Coq au vin for World Food Day

En français ici.
Well since last Sunday, I did lots of baking, and in the middle of the week I baked Zucchini Bread, we interrupt your regularly scheduled Sunday Baking to bring you a little social, world-consciousness...

Ivy of Kopiaste and Val of More Than Burnt Toast have come together to create an international food-blogging event for World Food Day (Oct. 16) to heighten awareness for hunger in the world. The point isn't just to sit around and be depressed about it (a danger in my case, 'cause this sort of stuff makes me feel helpless and depressed!), but to focus on what each of us can do about it by donating to a local food bank or supporting sustainable, local agriculture (joining a CSA, using ingredients that are in season, etc), or contributing to international aide organisations like Action Contre la Faim. (And, I don't want to get too political, but voting for elected officials who support sustainable energy and foreign policy that takes into account some of these issues is helpful too!)

The rules of the event are to create a regional dish from your country or a family favorite that will feed 6 people and send it in. In the roundup after Oct 16th we will create a "conga line of international dishes to feed the world!" Of course, this brings up existential questions: my region? My country? Um... So, I chose a traditional French dish based on a recipe by an English man and translated into American and adapted by me!



Coq au Vin (à la Hopie)
adapted from Mark Crick's Kafka's Soup

Ingredients:

For the marinade:
2 onions
1 bottle red wine (should be a bit of a strong wine, not too fruity)
6-8 juniper berries
1 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds
1 pinch coriander seeds
1 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
3 cloves
1 branch of rosemary
2-3 branches of thyme (or 1 tsp)
a pinch of pepper

For cooking:
1 large chicken or "coq" (if you can find it. My butcher happened to have them and proudly showed me the beautiful comb of the one I chose before chopping its head off and cutting it into piece, at my request, ew, sorry to get graphic, back to the yumminess).
1 large handful of baby onions
7 oz smoked bacon
2 carrots
5 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
3 sticks celery
3 leeks
a pinch of sage
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt

Put the pieces of chicken in a large bowl or pot and prepare the marinade by pouring the wine over it and adding all the other ingredients. Let marinate 48 hours in the fridge, stirring after 24 hours.

When you're ready to cook it, take the chicken out of the marinade and drain. Keep the marinade! Chop the carrots, celery, and leeks (you could peel the carrots before you chop them, especially if they're not organic...). In a pressure cooker (or large pot), heat the olive oil. Put in the baby onions, bacon and pieces of chicken. Brown the chicken, then pour the marinade over it. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, leeks and sage. Salt and close the pressure cooker (or cover the pot). When the pressure cooker starts to sing, cook 35-40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken. If you're using a pot, let simmer at least 1 hour until the meat is tender.


It's not a very photogenic dish, but it's loaded with flavor. I served it with some potatoes and it was delicious.

Serve however you like, but mostly don't hesitate to participate in the World Food Day event. Even if you don't have a blog, you can still create a recipe and email it with a picture to Ivy or Val and they'll post it on their blog!