“I just want to cook,” I replied. “I just want to go into the kitchen by myself for hours and slice and dice.”
“Ok….” She looked perplexed, but I could tell she was trying to be accepting in her motherly way. That afternoon I did exactly that. I meticulously selected one of the recipes I’d saved for when I had time to cook for myself. I wanted the perfect, seasonal dish for my first foray back to cooking. I chose “Coq Au Riesling,” a recipe from the October issue of Food & Wine. Normally I would shy away from chicken and opt for something slightly more ambitious. However, I found the addition of the Riesling intriguing in this case. I love cooking with wine and Reisling’s hints of apple and citrus epitomize an autumnal beverage.
The original recipe called for the quintessential vegetable trio: carrots, celery, and onions. Those certainly impart flavor to meat upon simmering and I use them often. At the same time, I wanted to capitalize on fall produce. Autumn’s harvest bounty makes it my favorite time of year for cooking. I decided to add kabocha squash to the mix. This variety is sweeter than acorn or butternut squash. Sometimes called “buttercup,” it is sweet enough to be used as a substitute for sugar pumpkins in pie.
In another moment of inspiration, I got the idea to toss in cranberries. I recalled another recipe I had retrieved from Food & Wine years ago for Brussels Sprouts. They published it for Thanksgiving and now I make it every year; it’s a family Thanksgiving favorite. It starts with cranberries steeped in Riesling. Then they are added to Brussels sprouts. The wine cuts the tartness of the berries. At the same time, the remaining touch of sourness goes well with the earthy vegetables. I figured that adding cranberries to this dish would serve a similar purpose.
I used chicken thighs instead of the “split chicken legs.” I think chicken thighs are underappreciated when it comes to poultry. The dark meat gives them a bad reputation, but in actuality they are very close to chicken breasts in terms of calories and overall nutrition (skinless and trimmed). They are also extremely affordable- way more economic than breasts or cutlets.
Basically, my revised preparation and play on the recipe went as follows below. Overall, I omitted the mushrooms entirely, going with squash and cranberries instead. I also left out the creamy components of the sauce. As the squash breaks down, it imparts a creamy texture without using any dairy.
1. Preheat the oven to 300°. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large, enameled cast-iron casserole coated with cooking spray, heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil. Add half of the chicken and cook over moderately high heat, turning, until browned, 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Cook the remaining chicken, then pour off the fat and wipe out the casserole.
2. Respray the dish with cooking spray. Add the squash and sauté until just starting to get tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the onion, carrot, celery and shallots and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer for 1 minute, scraping up the browned bits from the pot. Add the chicken stock and thyme and bring to a boil.
4. Nestle the chicken in the casserole; cover and braise in the oven for 40 minutes-1 hour, checking its progress. About 5 minutes before it seems done, add the cranberries and return the dish to the oven.
5. Garnish with tarragon and serve.
It turned out delicious! I am critical of my own recipes, but to me this marks one of the best family dinners I’ve prepared.
Leftover bonus: The vegetable part of this (all but the chicken pieces) goes great with eggs! I used them to make a “frittata” of sorts with the squash serving in lieu of potato. I broke an egg into a skillet with cooking spray, let it settle for about a minute, and layered the mixture over it. You can also fold it to make it more of an omelette.
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