Coq au Vin - Rooster with Wine

Coq au Vin - Rooster with Wine

1 yellow onion sliced in half rings
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 stalks celery cut in bite sized pieces
4 garlic cloves sliced thin
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 large carrots cut in bit sized pieces
half a bottle of hearty red wine usually burgundy
1/4 cup brandy or cognac
3 cups water or chicken stock
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 package of frozen peas, 8 ounces
1 pint large button mushrooms quartered, or small halved
4 chicken thighs cut into eighths

Coq au Vin is one of Julia Child's signature dishes. It sounds fancy but traditionally this is a peasant dish made with a whole rooster harvested on a farm in the French countryside. Needless to say if you're using a rooster you'll need to cook it a good long while to tenderize it. Today I'm using chicken thighs because that's what I have on hand. In addition celery and peas would not have been included. Bacon slices would have been used to sauté the vegetables rather than olive oil and pearl onions would have been added, but I don't have those on hand. I cooked the vegetables till they were tender, then added the peas and the chicken at the end and cooked another 1/2 hour till tender. You could serve the Coq au Vin over rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes. I decided boiled potatoes would be appropriate. Those partaking may choose to smash the boiled potatoes. That's what I did the potatoes are under the serving of the coq au vin. Serve with some crusty French bread to soak up all the juices.