb. of Ground Sirloin
1 lb. of Ground Pork ( you can use the loin if you prefer it leaner or a piece of a shoulder or Boston butt where there will be a lot more fat to it)
4-5 slices of day old italian bread cubed
2 eggs beaten
1 cup of milk
1 large yellow onion
3-5 cloves of garlic
Fresh parsley, chopped
Fresh basil, chopped
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
splash of olive oil
Tomato sauce or 3 large jars of store bought tomato sauce of your choice


mix the eggs and milk and soak the bread in it for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl mix all the above ingredients use my hands just because i like giving the meat a nice rub. The love to cook should be felt by the food , everything tastes better that way!!!
Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. With a large spoon scoop out the meat mixture and form balls about the size of a tennis ball. Lay them on top of prepared cookie sheet, you should get between 20 and 24 meatballs. Put them in the oven for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile heat up your tomato sauce. When meatballs are done remove them from the oven and transfer them carefully with a large spatula into your tomato sauce and bring it to a simmer  , let them cook for another 40 minutes on low. Serve them with Spaghetti aioli.