I need to gush here for a moment about “Mycelium Express.” They are a team of local mushroom growers that sell at the crescent city farmers market, and they’re amazing. Their mushrooms are so unique and allow us to try things that we would never find at the grocery store. They have almost no social media, and they don’t have a website. If someone knows them please let them know I am their #1 fan.
The first time I made this variation on Coq au Vin it was wildly successful and we were literally drinking the sauce. This time around I made too much in too big and too deep of a pot, and cooked it too long, which resulted in it being more like a chicken soup than a chicken stew. It was still very good but it lacked the hearty stewy-ness that I was craving. The recipe bellow is the original dish that I made, I have since scrapped my attempts at altering what I did in January. On the other hand, Deanna’s focaccia was the star of the night. It was perfect, and shockingly easy. Who needs a bread hookup when you can just make it yourself?
Deanna’s Focaccia:
1 & 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 & 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 & 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
Combine ingredients in a stand mixer, on high speed for about 1-2 minutes, until the dough combines. Generously oil a sheet tray and transfer your dough, spreading it out to be about an inch in thickness. Let rest for an hour covered. Preheat oven to 400. Once dough has rested give your focaccia some finger dents to hold olive oil and spices. We drizzled the dough with olive oil, thyme, rosemary, and coarse sea salt. Bake for 25-30 minutes. You do want to remove your dough from the sheet tray pretty soon after it’s been baked so that it doesn’t sweat in the pan and become soggy.
Coq au Riesling:
4 oz thick cut pancetta, cut in 1/4 inch cubes
8 bone in chicken thighs
2 carrots
1lb mixed mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
1/2 yellow onion, minced
fresh thyme and parsley
1 bottle of dry riesling
1/2 cup heavy cream, or 1/4 cup creme fraiche
In a large flat skillet, crisp your pancetta, then add in your onion, and shallot and cook until translucent. Add in garlic and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Remove from pan and sear off chicken thighs about 5 minutes on each side, until slightly browned. Add onion, pancetta mix back to the pan along with your chopped carrot and about a teaspoon of fresh chopped thyme. Add as much of the riesling as you can, along with a half a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, and then a simmer. Cook for about a half an hour, or until your chicken is cooked through. In a separate skillet, cook your mushrooms in a little salt and butter, and then add to your chicken. Once the chicken is cooked through and the mushrooms have been added, add in your cream or creme fraiche and cook for another 5-10 minutes to let the flavors combine. Add more salt if necessary. Top with fresh chopped parsley.