Tell me the truth...

[SeaHen]

Your landlord is more than an idiot; he's scary.

 

[dancingbear]

The reason I've never tried it is that I've never cared much for wine. I might really like it in a dish like that, I just don't like to drink it. I wouldn't know a good red wine if it bit me. The only wine I ever cared much for at all is a white wine, Asti Spumante. I wonder if that would work ok in that recipe? Or maybe there's somebody here that knows red wines that could suggest one I might like, taking into account the one white wine I do like. I don't like really dry wines, they're too astringent for me.

I saw Alton Brown's recipe, too, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/coq-au-vin-recipe/index.html . One of the reveiws said it was way too salty, so if you try it, you migt want to watch that, with the salt pork. One recipes I perused mentions blanching the bacon first, (they may have meant salt pork) to remove some of the salt.

 

[flowerchild59]

Another recipe that would be good and slow would be chicken and 40 cloves of garlic. It has a white wine base. Try a cheaper wine like Vendage, or something in the 7.00 range. It will be fine.

 

[Chickiemama1010]

Quote:
He's my former landlord, and actually he is a very nice man. He was the best landlord I ever had. His wife is my accountant, and he gives a lot of side work to the husband, having a handful of rental props and then his own house. He is generous with his belongings and his time. When we bought our house and moved out of his, he came out here on the weekends and helped me paint, and sand, and tape/mud cracks in plaster walls. We had a ton of work to do before we could move in(my house built in 1841 and sat empty for 2yrs before we got it), and we had 90days to get it done before we would have to pay mortgage pmt AND rent. It didnt happen, and we were freakin out because we were already tight with $ from renovating, and now we were about to have to pay $1400 for the month in rent & mort. when we were used to paying $650. Ouch. Landlord let it slide, said he'd give us 6wks FREE to finish up and move out of his place. It was a huge relief for us. Our son was only 8months old at the time, and the stress of the whole thing was immense. So regardless of his opinion on old rooster and adult deer, I am grateful for his consideration of our situation. Its been a few years, and we still talk regularly.

I think due to the fact he is a butcher/meat cutter by profession he is so particular about it. As a butcher he is familiar with and has access to the most tender,delicious, and prime cuts of various animals. I guess if we ate filet mignon on a very regular basis, we too may be disapointed in flank steak. I DO NOT like his wasteful treatment of his 2-yr old hens as fish food, and do find it dishonorable myself, as someone else mentioned. As far as the deer goes, he gives that meat away if it is an older specimen that he doesnt find suitable to his tastes. He gave us 2 whole deer last yr, and also processed them, and the one my husband shot as well. He tried to talk me out of keeping the ribs. He said theyre too tough, not like pork ribs. IKNOW theyre not like pork. Theyre like venison, right! key to venison ribs is looooooong cooking on low heat, apparently like an older roo, lol. Needless to say, my freezer is stocked to the hilt with venison.

As far as the coq au vin, I do not like red wine either, as a beverage. Dry, astringent, and I cant get over the fact its served room temp. I want my drinks cold. unless we're talking coffee. However my great grandmother was an immigrant from Italy, she used to make these absolutely to di for short ribs that simmered in red wine and beef broth ALL day. Ohhhhh thinking about it is makin me drool. I have tried and tried and just cant get them the way she did, and I am a good cook. mmmmmmmm I can still smell them in my mind

 

[MissJenny]

At the very least, throwing a dead bird into a ditch is polluting the ground water and no good farm worth beans would purposely do that to himself and his neighbors. Tossing bird bodies into the pond is irresponsible.

Jenny

 

[Bossroo]

Red wine gives me heartburn... a good alternative is a Rose' or Pink wines . Good taste and no heartburn.

 

[AlbionWood]

You might also consider brining the bird. Alton Brown has a terrific recipe and description. I started doing that with turkey last year and MAN! Does it make a difference! So when I shot a wild turkey last month, a big tom (carcass weighed 17 lbs going into the oven), I brined it overnight. And even though this was a big old bird, and I overcooked it a little, we had no trouble eating it. The meat was firm but not tough, and it stayed good for over a week. Made great stock, too. Brining is also good for any other lean meat, like venison.

There's also a great Belgian dish called Waterzooi that is kind of a chicken stew. I think it would be a great way to use an older bird; with store-bought chicken it's too bland. I can post a recipe if you want. Like others here said, long slow low-temp cooking is the way to go.

 

[lnm03]

Quote:
Please post your recipe!!!!

Thank you!!!!!!!!

 

[Chickiemama1010]

Quote:
me too. Heartburn

 

[dancingbear]

It sounds like your former landlord is a good person, so I'll amend my statement: He's not an idiot; he's just mistaken.

And maybe a little (or a lot) spoiled, perhaps not understanding that not everybody can live on choice cuts of everything all the time.

I have a friend who's been well-off his whole life, and he doesn't understand a lot of things, either. But he's still my friend, and a sweet person!

I caught a few minutes of Rachel Ray today, just the end of the show. She was making beef pot pie wedges, they looked sort of like those flat fried pies, but they were baked. They were full of tender braised beef, mushrooms, green onions, I don't know what else. The recipe should be on her website, it could be easily adapted to use crock-pot cooked chicken. My DH is a truck driver, and I'm always looking for things I can make ahead of time, for him to take. Things that he can easily heat in his little 12-volt oven.

Chicken pirogis would be good, too. Chicken, cheese and broccoli pockets, all kinds of stuff. I rarely buy processed foods, but homemade versions of some of them are really good! That way I control the sodium, fat, etc., and I know it's not full of MSG or anything else I don't want.