A case of 2005 Californian Gamay Beaujolais Noveau

As all of us wine buffs know, Beaujolais Nouveau needs to be drunk pretty soon after bottling. I had this case of wine from Trader Joe’s, www.traderjoes.com (a speciality food and drink shop here in the USA) way back in 2005 and due to travelling and other stuff going on, I never got around to drinking it.

I was attempting to tidy out a few cupboards the other day and came across the case of wine. I knew it was there but it had slipped way back in the recesses of my brain. So I thought I’d have to do something with this wine, even if it’s just to clear the drains.

I tried a bottle to drink, it wasn’t too bad it still tasted like wine and not vinegar. But after a few glasses I thought, no not for drinking. Instead of just clearing the drains I thought, I must be able to cook with this. But I needed recipes that used whole bottles of wine. The first two that came to mind were “Coq au Vin” and “Boeuf Bourguignon”.

The recipes I had needed a wine with more body Like a Pinot noir or Merlot, something like a Bordaux. But for a whole bottle of best wine, that seemed extravagant. I did add a little from wine I had left over from unfinished bottles. I never throw unused wine away.

Unless of course, you’ve dribbled in the glass.

First a recipe for the Coq au vin, it’s easier. The Bourguignon can be a fiddly dish to prepare.


This can be cooked in your microwave and electric wok. You can prepare the wine mixture in your microwave. Careful not to let it bowl over using the low power or defrost settings.
Using the electric wok makes it easier to control the heat settings to simmer.


As it takes a while to cook and you need to keep an eye on what's happening, it's best to have a nice friend with you and a bottle of wine with some light snacks. Smoked oysters on crackers or thin toast are my preference.


Coq au Vin Recipe.

Ingredients

1 bottle pinot noir
 (or as I did a bottle of 2005 Beaujolais)

1 chopped carrot,                                             
1 chopped stick of celery.

1 small onion, cut into quarters


4 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed with a knife,

Plus 1 peeled and finely sliced.

1 or 2 bay leaves. Small bunch of thyme

1 tbsp butter


150g Of thick streaky bacon cut into thick chunks. 
Better if you can get a single piece.

2 tbsp plain flour


4 chicken thighs, 2 chicken legs

20 baby onions or 10 shallots, peeled but left whole.
 (drop them briefly in boiling water first to loosen the peel)


20 button mushrooms, or 10 white mushrooms, quartered.

4 tbsp cognac.

Method

1. Pour the wine into a saucepan and add the carrot, celery, onion, crushed garlic, bay leaf and 4 sprigs of thyme. Bring to the boil, let it simmer away to reduce by half, then strain and discard the flavourings.

2. Heat the butter over a medium-high heat in a large, heavy-based pan with a lid and then add the bacon. Cook until golden, then lift out with a slotted spoon and put aside. Meanwhile, tip the flour on to a plate and season well. Roll in the chicken pieces to coat them.

3. Put the chicken in the pan, in batches if necessary, and brown well on all sides, then lift out and put with the bacon. Your bacon should have given off enough fat for there still to be enough in the pan for the next stage, but if not, add another tablespoon of butter or a glug of olive oil.

4. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the onions or shallots. Cook for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until they are beginning to caramelise, then add the mushrooms and the sliced garlic and cook for a further 4 minutes, then lift out of the pan and set aside (but not with the chicken).

5. Turn up the heat, pour a little of the reduced wine into the pan and scrape the bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon, then put in the chicken and the bacon, keeping a few bits of the bacon back as garnish. Pour over the brandy and set it alight, then, when the flames have gone out, add the rest of the wine and thyme leaves. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat, cover and simmer gently for an hour.

6. Add the onions, mushrooms and garlic and simmer for another 20 minutes, keeping the lid only half on this time. Taste for seasoning and serve with the rest of the bacon sprinkled over the top.

I served with roast small potatoes un-peeled, a mixture of red and white potatoes adds a nice touch. I washed the potatoes and boiled for 5 minutes in the microwave before roasting in a little olive oil.

I heated the oil then added the potatoes coating them with oil and cooked till starting to brown.

Any colourful vegetable adds nice touch. Asparagus is in season so that’s what I served. You can never go wrong with baby carrots and broccoli.


For a wine I'd suggest a good quality red. A Pinot Noir or a Merlot. I like the Malbec you can get from Argentina.

 If you're making it the day before eating, which will improve its flavour, then lift the solidified fat off the top before reheating. Healthier without all the fat.