Usually it takes a couple of hours to make Coq au Vin, but with this quick version, you can have dinner ready in about 25 minutes. While the Coq au Vin is cooking, prepare some rice to serve with it.

Instant Coq au Vin

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp butter
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4 lb sliced mushrooms
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp white sugar
• 2 green onions, sliced

Directions

1. In a large frying pan, heat butter, over medium-high heat.
2. Add chicken to pan, and brown on one side, about 2 minutes.
3. Turn chicken over, and add mushrooms and garlic.
4. Continue cooking over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, stirring mushrooms occasionally.
5. Add wine, thyme and sugar.
6. Continue cooking over medium-high heat until wine is gently boiling, about 2 minutes.
7. Turn chicken and stir mushrooms.
8. Continue cooking, uncovered, until chicken feels springy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
9. Remove chicken to serving platter and place mushrooms on top of chicken.
10. Cover with foil, to keep chicken warm.
11. Turn heat to high, and add green onions to wine mixture.
12. Stir occasionally, until wine is reduced to about 1/2 cup.
13. Add salt and pepper to taste
14. Pour wine mixture over chicken and mushrooms, and serve with rice.

Makes 4 servings.

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The cookbook is filled with quick and easy recipes, and each recipe is accompanied by a full page colour picture, showing the finished dish. I find it much easier to make a new recipe, when I have an idea of what I’m aiming for!

The original recipe calls for fresh peaches and tomato, so I’d certainly use those in late summer, when local fresh produce is available. In the winter, I just use canned tomato, and a jar of peaches packed in juice. They have much more flavour than the fresh produce, at this time of year.

This dish is delicious, and perfect with rice or a simple green salad. If you like a bit of heat, add a few red pepper flakes to the salsa.

Cornmeal Chicken with Peach Salsa

Salsa

• 28 oz jar peaches in juice, drained and coarsely chopped
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1/4 tsp salt

Chicken

• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/4 lb)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix all the salsa ingredients
2. In a shallow bowl, mix the cornmeal, salt and pepper.
3. Coat the chicken with the cornmeal mixture.
4. Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet, over medium-high heat.
5. Cook the chicken in the skillet for 15 to 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes, until the cooked through. (When centre of thickest part is cut, juice is no longer pink.)
6. Top with salsa, and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

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Occasionally the chef goes out, and I have to make my own supper. Oh, the suffering! Usually I end up having a tossed salad with a can of tuna, or whatever is left over from the night before. Sometime though, I want a bit more, but don’t want to make a big mess. Cooking in foil pouches is a great solution!

Here’s a recipe that I’ve tried a few times, with excellent results. You can use fish or cooked ham instead of chicken, and whatever vegetables and liquid you prefer. For more than one person this works well too — each person can make a pouch with their own favourites, so everyone’s happy!

Even children enjoy this, when they get to create their own meal. Adults will have to open the pouches though, to prevent steam burns.

Chicken And Vegetable Pouches

1. For each serving, make a pouch, using heavy duty foil, or a double thickness of regular foil.
2. Into the pouch, add:
   1/3 cup instant rice,
   4 oz chicken breast,
   1/2 cup sliced vegetables (e.g. carrots, zucchini and mushrooms), and
   1/3 cup chicken broth.
3. Sprinkle with a pinch each of basil and oregano, or a dash of Italian dressing.
4. Double fold the pouch, to seal the contents.
5. Place all the pouches on a baking sheet, and bake at 450°F for 15 minutes.

Open the pouches carefully, because the ingredients will be steaming hot!

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You can find more information on the gluten free section of my Excel tips website.

Because I love asparagus, the cover picture sold me on the book, and a quick flip through it convinced me that it would be a good purchase.

In it, I found this pork recipe, which looked good. At the time, the rhubarb in our garden was still tender and firm, which is rare for late summer. We hauled the old bottle of cheap port out of the back of the cupboard, and used it in the recipe.

All the flavours blended beautifully together, for a delicious meal. I’d never tried rhubarb with pork, but it’s surprisingly good. Unlike most rhubarb recipes, this one is quite low in sugar, so it’s a good way to use the crop and not go into a sugar-induced coma.

If you don’t eat pork, this would probably be very nice with chicken thighs too.

Not-So-Portly Pork

• 1 tsp canola oil
• 4 boneless pork loin chops, trimmed of fat, about 1 lb total
• 1/4 cup port wine
• 1-1/2 cups sliced fresh rhubarb
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger (or 1 tsp finely grated gingerroot)

1. Heat canola oil in large frying pan on medium high.
2. Add pork, and cook for about 2 minutes per side until browned.
3. Reduce heat to medium low
4. Add wine. Heat and stir for 15 seconds, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
5. Combine rhubarb, sugar and ginger in a small bowl.
6. Add to pork mixture and stir.
7. Cook, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes, turning pork after 4 minutes, until desired doneness.
8. Transfer pork to serving dish, and spoon rhubarb mixture over top.

Serves 4.
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You can find more information on the gluten free section of my Excel tips website.