Coq AuVin– Chicago Tribune April 1969

I started today thinking I’d make veal parmesan. Apparently, veal cutlets aren’t a normal addition butchers keep every day in their shops- because I called every single butcher in Petaluma after I went to Petaluma Market and all of them said they could either special order veal or they don’t ever carry it. Bummer. My grandma’s recipes are full of baby animal- lamb and veal. It’s surprising there aren’t any other babies, suckling pig or duckling.

So, I moved through the stack quickly and found a recipe that had ingredients readily available. This coq au vin recipe looked so good. Grandma marked it “V.G., nice flavor.” There’s no date which it was made.

My mom always kept a jar of bacon drippings under the sink. I always figured it was to make sure no fat went down the drain. Grandma always had a pickle jar under the sink for bacon fat too. She got very upset with me when I put the fat drippings from a broiled steak in that jar. The fat was ruined. This recipe calls for a quarter cup of bacon drippings. And I happen to have a pickle jar under the sink full of just that! It really came in handy at Thanksgiving when I put bacon fat under the skin of the turkey- secret’s out but everyone that was there said it was the best turkey they’d ever tasted.

I served this coq au vin with string beans which had been boiled in chicken stock and baked with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Also, I replaced the button mushrooms with baby bellas. 

My in-laws came for dinner tonight and they asked for seconds so I’ll take that as a VG! It’s a total redo.

Coq AuVin– Chicago Tribune April 1969

INGREDIANTS

2 ½ lbs chicken, cut up

¼ cup of flour

¼ tbsp. paprika

¼ cup bacon drippings

1 onion chipped

1 stalk celery chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ tsp. each: thyme and rosemary

1 cup boiling water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

½ to 1 cup red wine

1 can (4 oz) button mushrooms

2 tbsp. chopped parsley

Directions

Coat chicken into seasoned flour. Brown in hot fat. Remove chicken and add onion and celery, garlic, and herbs. Sautee a few minutes. Add any remaining flour to drippings, blend. Mix boiling water and chicken cubes, add with wine to skillet. Cook and stir until thickened. Return chicken, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Add mushrooms and parsley. Cover and cook 30 minutes OR put in casserole and bake covered 350 for 30 minutes.

I used the dutch oven and was able to do every part of the recipe in it besides the beans, which were in a sauce pan and then a cast iron.