Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

I was watching food television the other day and saw someone make chicken with 40 cloves of garlic. It looked delicious but it seemed quite labor intensive. I have been meaning to make this dish for a while but have been lazy – so I made it simpler. I decided to use less garlic- it takes too long to peel 40 cloves. I used one head of garlic instead and it was more than enough. I also coated the chicken pieces with seasoned flour before I browned them. I saved a step by doing this- I don’t have to take the chicken out and make a roux separately. I also decided to add pancetta for an extra layer of flavor – boy, what intense flavor bacon gives to a dish! Everything is good with bacon! The fresh thyme is a great addition- it brings a very earthy flavor to the dish. I served the chicken with couscous that I made with pine nuts and currants. I usually add golden raisins to my savory dishes- never used currants before- well I am a fan! They are great tiny little balls of sweetness and go really well in the couscous. My daughter who usually takes the raisins out, somehow didn’t mind the currants in the couscous. I added a little extra chicken broth to the dish so we can enjoy extra sauce with the couscous. 

So, since the dish didn’t have any vegetables, I was planning on serving a salad. I had baby arugula in the fridge and decided to make it simple and add some lemon juice and salt. It suddenly occurred to me maybe I should serve the seasoned arugula on top of the dish! What a brilliant idea- actually it’s not mine- I have seen it many times on food television- they usually add seasoned greens on pizza, pasta, etc. Well it is a great idea- it tasted fantastic!  The lemony arugula was perfect with the creamy chicken and the sweet couscous. It really was a brilliant dish and I think great for company. We drank a Riesling with the chicken- the same one I used to make the sauce. It stood up to the strong flavors of the chicken dish but was light at the same time. It was a very enjoyable meal indeed- nothing better in life than to enjoy great food and wine with the people you love most! 

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I was watching food television the other day- yes, I tend to do that a lot- and someone was making a French bread pizza… It brought back memories. My brother and I used to make it many years ago- I think when we first came to the States from India. We used store bought pizza sauce and a bag of pepperoni and cheese and it was fabulous!! I can still picture the tiny little kitchen in our tiny little apartment! I haven’t made a French bread pizza since then! Time to make one, I thought- so I started to picture in my mind… I wanted to use mushrooms – partly because my daughter loves them- and fontina cheese for its mild creamy flavor. I decided to also add caramelized onions for the adults only. The sauce was troubling me- I didn’t want to use the regular run-of-the-mill marinara sauce- not that there is any thing wrong with it- I wanted something different… after a lot of pondering; I came up with a roasted tomato and garlic sauce. Roasting any vegetable makes it sweet and nutty- including garlic. The mild flavor of this sauce went really well with the mushrooms, caramelized onions and the fontina cheese- overall it was a winner. The sky is the limit with the combinations you can add to this kind of pizza or for that matter, any pizza! I love the regular flat bread pizza I make at home or eat at our favorite pizzeria, but when I was eating the French bread pizza- it revoked memories of the amazing crusty bread in Paris! Just for that reason, French bread pizza is my favorite thing to eat- well, at least for now. We ate it with a fresh green salad and of course a French red wine!!!

Sauce

• 2 pints cherry tomatoes
• 3-4 garlic cloves, not peeled
• 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and Pepper to sprinkle

Preheat the oven on 400 degrees.
On a cookie sheet spread the tomatoes and garlic and top them with the oil and the salt and pepper. Roast them for about 30 minutes or till the tomatoes are soft and almost bursting. Squeeze the garlic out of the husks. Add the tomatoes and garlic into a blender and liquefy the mixture till smooth. Adjust seasonings. You will need about half of the sauce for the pizza.

Toppings

• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil- divided
• 10 ounces cremini mushroom, sliced
• Salt to taste

In a medium frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add the sliced onion. Cook about 20 minutes on medium low heat until the onions are soft and golden brown. Keep aside. In the same pan, heat the remaining olive oil and add the sliced mushrooms. Cook on medium high heat for about 15 minutes, until all the moisture is evaporated and the mushrooms are golden brown. Sprinkle salt to taste. Keep aside.

Pizza

• 1 large French Baguette
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 7-8 ounces fontina cheese, shredded
• Salt if needed

Preheat oven on 350 degrees.
Cut the baguette in half, lengthwise. Drizzle the olive oil and spread on both sides. Spread the roasted tomato and garlic sauce. Next, add the shredded cheese followed by the mushrooms and onions. Sprinkle salt to taste. Bake for about 10 minutes and serve!

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 or 3 thick slices bacon, roughly chopped
• 3 chicken thighs and 3 chicken legs
• 1 handful flour, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste
• 10 ounces Cremini mushrooms, rinsed and halved
• 20 whole baby carrots, cut in half
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 large Vidalia onions, chopped, or 2 cups frozen pearl onions
• 1 bottle red or white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs thyme

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Transfer to a large plate.  Shake the chicken pieces with the seasoned flour in a paper or plastic bag.  Brown the chicken in a pot, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to the plate with bacon.  Saute the mushrooms, carrots, garlic, and onions in the pot until the just begin to brown, 5 minutes.  Pour half the wine into the pan and cook over high heat for about 8 minutes.  Add the broth and the remaining wine.  Bring to a boil and add the chicken, bacon, and herbs.  Return to a boil, then cover and simmer for 45 minutes.  Remove the chicken and vegetables and reduce the sauce by half.  In the meantime remove the meat off the chicken bones and discard the bones. Once the sauce is reduced add the vegetables and the meat remaining meat.
Serve on top of garlic baguettes.

Garlic Baguette

• 1 French baguette, cut into 2 inch diagonal slices
• Olive oil to drizzle
• 2 whole garlic cloves

Drizzle olive oil on the slices and toast in a 350 degrees oven for a few minutes. Rub the garlic cloves on the toasted slices.
In a shallow bowl, place 2 slices of garlic baguette and add the coq au vin on top and serve.