Saturday, June 26, 2010

Turkey Coq au Vin

This is really the same recipe as my rabbit in red wine sauce, with some proportions adjusted and some other minor tweaks. (I've learned a few things since then.)

The obvious difference is that it's made with turkey, not rabbit. Boneless turkey thigh is good because it sears well and braises well, and this recipe does both.

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 boneless turkey thigh (about 2 lbs), cut into 4 oz pieces
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 tsp. coarse salt
  • 1/2 lb bacon
  • 1 medium Spanish onion, diced
  • 1 small head of garlic, crushed
  • 8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 bottle red wine (preferably Pinot Noir)
  • 2 tbsp. black currant or blackberry preserves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp. dried rosemary
  • Juice of 2 large lemons
  • Freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Place flour and the kosher salt into a large bowl or zip-loc bag. Coat each piece of turkey in this mixture and set aside.
  2. In a heavy skillet, sauté the bacon slices medium-high heat until somewhat crispy. Remove the bacon to a bowl but leave all the grease in the skillet.
  3. Increase the heat to high. Brown the turkey pieces in the bacon grease briefly, about 30 seconds per side, and transfer to a large casserole.
  4. Sauté the onions and garlic until softened, adding a little olive oil if needed.
  5. Once the onions begin to soften, add the mushrooms and sauté the mixture until golden. Transfer contents to the casserole.
  6. Add 1 cup of wine to the skillet and gently scrape the sides with a spatula.
  7. Pour the deglazed wine into the casserole and combine with the rest of the wine, herbs, pepper, lemon juice, and preserves.
  8. Crumble the bacon into the casserole and mix all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
  9. The next day, preheat the oven to 275 ºF.
  10. Cover casserole and let cook for about 2 hours.
Serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles.