There's something sensual in preparing a savory fall meal--the multilayered, rich smells of the kitchen, the low murmur of bubbling broth, the decadence that comes from consuming things one normally wouldn't eat.  To sum it up: Yum!

Yesterday morning, I rummaged through my Williams-Sonoma Complete Seasonal Cookbook in search of a recipe that would incorporate the fall vegetables now showing up in the market.  At a friend's house on Sunday, there was talk of a coq au vin recipe and so when I ran across "Coq au Vin with Autum Vegetables," it was a lock.  I had plenty of time in the afternoon, so I'd be able to tackle the complex recipe without feeling crunched for time.

The recipe goes in four stages: preparation of ingredients, browning the chicken, simmering the chicken in wine and stock, straining the broth and cooking the vegetables while keeping the chicken warm, then thickening the sauce and combining all the ingredients in the pot.  It took me about two and a half hours, start to finish, with lots of dishes washed along the way. 

But it was such a creative, wonderfully aromatic dish that it didn't really feel too much like work.  Plus, while the chicken was simmering, I got to sit with Dan and enjoy the evening.

I made the mistake of telling my trainer yesterday morning that I was preparing coq au vin for dinner, so he worked me extra hard...turns out that was a good thing.  When I put the recipe in my "recipe builder" calculator on www.myfooddiary.com, it calculated 900 calories per serving.  Eeep!  I'm not sure how accurate the calorie count is because a good portion of the sauce is not actually consumed with the chicken...but there are things in the dish like bacon grease, butter (Don't read this Sally!), and chicken skin, that would support the high level of saturated fats in the count.

Of course, these are balanced out by yummy, good for you veggies like rutabaga (thanks to my Mom for helping me find one by pointing me to a particular grocery store which will remain nameless in deference to family members), parsnip, carrot and turnip.  And then that's counterbalanced by the bottle of red wine that goes into the sauce.

Dan called late in the afternoon and said he wouldn't be needing dinner since he ate a late lunch at his charity golf game...so he smelled everything but didn't taste it yet.  Tonight, we're having leftovers so if he likes it, despite all the turnips and parsnips, it will become a staple entertaining recipe, I think.  Meanwhile, I'd better hit the gym and work extra hard today!

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