Nurturance

The weather has finally turned cold and it’s time to start making winter dishes which are some of my favorites as a cook. Especially Coq au vin: 

• 1 five-pound chicken, cut into pieces

• Flour for dredging

• ½ cup butter 

• 1 slice raw ham, diced

• 10 small whole onions

• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 

• 1 sprig thyme

• 1 sprig parsley

• 1 bay leaf

• 8 whole mushrooms

• Salt and pepper

• 2 ounces (1/4cup) warmed cognac

• 1 cup dry red wine

Coq au Vin is the signature dish in my culinary repertoire. I use Craig Claiborne's recipe from the tattered New Times Cookbook that was given to me by my sister for my first Christmas as a newlywed in 1975. My mother had died earlier that year leaving my sister Dianne, just 14 years-old, to cook for my father. Did she try to use the Craig Claiborne cookbook that I had given my mother many Christmases before? She's now a wonderful cook. Often, we share recipes and gift one another cookbooks to this day.

Having spent several years in France as a student, I loved learning to make the traditional foods that had comforted me when I was far away from home. Coq au vin is relatively easy to prepare and a perennial people pleaser. I have made it for festive parties of eight and for intimate dinners with my husband, who claims it's his favorite. My stepson Ben says he learned to cook by watching and eventually assisting me as I prepared this classic. I have made it so many times that I have made it my own, tweaking the ingredients to better suit my diners' palates. Chicken thighs, shallots instead of the impossible-to-peel pearl onions, sometimes bacon instead of ham, and double the number of mushrooms. 

The result is rich and fragrant. Friends gathered around the table ask for seconds and more red wine, please. There are stories and laughter. Someone volunteers to clear and clean the dishes and I savor the feeling that I have nurtured my guests with more than the meal.