Red wine and mushroom soup

The idea for this soup came to me a couple of weeks ago. I had leftover red wine from a dinner with friends that I had to use up and a bucket of mushrooms in the fridge.

Here's what I came up with. Hope you'll like this recipe and try it at home!



INGREDIENTS (4 people):
- 1x 8oz bucket of cremini mushrooms
- 3/4 cups red wine
- 4 cups broth (I used beef, but feel free to use chicken or vegetable broth)
- 1 small onion (or 1/2 medium)
- 3 medium russet potatoes
- a splash of olive oil
- salt, pepper to taste
- a sprig of thyme (not pictured)
- 3 rashes of thick cut bacon, finely chopped (not pictured)
- optional: dried porcini mushrooms (I just did not have any on hand, but would have added it to the soup had I had some!)


RECIPE:
- optional: if you have dried porcini on hand, rehydrate them with 1/2 cup boiling water and let them steep for 30 minutes, then drain them thoroughly, chop them and reserve the liquid
Note: using rehydrated porcini mushrooms will add a deep earthy mushroomy flavor to this soup. I highly recommend splurging :) 
- peel and dice the potatoes and onion in 1/4 inch cubes and slice the mushrooms thinly

- in a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and a sprinkle of salt and saute until nice and golden

Note: at first, they will render a LOT of moisture and start to steam. This is perfectly normal and when the moisture evaporates, they will eventually become crispy and golden.
- when the mushrooms are cooked, add the onions and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, or until they are soft and translucent

Note: if you are using rehydrated porcini mushrooms, add them at this stage
- deglaze with the wine, then add the potatoes, thyme and broth and bring back to a simmer over medium-high heat

Note: if you are using rehydrated porcini, add the reserved liquid at this stage
- lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender

- while the soup is cooking, crisp up the sliced bacon in a skillet and reserve on a paper towel

- when the potatoes are cooked through, pour out 1 to 2 cups of soup in a small container and using a stick blender, puree until smooth then return the pureed soup to the bigger pot

Note: this is an optional step that thickens the soup and adds a creamy texture without adding any cream, flour or cornstarch
- sprinkle a spoonful of crispy bacon on top and enjoy!

Coq-au-vin (French red wine chicken stew)

This is such a great recipe to have in your repertoire! Not only is the dish visually beautiful, it is also the perfect comfort food, Sunday family lunch, dinner party with friends or romantic dinner for two.

Traditionally, it is prepared with a rooster but nowadays it is very common to use chicken instead. It is a very economical recipe: chicken thighs are very often on sale, carrots and onions are super cheap. To be honest this whole thing barely cost me 30 dollars, including the wine and cognac and I'll be eating this for at least 4 meals. It freezes really well, so don't hesitate to make a large batch and freeze portions for future lazy days ;)

The meat falls off the bone and the sauce is buttery, smooth and so tasty!


Coq-au-vin never fails to impress. Try it, and see for yourself :)


INGREDIENTS (6-8 people, 4 people with seconds, 2 people with lots of leftovers)
- 8 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
- 8 oz button mushrooms bucket
- 1 cup of frozen pearl onions
- 1/2 cup diced smoked uncured bacon (try to avoid strong flavored bacon like maple-glazed)
- 4 long carrots (or just as many as you want in your final dish, I like mine fairly carrotty!)
- 4 plump garlic cloves
- 3 small bay leaves (or 1 big)
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme (dried works fine too)
- 1 medium onion, studded with 1 clove
- 3 tbsp butter (you can't see it behind the onion!)
- 1/3 cup AP flour
- 1 bottle red wine (if possible use a Burgundy wine, but any red should work fine: I used a Merlot)
- splash of cognac (I used 5cl, or a sample bottle of Hennessy)


RECIPE:
- in a dutch oven, saute the bacon in the melted butter, add the thickly sliced mushrooms and the pearl onions and cook for 5 minutes over high heat until golden

- reserve in a bowl for later use and keep the butter and bacon fat in the pan
- in the same pan, brown the chicken pieces over medium-high heat, working in batches

- when the chicken pieces are golden, put them all back in the pan, sprinkle the flour and make sure they are well coated

- flambé the chicken with the cognac

Note: be VERY careful when you flambé! Make sure to tie your hair, tuck all fly-aways, clear any flammable items from your working area like dish rags, paper towels, etc... Do not lean over the pan and shut down the fume hoods. 
- when the flames go out, you can add the remaining ingredients: studded onion, carrots (cut in 1 inch segments), bay leaves, thyme, garlic and wine

- bring back to a boil, cover and simmer for 1 hour and 40 minutes over very low heat

- after 1h40, add the mushroom, pearl onions and bacon back into the pan, stir and cook for another 20 minutes covered over very low heat, until the sauce is thick, creamy, wonderfully flavored and the chicken falls off the bone

Note: in the traditionnal recipe, it is customary to thicken the sauce with the pureed liver and blood of the chicken (or rooster, really), but you can really do without. The fact that we make a roux (butter,  flour and liquid) at the beginning of the recipe makes the sauce silky smooth and thick.
- serve over a bed of fresh tagliatelle, slathered in butter and enjoy with a nice glass of red wine.

- Bon appétit!

Gratinee a l'oignon (French Onion soup)

One of the perks of cold weather is that it is once again the season to enjoy the deliciousness that is French onion soup.

An absolute classic recipe that is best enjoyed after a day of skiing, hiking or really just plain lazy urban cocooning, it is one of the cheapest and satisfying meals I can think of!

Do try it. I promise you this will not be in vain :)

PS: on top of my regular point and shoot photography, my friend Rod came over to share some food and macro photography tips. Take a look at this!

Photographs by Rod Egret

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people, or 2 people for 2 meals)
- 1 1/2 lbs onions
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- 1/3 cup AP flour
- 1 cup white wine (I used Pinot Grigio, but you can use Riesling or even a red; if you are using a white though, use a dry wine not sweet)
- 8 cups beef broth (you can use vegetable broth if you wish to make a vegetarian version, but if you do eat meat, beef is the way to go!)
- 1/2 stick of butter
- a sprig of thyme and a bay leaf
- a stale French baguette, or any stale bread you can slice and shape into large croutons
- PLENTY of grated Alpine Gruyere (No, you really cannot use mozzarella, jack or cheddar on this... If you cannot find Gruyere, I guess an aged Parmesan would work, but you just cannot replicate the sweet, nutty, delicious flavor of Gruyere. It is really not that much of a splurge: I got the pictured slab for about 5.50 dollars at whole foods, and only used about half of it. For real!)


RECIPE:
- in a dutch oven or deep pot, melt the butter and saute the sliced onions over medium-high heat until golden brown and lightly caramelized (about 5-7 minutes)

- add the flour and the finely chopped garlic, mix and cook for another 2 minutes over medium heat, making sure it does not stick to the bottom

- deglaze the pot with the wine, then add the beef broth, thyme and bay leaf and simmer over medium heat for another 25-30 minutes

- after 30 minutes, the soup will have thickened and reduced a little in volulme, and the onions will be very tender

- place a crouton in the bottom of an oven-proof bowl and ladle the soup over it. Add another two croutons on top and smother in grated cheese (forgot to take a picture with the cheese, sorry!)

- melt the cheese under the broiler for a few minutes and look often! The croutons are very prone to burning... ahem...

- enjoy piping hot, with a nice glass of red wine!