Coq au Vin is a classic French dish of chicken cooked in red wine, and it's a surprisingly easy way to make delectable chicken. I consulted & tried recipes from several sources to make this one, and it's pretty "doggone close" to what I served my Mum & Dad. (Special thanks to Dave, Jorge, and Josh for NOT getting sick of it in my research)
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb bacon slices
- 20 pearl onions, peeled, if entertaining people who can chew (It makes for a more attractive presentation) or 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 3 lbs of "boneless" (if you can get them) chicken thighs, skin ON (skinless will work too) as well as other chicken pieces. I just find that chicken thighs have the most flavor, and while the bones add additional flavor, you want to avoid the bones when using a Cuisart or blender, and not want to risk serving "pin-bones" to a caregiver-recipient who already may have a swallowing problem.
- 7 or 8 garlic cloves, peeled
- Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups red wine (Pinot noir, Burgundy, or Zinfandel. Gosh...even a Merlot would work)
- 3 bay leaves
- Several fresh thyme sprigs
- Several fresh parsley sprigs
- 1/2 lb button mushrooms, trimmed and roughly chopped
- 2 Tbsp butter
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Blanch the bacon to remove some of its saltiness. Drop the bacon into a saucepan of cold water, covered by a couple of inches. Bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, drain. Rinse in cold water, pat dry with paper towels. Cut the bacon into 1 inch by 1/4 inch pieces.
- Brown bacon on medium high heat in a dutch oven big enough to hold the chicken, about 10 minutes. Remove the cooked bacon, set aside. Keep the bacon fat in the pan. Add onions and chicken, skin side down. Brown the chicken well, on all sides, about 10 minutes. Halfway through the browning, add the garlic and sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. (Note: it is best to add salt while cooking it, not just at the very end. It brings out the flavor of the chicken.)
- Spoon off any excess fat. Add the chicken stock, wine, and herbs. Add back the bacon. Lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until chicken is tender and cooked through. You should then remove the chicken and onions to a separate platter. Also remove the bay leaves, herb sprigs, garlic, and discard them.
- Add mushrooms to the remaining liquid and turn the heat to high. Boil quickly and reduce the liquid by three fourths until it becomes thick and saucy. Lower the heat, stir in the butter. Return the chicken and onions to the pan to reheat and coat with sauce. Adjust seasoning. Garnish with parsley and serve.
- Now if you are serving caregiving recipients who have chewing difficulties, you garnish the plate...NOT the food!
Serves 4. Serve with potatoes or over egg noodles works too.
Swallowing & chewing difficulties often develop with
PLUS...There's additional millions of mothers helping their baby boys & girls make their transition from mother's milk and baby formula to solid food.
Any given day, OVER 30 MILLION
Americans are affected!
This includes my late Mum (complications from her Parkinson's) and my late Dad (in his final stage of his cancer). Now don't get me wrong, I hold the cable Television Food Network and their talented, charismatic TV Chefs in high regard, esteem, respect, and admiration. And indeed, caregiving has its emotional and spiritual rewards, but I'm not going to deceive you...IT'S NOT FUN! It's a huge commitment in both time and responsibility. I'm going to present some recipes for the "chewing-impaired" that have worked for me as a caregiver.
Until I was formally-trained, I was able to get a job as a chef simply from learning from my Mum (“Cook With Your Kids”), applying for the job with a $3 used chef coat from a Salvation Army Thrift Store, and what I learned from former shows on the Food Network from Emeril Lagasse, Sara Moulton, and the incredible David Rosengarten and his early informative show “Taste”.* Here's our message to the Food Network:
On behalf of the millions of American diners with chewing & swallowing difficulties, we challenge E.W. Scripps, Chef Rachel Ray, Chef Paula Deen AND her sons, Chef Emeril Lagasse, Chef Bobby Flay (It's a "THROWDOWN Challenge" for YOU), Chef Mario Batali, Chef Sara Moulton, Chef Tyler Florence, Chef Michael Chiarello, Chef Sandra Lee, Chef Giada De Laurentiis, Chef/Independent filmaker Alton Brown (We have a friend + supporters at an "offshore sportsbook" and their hospital & nursing home that favors him 9:4 to succeed first in dedicating a 20-22 minute minimum show to those who are chewing and swallowing-challenged, Tyler Florence 6:1 second, Sara Mouton 9:1 third, Bobby Flay 10:1 fourth...I personally thought the leader would be Chef Emeril with his formal French culinary training. Myself, my associates of the United States Christian Nursing Home and Caregiver Association, E.W. Scripps, CaregiverHelp.org, the Food Network and their respective Production Companies are NOT allowed to participate in the wagering. We suppose we're underdogs even getting any of them to help.) Chef Mario Batali, Chef Ina Garten, Chef Dave Lieberman, Chef Ellie Krieger, Chef Robin Miller, Chef Ceci Carmichael, Chef Dan Smith & Chef Steve McDonagh, Chef Wolgang Puck (whose 4am broadcast time indicates to us that Ms. Brooke Bailey Johnson, President of the Food Network must be angry at him or something bacause it's a great show) and even new Chef Guy Fieri....
Floribbean Breakfast Smoothie
from the upcoming "The Caregiver Cookbook" by Jason Seidler
For those who are chewing and/or swallowing-impaired, this is a nutitional recipe that's a bright and refreshing way to start your day. It wasn't always so bright getting up at 5:40am each morning after multiple times to get up to help my parents get up and need to be lifted to the porta-potty, which is why I start my book with Chapter 2, "Wake Up and Smell the Coffee...Because You'll Likely Be Making It". But this is GREAT for the "chewing-challenged" and even those who commute to work, and it is one of the reasons I lost 100 lbs.
Ingredients
- 4 scoops of Breyers' "No Sugar Added" Vanilla Ice Cream
- 1 cup of Tropicana Orange-Pineapple Juice
- 2 packets Equal (aspartame)
- 1 12 oz can of Papaya nectar (found in the Int'l food aisle)
- 1 banana
- 1 cup of 1% milk or type of your choosing
- 1 "Variety Pack" .81 oz Box of Kellogg's "Special K" cereal
- optional 2 oz of Grand Marnier Liqeur
Instructions
Put it all in a blender/food processor and blend until smooth.
Serves 2-4
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