6 secrets behind coq au vin

Carrot or not?

Some chefs believe coq au vin requires carrots; others, like Russell, don’t. We added a few to make ourselves feel virtuous.

Mushrooms

While most mushrooms work fine, EB Social Kitchen’s version stars small white button mushrooms from a local supplier. Champignon de Paris, to be precise.

Shallots vs. onions

First prize here is French shallots, but the delicate flavour of red onions works well, too.

Which wine?

“I’m not fussy, any local red wine will do,” says Russell, who starts with 8 litres of red and slowly reduces it to about one litre, resulting in a deliciously concentrated flavour.

Bring home the bacon

Streaky bacon is where the flavour's at for Russell, who gets his smoky strips from Franschhoek charcutier Neil Jewel. “It adds depth and richness to the sauce,” he says.

And finally, the bird

Russell foregoes the rooster the original recipe calls for in favour of a 1.2 kg free-range chicken, sectioning the bird into pieces and marinating them in the red wine reduction before cooking. Streaky bacon is where the flavour's at for Russell, who gets his smoky strips from Franschhoek charcutier Neil Jewel. “It adds depth and richness to the sauce,” he says.

Try this coq au vin recipe now.

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