National Coq au Vin Day

There are many reasons to celebrate and did you know our calendar observes a National Coq au Vin Day? Roosters cooked in wine are the main course on May 29th but you can enjoy this great recipe on any day of the year. Replace rooster for hen if you like.


Today I wanted to talk about Coq au Vin in honor of National Coq au Vin Day. They say this is a French recipe that ends up like a stew. I don't know if it's considered a stew or not, I just know I love the recipe. 

It's made with chicken, carrots, mushrooms and onions. You know the staple foods in stews. Now that I think about it... there's no potatoes in this recipe which is also a staple for stews. This recipe is made with the whole pieces of chicken instead of chunks of chicken like a normal stew is made. Hummmm so is it a stew or not? What do you think?

Anyway I love to make this recipe in the winter when it's cold. Mainly because I slowlyyyy stew it for a long time and it just gets the house to hot in the summer time. I know the recipe says to cook it for 90 minutes but like most of us cooks we adjust the recipe to suit. Now one of the reasons I love this recipe is because you have to fry the chicken first. I know what your thinking. That means the dish is going to take a bit of time to make but it's worth the wait I promise. I have the recipe on my website if you would like to go check out the ingredients. Recipe Here

The spice Asafoetida is used in this recipe but I never add it. I had to go to my herb dictionary and wiki to find out some spice facts about it and ended up just using leeks. 
It says "(also known as devil's dung, stinking gum, asant, food of the gods, giant fennel, Jowani badian, hing and ting) is the dried latex (gum oleoresin) exuded from the living underground rhizome or tap root of several species of Ferula, which is a perennial herb (1 to 1.5 m high). The species is native to the mountains of Afghanistan, and is mainly cultivated in nearbyIndia. Asafoetida has a pungent, unpleasant smell when raw, but in cooked dishes, it delivers a smooth flavor, reminiscent of leeks.

Red and White Turkey Chili Recipe

January is Soup Month and January 6 is National Bean Day so I picked this Pillsbury recipe to post in their honor. I don't know is this soup... is this chili... or is this stew? Oh well I'm posting it anyway in honor of soup and beans. :) I actually made this the day after New Years. I love any recipe that includes great northern beans and I had a cup of left over black eyed peas from New Years so I added that to it as well. It was actually really good and the brown and tan color scheme seemed warming some how. lol!  We at it in front of a blazing fireplace and enjoyed every bite.

Red and White Turkey Chili Recipe 
Originally uploaded by Pillsbury.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 can (15.5 oz) great northern beans, drained
1 can (15 oz) Progresso® dark red kidney beans, drained
2 cans (4.5 oz each) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles, undrained
3 1/2 cups Progresso® chicken broth
2 lb turkey thighs, skin removed
1 cup Green Giant® frozen white shoepeg corn, thawed
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup water
1 lime, cut into wedges, if desired

DIRECTIONS:

1. Spray 4- to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients except turkey, corn, flour, water and lime in cooker. Place turkey on bean mixture. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.

2. Place turkey on cutting board. Remove meat from bones; discard bones. Cut turkey into bite-size pieces. Add turkey and corn to cooker. In small bowl, mix flour and water; stir into turkey mixture. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated and slightly thickened.

outdoor cooking in a cauldron

Photo pick: Outdoor cooking session

I do more outdoor cooking in a cauldron during the Autumn season than any other time of the year. Grant you fire side cooking that in tells of roasted weenies and fiery marshmallows on chocolate and peanutbutter take first place in the summer time but when the weather gets cold, out comes the cauldron. (smores)

Simmer slowly in a pot:
When it's cold outside I like to stew meals that will simmer slowly so I can watch the fall colors of the fire turning yellow, orange and red. I love to hear the sound of the ambers popping and cracking with the rythem of each little stewing bubble too. Sitting by the fire watching the food cook is so relaxing. The food smells good and the fire feels so warm. This is truly a favorite thing to do.

My very favorite meals to cauldron:
When it's cold outside my first choice is chili. It doesn't matter if it's red chili or white chili, I just love chili. I guess that's the first choice for most people isint it? I mean really, who doesn't like chili con carna? Hummm... my husband doesn't that's who. Yep I don't cook it very often because my hubby just doesn't care for beans. Disappointing for me but I still sneak it in when company is coming over. Other cauldron favorites are harvest stews and brunswich stew. And oh yes... for Halloween I have to make a stewing pot of my witches black brew stew. My stew is purple/ black in color and full of gross looking veggies like mushrooms, turnip greens and such. Cook up some corn bread on the fire to go with it and you have nothing more than a warming good meal.

Enjoy Life: Have some outdoor cooking in a cauldron. It's fun!
If you enjoy cauldron cooking let us know. We would love to hear your story.
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 In need of a cauldron? Amazon.com has them!