Coq Au Vin with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

It's been a while since I post any recipes on this blog.

During my absence, I found a love within myself that grew to make room to love another. This was a huge accomplishment for me... Before I started soul searching I was unsure that I could fall in love the same way I had since my first love. He made it easy for me to fall in love with him and I accepted the vulnerability that coincided with love. It was an amazing experience which I believe will continue through a great friendship even after he leaves.

However, the thought of his absence does leave an aching and emptiness in my heart. Thoughts of him kept running through my head over and over again today. Those thoughts and feeling of emptiness was manifested by a loss of appetite. But I knew I needed to eat. And in order to eat, I needed to stop thinking and get distracted.

I ran across a cooking book at Barnes & Noble. Not only did it re-spark my passion for cooking but it is good way to be distracted. I chose Coq au Vin because it is a dish requiring a bit more attention. I found out it is a dish commonly served for the cold winter nights in France (which is a perfect metaphor for the way my soul was feeling).

Being that it is actually the middle of the summer, I substituted dry red wine for a crisp and light white wine.

Recipe for Coq au Vin:

3 chicken thighs skinless, boneless
flour
thyme, chopped
salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 cup pearl onions
3 garlic cloves, bruised
1/4 cup canadian bacon/pancetta, sliced into 1/4"
1/2 cup wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tbsp tomato paste
3 dried bay leaves
thyme

1. Add flour, thyme, and salt to ziploc bag. Add the chicken thighs, seal and mix until well coated. Remove chicken from bag and lightly tap off excess flour mixture.

2. Heat skillet with olive oil on medium-high heat. Add chickens. Lightly brown them by flipping over continuously. Remove chicken off heat and place them onto side, still pink inside.

3. As chicken is cooking, boil a pot of water. In a bowl pour the hot water on top of the pearl onions. Let it sit for a while. Peel the skin of the soaked onions by cutting the ends. Halve the onions and set aside.

4. Heat skillet with olive oil on medium-high heat. Saute garlic cloves for 1 minute. Add carrots, mushrooms, pearl onions, and bacon to the pan and saute for 2 minutes. Add wine, chicken broth, and tomato paste to the mixture. Let it simmer briefly before adding the chicken.

5. Cover the pan and let the sauce reduce to half.

6. Add the bay leaves and thyme at the very end.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes: