« First World Problems... | Main | Gun Thread: Vacation Over Edition! »

Food Thread: Using A Coq Is A Cock Up!

Coq au Vin! Oh...grow up. Not that kind of coq! In fact, I didn't use a coq...I used a couple of fryers, because the dirty little secret of this most famous French dish is that by the time the old rooster has been braised into tenderness, it's pretty tasteless. But the sauce is delicious, so that's why they serve it with something to soak it up...good potatoes or even noodles. In my case it was a cheesy polenta and a loaf of sourdough.

There's nothing particularly complicated about the recipe, but this is one of those rarities where the original just isn't quite as good as a carefully thought out modern version. For instance, instead of braising for hours in red wine, I marinated the chicken in the wine for a couple of hours. That way it picked up plenty of flavor but didn't overcook. And I cooked the thighs and wings (about an hour) longer than the breasts (20 minutes, and it should have been a bit less), because...duh!

Aside from that I think I kept it pretty straightforward. And the results were delicious. And since it is a braise (quick...yes...but still a braise), I made it on Thursday for Saturday's dinner, and it worked just fine. In fact, it was probably better after a couple of days.

And yes, now you get the obligatory, "The pompous nonsense about using a wine you would happily drink is stupid, not backed up by experience, and is a total waste of money." I want to drink a $100 Burgundy with my Coq au Vin (I didn't but still...). Should I buy an extra bottle just so I can cook with it? NO! Cooking destroys most of the subtlety of wine, and what you are left with is the bare bones, which can be gotten very cheaply from any $7 wine from a reputable store. I used a $6.99 bottle of California Syrah, and since there was some left over after cooking, I tasted it. And it was fine. Fruit, tannin, maybe a bit of acid. Plain, generic wine, but perfect for my needs!

******
Boneless chicken wings can have bones, Ohio Supreme Court rules

The headline is a bit deceptive, because obviously they want idiots like me to click. The reality is a bit saner, but frankly, I am so sick of the whining and whinging from all sides of the food safety debate that a pox on both houses!

Republicans on the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that bones are a natural part of chicken so a consumer should be on guard for them -- even in boneless wings

Their arguments are dumb, balanced by the arguments on the other side, which are at least as dumb.

Yes, the guy was injured by a bone in what was advertised as "boneless." But "sh*t happens." Holding all of society to impossible standards...essentially perfection...is a recipe for a riskless society that descends rapidly into sclerosis. At the risk of expanding this profoundly stupid lawsuit into a critique of American culture in the 21st Century, it exposes the rapidly expanding fear of everything that has infected us.

We are terrified of the weather, of pesticides, of kidnappers, of tainted food and water, of cars that aren't 100% safe, of mean words, of playgrounds not lined with three feet of padding.

We need to return to the America of yore, when risk was managed, and sometimes embraced as the price we paid for achievements that astounded all of us. Most of us are here because our ancestors took a huge risk. Let's get back to that mindset, and eat "boneless chicken wings" without undue worry.

******
Sicilian Girl is a nice website that thankfully hasn't fallen into that horrendously irritating habit of 37 paragraphs of link-laden bullsh*t before the reader gets to the recipe.

I also checked with Rondinella Momma, who knows a thing or two about Sicily, and she gave her stamp of approval. And since she is singing in Sicily as I write this, I am going to take that stamp seriously!

******
Naturalfake was recently in Spain, and aside from raving about The Prado, Spain's national museum, he sent this along. And I am in awe! Octopus and Waffles?

It's a weird combination, but then Chicken and Waffles is a weird combination until you try it, so I will reserve judgement.

He still shakes his Manhattans, which is an affront to all that is good and fine and pure about cocktails, so don't take him too seriously!

******
Here's another installment in the never-ending saga of bald-faced lies about inflation that come out of our pathetic excuse for a government. Parsley? Doubled! Onions? More than doubled. Butter? Up at least 75%.

All of which is a result of filthy greedy corporations profiting on the backs of American citizens....right?

******
I was poking around Jamie Oliver's website, looking for interesting stuff to cook, or at least suggest that one of you maniacs cook it and report back. He has a new (to me) section for "Healthy Recipes," which irritates the f*ck out of me. Who the hell is he to say whether a recipe is healthy. In fact, you poncy Brit wimp, your grammar sucks. A recipe can be "healthful, not "healthy."

Anyway, I saw this: Homemade salt beef. As far as I can tell, it's corned beef, but the name "salt beef" has connotations of British ships of the line battling storms as they make their way into the Med to do battle with the French and Spanish navies, Lord Nelson seasick in his cabin, and sailors eating moldy hard tack and rancid salt beef.

Or maybe I am reading too much into it...

******
For those of you who like the edges of brownies!

******

[Hat Tip: Misanthropic Humanitarian]

******
Good butter, and Flap Meat...whatever the hell that is...just send it, Broccolini that isn't $6/bunch, garlic...lots of garlic!, well-marbled hanger steaks and elk chops to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.

Who are those poor deluded souls who shake their Manhattans? These are the same people who drink fine bourbon with coke, and probably shake red wine with ice too.

My and the world's patience has run out. Shaken Manhattans henceforth will be banished to the land of Long Island Ice Teas and Frozen Strawberry Margaritas.

And yes, I used to demand fancy bourbon, but let's face it, $1,200 for a bottle of bourbon is just stupid, insulting, and a ghastly affront to most people's palates and wallets. I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.