Cooking for Two (13 page)

C
oq au vin is traditionally a two-day affair of marinating chicken in wine, then slowly building a stew with layered flavors. Wonderful, yes, if not exactly everyday cooking, whether made for two or twenty. But streamlined somewhat, it’s still soothing and delicious—here, a deeply-flavored stew of chicken quarters and bacon cooked in red wine. Serve this casserole on a bed of mashed potatoes, mashed acorn squash, a scoop of white rice, or egg noodles. Use half of a standard 750-ml bottle of wine, preferably a dark Rhône bottling like a Gigondas, for the chicken, and drink the rest with dinner; or buy a “split” of red wine, a 375-ml bottle, and use all of it in this dish.

1.
Heat a 3-quart Dutch oven or 3-quart pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and fry about 5 minutes, or until very crisp, turning a few times. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the rendered fat in the pot.

2.
With the pot still over medium heat, add the chicken and brown it for 6 minutes, turning once. You may need to shake the pan vigorously or nudge the chicken pieces around the pan to keep them from sticking. Remove the chicken to the plate with the bacon. Do not remove any of the pan drippings; maintain the heat under the pot.

3.
Add the onion and garlic; cook for just 1 minute, stirring constantly, then stir in the flour, incorporating it thoroughly into the fat in the pan. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes, or until the flour begins to brown, stirring constantly.

4.
Raise the heat to medium-high and pour in the wine, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for about 1 minute, or until the wine is reduced and somewhat thickened. Return the bacon, chicken pieces, and any accumulated juices to the pot. Stir in the thyme, rosemary, celery seed, and bay leaf. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes.

5.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet or sauté pan set over medium heat. Add the mushrooms; cook for 4 minutes, or until they give off their liquid, stirring occasionally.

6.
Carefully add the Grand Marnier or brandy to the skillet with the mushrooms. Stand back—the alcohol can ignite. (If it does, cover the skillet and remove it from the heat for 20 seconds to put the flames out.) Continue cooking for about 3 additional minutes, scraping up any browned bits in the pan, until the liquid reduces to a glaze. Cover and set aside off the heat.

7.
After the chicken has cooked for 30 minutes, stir the cooked mushrooms and any of their pan juices into the pot. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook for about 5 more minutes, to thicken somewhat. Serve immediately.

Coq au vin is often finished with a little red currant jelly, melted into the stew for the last 10 minutes of cooking. It gives the dish a sweet, slightly sour taste, very authentic and quite good. If you choose this traditional finish for the casserole, use only brandy, not the far sweeter Grand Marnier, to deglaze the pan with the mushrooms.

P
OTATO
and
S
PINACH
C
ASSEROLE
makes
a 1-quart casserole

I
n this vegetarian casserole, thin potato slices are used like wide flat noodles, separating the layers of creamy spinach.

1.
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a shallow 1-quart casserole dish and set it aside.

2.
Fill a large bowl with water. Peel the potato and cut it in half lengthwise. Use a vegetable peeler to make long, thin strips, like noodles, from the cut side of the potato, letting the strips fall into the water as they are sliced off.

3.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Drain the potato slices, blot them dry with paper towels, then boil the slices for 2 minutes, or just until they lose their raw, crunchy feel but not until they are cooked through. Drain, refresh with cold water, then set aside.

4.
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small skillet or sauté pan set over low heat. Add the onion and soften for about 4 minutes, or until golden, stirring frequently. Cool for 5 minutes off the heat.

5.
Scrape the onions and any butter left in the pan into a food processor fitted with the chopping blade or into a large blender. Add the spinach, eggs, feta, dill, parsley, pepper, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse six or seven times, until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Alternatively, place all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk them until smooth. This hand-whisked mixture will not be as creamy as the one from a food processor.

6.
Now build the casserole. Divide the potato slices into four equal portions. Use one-fourth to cover the bottom of the casserole, overlapping the slices as necessary to create a solid layer. Top with one-third of the spinach mixture. Then use another quarter of the potato slices to create another layer. Top this with half the remaining spinach mixture. Make a third layer of potatoes, then top with the remaining spinach mixture. Finally, top with the remaining potato slices.

7.
Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan set over low heat or in a small dish in the microwave on high for 20 seconds. Pour the melted butter over the casserole, then bake for 40 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned. Let stand for 5 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Stir 2 tablespoons of any of the following into the spinach mixture before layering it in the casserole dish: chopped roasted chickpeas, golden raisins, sliced blanched almonds, toasted pepitás, toasted pine nuts.

N
O
-F
RY
E
GGPLANT
P
ARMESAN
makes
2 servings

W
e love eggplant parmesan, but we’re the first to admit it can sometimes be a greasy mess. So we set about to make a lighter, healthier dish. Here, the eggplant slices aren’t fried; they’re salted, drained, lightly coated with olive oil, and then baked before they’re layered in the dish with cheese and an herbed tomato sauce.

1.
Sprinkle the eggplant slices with ½ teaspoon of the salt. Stack them vertically in a colander, or lay them out on paper towels to drain. If they’re laid on paper towels, they should be turned once while draining. Let stand for 30 minutes, then blot dry with clean paper towels. Meanwhile, position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F.

2.
Rub 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into the eggplant slices, place them on a lipped baking sheet to catch any drips, and bake for 15 minutes. Turn and bake for about 15 additional minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside; reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

3.
Heat a medium skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the onion and soften for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the garlic, oregano, basil, pepper, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly; then raise the heat to medium-high, pour in the tomatoes with their juice, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes, until thickened. The dish can be made in advance up to this point. Cover the eggplant slices and the sauce and refrigerate separately for up to 24 hours; allow both to come back to room temperature before proceeding with the dish.

4.
Layer the following in this order in a 6-cup casserole dish or an 8-inch square baking pan: one-third of the tomato sauce, half the eggplant slices, half the cheese slices,
teaspoon grated nutmeg, half of the remaining tomato sauce, the remaining eggplant slices, the remaining cheese shavings, and the remaining
teaspoon grated nutmeg. Top with the remaining tomato sauce. You may have to cut the eggplant slices to make them fit in one layer, or you may have to overlap them a bit.

5.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until thickened and bubbly. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.