Don't forget the vin! at least two bottles (yes, two) of red wine. preferably a not so great red wine, you would not want to waste it here. Coq au vin is a really slow cooked meal, it is the epitome of poor-working people down on the farm food. imagine you are a french country housewife without all the great cooking and food resources that we have now. you got to put food on the table for your hubby and seven children. all you got is a very old and grumpy hen, some wine, and the veggies that you grow yourself. what do you do?

you take the grumpy old hen (or grumpy hen substitute) and slow cook it with all the wine and veggies you can for as long as you can. that tough old bird will be rendered, via the miracle of heat and acid, into a tender, melt-in-your mouth sensation. viola! your housewife intuition has payed off!

lol i love country food like that, where veggies and bread and odd combinations are used in abundance in order to stretch food and make something out of practically nothing. If you look at all cooking in this same light, you can find a new creativity to create food that is both comforting and healthful.
Bon Appetite!

Watch out for the Quorn.

Take a look at this
http://www.cspinet.org/quorn/victims.html

and this
http://www.mold-help.org/content/view/643/

before continuing to eat this product.

I would suggest frozen (then defrosted) tofu.  Result is a meaty textured meat substitute.

I was wondering if Quorn was still around.  I remember back in the 80s (when I was vegetarian before) that there were letters in Vegetarian Times detailing the same problems.  I've never tried it because of the fear of adverse reactions.

I use healthy-eating.com "chiken cutlets" for this recipe.

Chiken fricassee and coq au vin are the same recipe.  Fricassee is in cream sauce and coq au vin is in tomato base.  They both have onions, garlic, and mushrooms.  Both start with browned chicken pieces.

Use the cutlets as above, reconstituted as the package instructions.  Drain and press them a bit to remove excess moisture.  Dredge in poulty seasoned flour and fry in a skillet.  When they are browned a bit, take them out and add more oil if necessary and cook the onions and garlic covered, stirring occasonally.  When the onions are sweated down, add the slices mushrooms and cook briefly.  Remove and put withe chikun on a plate.  Make the sauce.  For fricassee start with a roux of vegan margarine/olive oil and flour to thicken soymilk.  Be sure you cook the margarine flour mixture for about 60 to 90 seconds to remove the raw flour taste and then add the milk slowly, stirring with a wisk.  As a rule, 1T oil, 1T flour will thicken 1cup of liquid.

For coq au vin, it is a tomato base.  It is up to you if you want to use sauce, chopped tomatoes or whatever.  My personal favorite is to put the vegetables and chikun in the pan and top with 2 cans of Hunts flavored chopped tomatoes.  They make a roasted garlic and balsamic vinegar flavor that is just to die for.  Simmer till heated and serve.  You can add red wine if you like because "au vin" means with wine.

umm both are frequently served with rice too.

You can go one further and serve Chikun Marengo.  Supposedly this is named for a dish served to Napoleon after the battle of Marengo.  It is almost exactly like coq au vin.  THe mushrooms are left whole if they are small or cut in halves if they are not.  Whole black olives are added to this dish just before it is hot and served once heated through.  Traditionally, this dish is served with toast triangles with boiled, peeled shrimp.  As a substitute, you favorite bean pate can be served on whole grain toast triangles instead.